As promised, our Employee Spotlight series puts the focus on the people behind the work at ATMI Precast. This month, we’re excited to introduce James Sapp.
Getting to Know James
What’s your current role at ATMI Precast?
I am ATMI’s Engineering Manager.
How long have you been with ATMI Precast?
I have been with ATMI for 12 years.
How did you get started in the precast industry?
I fell into precast by a bit of luck. ATMI Precast’s VP of Engineering at the time had gotten my resume from a consultant engineer who was hiring for a job I had applied for. When I got the initial phone call, I was a little hesitant about if precast was something I wanted to do. I had gone to grad school wanting to design skyscrapers and, at that time, all I knew of precast was sound walls along the highway. Obviously, over the last 12 years I have gotten to be part of some real cool projects and I can look back on my initial views of the industry and chuckle at how limited it was at 23.
What’s your favorite part about working with precast?
My favorite part about working with precast is the challenge of solving a design problem with so many constraints. I often relate a lot of my day-to-day life to a clip from the movie Apollo 13 where the engineers are tasked with fitting a square filter into a round hole using only what was aboard the spacecraft. Anything someone can dream up can, in theory, be built. I feel the challenge in precast is building it given the production, logistical, erection, and cost constraints. Precast is about finding the way to do something; not just drawing it on a sheet of paper.
What advice would you give to someone considering a career in precast?
I have found that embracing the opportunities put before you and focusing on solving problems, even if they aren’t necessarily your responsibility, is the best way to grow and progress. Most of my greatest successes were not from solving design equations that fit neatly within my engineering specialty but working to solve problems from a holistic point of view that a project or ATMI or a client was facing. Engineering is a tool to solve problems but, especially in precast, it is not an end in and of itself.
What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned from working at ATMI?
Working at ATMI has taught me to be adaptable and agile in dealing with change. Whether it is a production schedule change, a client driven design change, or a market shift, at the end of the day work still needs to get into the plant to keep our production team working and to meet our commitments. While changes can be disruptive and uncomfortable, they happen. I have learned that keeping composure and rolling with the punches is the best way to keep moving forward.
What do you like to do outside of work?
As of mid-June, I am a father of three so time outside of work is typically devoted to chauffeuring, cooking, cleaning, changing diapers, or trying to figure out why the kitchen floor is constantly sticky. When I am not doing those things, I enjoy reading, training in mixed martial arts, and being outdoors (whether that is working, parenting, or relaxing).
What’s your favorite saying, quote, or piece of advice you live by?
A piece of advice that has been passed down in my family is to never let your schooling interfere with your education. In my formative years, it was a reminder to experience the full range of what life had to offer instead of focusing too rigidly on studying. Now, as I am moving further away from my formal education, it is a reminder to keep learning and growing.
What’s your idea of a perfect Saturday?
A perfect Saturday would be out camping with my family; hiking, enjoying a book in my hammock, and sitting around the campfire roasting marshmallows.
Tell us about a time where ATMI delivered on “As Promised”.
From 2017 to 2020, I was fortunate to work on product development for ATMI Precast. In that time, I focused on creating a new insulated sandwich panel that was more uniform, thermally efficient, and required less material and labor. This was an internally driven initiative that, to me, reflects our commitment to deliver on a quality product, As Promised.