Engineers Week 2025 – Design Your Future

In celebration of Engineers Week, February 16-22, 2025, we are featuring four of our engineers – sharing their advice to students interested in engineering careers, reasons they made AMERICAN their home, and their roles in creating top products for the nation’s water and energy infrastructure.

Megan Tankersley

Melting Manufacturing Engineer Megan Tankersley grew up watching her father and uncle apply math and science principles to make breakthroughs at work. Following in her dad’s footsteps, she studied metallurgical engineering and obtained a bachelor’s degree in metallurgical and materials engineering from the University of Alabama.

While attending a college career fair, Tankersley learned about engineering co-op opportunities at ACIPCO that would enable her to gain real-world experience. “I would always see representatives from ACIPCO at career fairs, and I enjoyed speaking with everyone I met,” Tankersley said. “After completing ACIPCO’s co-op program and graduating from college, I was invited to interview for a full-time job, and I’ve really loved my time here.”

In her role, Tankersley uses her math skills to run cost analyses to determine the quality of iron produced by the cupola as well as chart the results. She also ensures plant installation projects run smoothly. “Part of my metallurgical responsibility is making sure what we put into the cupola lines up with the quality of the iron produced,” she said.

Tankersley advises engineering students to find professional development opportunities that will allow them to improve their public speaking and presentation skills, as engineers are often asked to explain their results.

Matthew Stuart

After graduating from Mississippi State University with a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering and working for another manufacturer, Matthew Stuart was searching for a position that would allow him to design products he would want to use. In 2022, he saw a research engineer position in ACIPCO’s Technical Services & Product Development Department, submitted his application and was selected for the job.

Stuart said he quickly learned what sets ACIPCO apart from others – its Golden Rule business philosophy – treating others the way you want to be treated. “The employees at ACIPCO are like a family,” Stuart said.

Stuart uses his knowledge of mechanical engineering to support Sales and Project Management in creating product solutions to meet the unique needs of customers. He travels to jobsites across the country to answer customer inquiries and make assessments about the products they receive.

“I provide technical support for our Sales Division as well as our customers,” he said. “I help customers resolve product-use and design questions and help with troubleshooting.”

Stuart encourages students pursuing an engineering career to get as much experience as possible before entering the workforce. “Non-engineering jobs can still teach you valuable skills that are transferrable throughout your career,” he explained. “Asking questions to better understand how you can meet a customer’s needs is a skill you can use in any industry.”

Ryle Burey

During visits at his grandmother’s house “right down the road from ACIPCO,” Design Engineer Ryle Burey said he had always heard good things about the company. His journey to ACIPCO began when he completed an apprenticeship with the Birmingham Electrical JATC. Through this, he found employment as a wireman and an electrician. “Working about 11 years as an electrician provided me with experience in the field and prepared me for college,” Burey said. “After working with electrical engineers for many years, I said to myself, ‘If they can do it, I can too.’”

While in college, Burey landed a co-op position at a utility company, where he helped maintain electrical systems, coordinated plant-wide projects, collaborated with various teams and assisted electrical engineers. After finishing the program, he knew pursuing an electrical engineering degree was right for him. “Getting a degree can open up many paths, but in the engineering world, it sets you on the course for a career in that specialty, whether it’s metallurgical, electrical or civil,” Burey said. “Finding a co-op opportunity is essential for engineering students, as the experience will help you decide which specialty is best for you.”

Burey received his bachelor’s in electrical engineering from UAB in 2017 and began working as a research engineer at another manufacturer. In 2023, a design engineer position became available at ACIPCO, and knowing the company’s reputation, he said he did not want to miss the opportunity to apply.

“I want engineering students to know that working for manufacturers is very fulfilling,” he said. “Electrical engineers deal with the heartbeat of manufacturing. They install and maintain electronic systems as well as collaborate with different types of engineers on other projects.”

Alex Young

As a civil engineering student, AFC Industrial Sales Manager Alex Young’s dream job was to work for an organization whose products and services provided long-term value to the community. While attending the University of Alabama, he completed an internship with the City of Tuscaloosa Water and Sewer Department that enabled him to gain experience in the field, develop problem-solving skills and collaborate with a variety of professionals to implement critical water and wastewater infrastructure projects.

After receiving his bachelor’s degree, Young then worked at an engineering firm that specialized in water infrastructure projects. He said his first assignment at the firm was to review the AMERICAN Ductile Iron Pipe Manual and learn everything he could about pipe. “AMERICAN sales professionals often collaborated with us on projects, and from my interactions with them, I quickly realized AMERICAN was an industry leader, and that drew me to the company.”

Young joined ACIPCO as a sales representative in 2016 and has held many different roles in the Sales Division. According to Young, sales engineers act as consultants. They collaborate on project installations with contractors in the field, work on project specifications with other engineers and conduct product demos with customers.

What does it take to be a successful sales engineer? Young says successful sales engineers are good at problem-solving, excel at communicating and are effective listeners. “Sales engineers cultivate relationships between companies and their customers to drive innovation and create trends in the marketplace,” he explained. “Sales professionals give customers a voice.”