In order to sell and consult on technologically and scientifically advanced systems, companies need professionals that can walk the talk in front of customers, and design and modify these solutions to meet their business needs and goals, according to Melanie Boulay Becker, public relations manager for Trane Commercial Services.
Engineer Dan Wendl, an ISU alumnus and vice president for Trane in the northeastern United States, visited the campus Oct. 22 to help get the organization started.
"A sales engineering club is an outstanding opportunity for students to get a taste of the career as well as an insight on how a solid engineering foundation can create solutions and applications to business problems today," Wendl said.
"Products today are becoming much more technically sophisticated, and their value propositions require a solid engineering background to explain," said Dave Sly, an ISU lecturer in industrial and manufacturing systems engineering.
"Educating students about persuasive speaking and the sales process is fundamental for their success in industry today, and the demand for these students is far outstripping their supply."
There's a need to recruit people to the industry, according to Trane.
By 2015, the company predicts that the HVAC industry will be short roughly 700,000 engineers with more than 70 percent of energy services companies expecting their future to be impacted by shortages of skilled personnel.
A dialog between Trane and ISU began earlier this month.
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Later, the group went to La Crosse, Wis., to visit with students in Trane's graduate training program, which includes five months of training and six months of on-the-job mentoring.
Bob Zientara can be reached
at (515) 663-6961,
or rzientara@amestrib.com.
