Rob Parker
Director of Engineering
The second law of thermodynamics tells us that entropy (energy waste) is always increasing. I enjoy trying to slow it down a little and helping customers save some money at the same time. It’s easy to sell efficiency because it’s not fuzzy or hard to quantify and it directly impacts the bottom line. My nerdy engineer brain loves numbers, reducing waste, and making improvements that really matter in a measurable way, so I think I’m in the right place.
After discovering that manufacturing engineering wasn’t the right fit, Rob went back to school and his number one priority became finding a job in energy efficiency. He wanted to conserve resources, both environmentally and financially, and this job allows him to do both. In his time at Michaels, Rob has been able to work on a variety of projects – research projects, impact evaluation studies, technical reference manual review and development, custom rebate analyses, retro-commissioning studies, industrial new construction projects, industrial refrigeration analyses, and more recently, energy information systems. Rob’s particularly excited about the opportunities for identifying deep energy savings using energy information systems as part of strategic energy management. The potpourri of work always keeps things exciting. He’s been able to manage several large projects and enjoys mentoring newer employees as he grows as a manager.
Rob received his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Iowa State University, specializing in manufacturing engineering, before briefly working in the semiconductor industry. After deciding that wasn’t the right environment for him, he completed his Master’s degree in mechanical engineering at Texas A&M, focusing this time on energy, and was lucky enough to find Michaels after graduation.
When not working, Rob loves watching (go Red Sox!) baseball , playing with his dog Angus, volunteering with Iowa FIRST LEGO League, spending time up north on the lake, or playing a musical instrument: bass guitar is his primary one, but he dabbles in mandolin, guitar, harmonica, piano, and others.
