EA bids fond farewell to our Engineering Manager Chris Schleich

Sadly, Friday August 14th will be Chris’s last day at Enterprise Automation, concluding a partnership that spanned 13 years. In reflecting on his time at EA, Chris had the following to say:

“2020 marks my 13th year at Enterprise Automation, starting as employee #4 in 2007. I joined at a time I was contemplating a departure from engineering, as I was disenchanted with the cultures I had experienced up to that point. EA showed me that it doesn’t have to be that way. Producing work that is high-quality, enduring, and makes it ‘easier for the next person’ inspires me. Since day one, EA provided me that environment, which as of 2020, has scaled to a staff of 33.Within my first two years there was a step change in my technical skill, simply from working day-to-day with high caliber engineers and mentors. This theme repeated for project management, business development, operations, and leadership. EA’s drive for excellence, innate to its founders, permeates all functions.My understanding of the competing forces of business has grown with my experience. I am grateful to have spent my formative career years under leadership that showed me that corporate values can be genuine, that it’s okay to decline business that compromise those values, that managing risk provides tangible value, and having ‘raving fans’ is attainable.There’s a business cliché that you should ‘hire people smarter than you’, and EA taught me how to do that well. I was provided a rare opportunity to scale EA’s founding culture, by employing and empowering the industry’s next generation of engineers and leaders.I’ve had the blessing of autonomy, career development, executive coaching, support to live a life outside of work, and an environment that encouraged me to speak-up when I see problems. Whether in engineering or another role, EA is a personal growth accelerator.”

Chris may credit EA for much of his professional success, but to be sure, it was not a one-way street. We all benefited from Chris’s growth mindset and his steadfast commitment to ensuring that EA’s core values endured. We wish Chris both professional and personal success as he takes another valuable step in his career.