Joining the Cornerstone team in 2013, Nathan brought with him a wealth of experience. He began his career as an Electronics Technician in the Navy and then continued to gain experience by working in the IT networking field for several years. Nathan has a Bachelor of Science degree in Electronics Engineering Technology from ECPI University in Virginia Beach, VA. His diverse skill set is a great asset to the Cornerstone Automation team and its clients.
Nathan grew up in New England but has lived in many places thanks to his career in the Navy. He now resides in Pennsylvania, with his wife Rebekah, and their four children. A family man, Nathan loves to spend time with his wife and kids. He is an active member of his local community and frequently gives back by volunteering at his church. When he isn’t innovating solutions for Cornerstone customers, Nathan spends time working on some very unique home improvements! As any homeowner can attest, there is always a project to be done, and as the owner of a 200-year-old house, Nathan is no stranger to that concept. He is currently in the process of an extensive remodeling project, and he often applies his engineering experience to integrating creative home automation upgrades like automating his heating/cooling system with individual zone controls per room and incorporating a whole house fan into his cooling system.
As a Controls Specialist, Nathan’s role at Cornerstone Automation is to manage control system projects from start to finish, and occasionally, before and after. His expertise is often called upon when the Cornerstone team is brought in to service a machine. He observes any problems or deficiencies in a machine and then designs a solution to remediate it. As part of a small team, Nathan takes on the majority of the necessary tasks for projects that he is managing. From drawing electrical schematics to programming PLCs and HMIs, building control panels, and even doing the on-site installation, Nathan handles it all!
“We are grateful to have had Nathan on our team since 2013. He is an expert programmer, problem solver, and troubleshooter,” said Alan Ferrin, president of Cornerstone Automation. “He has natural curiosity and a true engineering mind and can provide solutions for the most difficult problems. His willingness to help others and dedication to the success of Cornerstone have been invaluable. Our customers often praise his ability to solve their technical problems.”
During his tenure at Cornerstone Automation Nathan has worked on countless projects, but he is most proud of his work on the Richard S. Burns, Tommy Cart® Sortation Line, and a network he helped build for a bulk terminal in eastern Pennsylvania. Nathan enjoys the variety of technical challenges he sees on a daily basis working for Cornerstone Automation, and these two projects are great examples of his expertise in action.
“The Tommy Cart® Sortation Line was one of the most technologically diverse projects I’ve worked on,” stated Nathan. “It married a variety of different components into one cohesive system and we ultimately integrated that system into their MES.”
The bulk terminal network has evolved over the years, but in 2019 it received a large expansion to accommodate IP cameras. The network now encompasses the majority of the 100-acre campus using miles of fiber optic cable, wireless backbones, and dozens of network switches. Thanks to the expertise of the Cornerstone Automation team, today the network carries critical Process Data, Voice, and Video throughout the campus.
Nathan takes great pride in being a part of the Cornerstone Automation team, noting that the level of support their team provides their clients is something that sets them apart from their competition. “Our team is dedicated to serving our clients,” Nathan said. “Even after an installation is complete we support everything that we have installed in addition to supporting any pre-existing systems.” In reflecting upon his career at Cornerstone Automation, he identified that his favorite part of his job is the unique and complex challenges that each day on the job brings. “It keeps me on my toes,” he laughed.
