Diamond is the hardest naturally occurring material known, which robotics control engineer Brooks Diamond (Class of 2014) certainly proved hiking the Appalachian Trail.

Diamond, who grew up in Dowagiac, was hired right out of SMC by JR Automations in St. Joseph and in January 2020 followed his job to Nashville, where its headquarters is located. He’s traveled all over the globe for his job.

“We have customers all over the U.S. and the world,” Diamond said. “The division I’m currently with in Nashville focuses mainly on medical, government and aerospace. The Michigan divisions handle more automotive, while the Utah division designs amusement park rides, such as roller coasters.”

A controls engineer designs, develops and maintains systems to control dynamic processes and machinery, ensuring they behave predictably and optimally, often using mathematical modeling and software tools.

“Controls engineers ‘breathe life’ into the machines so they function as designed. Mechanical engineers create the mechanical parts of the systems, while electrical/controls engineers design the electrical schematics and write code to ensure they behave in a repeatable and predictable way. There’s a lot of data acquisition, data tracking and adherence to tight tolerances and customer specifications involved,” he said. “Our company functions as one large team, divided into smaller project teams. The size of each project team depends on the scope and complexity of the project, ranging from just a few to many people.”

“I work for the same company where I did my internship right out of college in Stevensville 11 years ago,” Diamond said. “At that time, the company was called Dane System. Now it's JR Automation — a Hitachi Group Company. We were acquired by Hitachi about six years ago.”

“I've also had the opportunity to travel with the company. About five months ago, I was in Florence, Italy, and in a few weeks I'll be in Dublin, Ireland. I transferred from Michigan to our Nashville division five years ago, so I'm working on becoming a Tennessean while still retaining my Michigander heart.”

“I love working at JR Automation — it's such a great company to work for,” Diamond said. “That's why I transferred rather than looking at other companies. They've been really good to me over the years, and I'm thankful for the opportunity to work there. I'm always learning new things, too. The innovative automation solutions we design and build as a team make it truly enjoyable.”

“We typically design, build, wire, program and debug automated systems at our facility. Once we’re ready, we conduct a Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) with the customer. After receiving their approval, we dismantle the system, install it at their facility and then perform the Site Acceptance Test (SAT).”

Hiking from Georgia to Maine

His employer granted him a leave of absence to pursue his quest.

“I hiked the entire Appalachian Trail — the entire 2,198.4 miles from Georgia to Maine,” said Diamond. “I even completed the approach trail, another 8.8 miles, but who’s counting, right?”

“It was, to say the least, an incredible experience and, at the same time. the hardest thing I've ever done. It took me just over five months to complete. I'm grateful that I was able to do it and be one of the roughly 25 percent who attempt it each year and succeed. It definitely boosted both my confidence and my resume.

“Looking back, I believe that working at JR Automation helped me more on the trail than I initially thought. Many things didn't go as planned, and I had to figure them out on a day-to-day basis. Problem-solving when things don't go according to plan and overcoming hurdles is part of the job at JR Automation — whether you're in engineering, build or the electrical department. It was the same on the trail. I had to determine where to camp, how much food I had left, and how far it was to the next town. All the while it rained for days on end. I would plan, and sometimes something wouldn't work out. But it never bothered me as much as it did others. I learned to take a different approach to get where I needed to be. I owe a lot of what I learned on the trail to the experience I've gained at JR Automation.”

Training for a five-month odyssey

“I trained as much as I could here in Tennessee. I joined a backpacking club and hiked the mountains as much as possible. It helped, but unless you’re hiking every day — up and down mountains all day long — it’s hard to fully prepare for long-distance backpacking. That said, I still highly recommend training if you can. Using a stair stepper and hiking as often as possible will help you avoid early injuries on the hike.

“JR wanted to help me out and gave me a leave of absence. They wanted me to come back after I finished. I’m incredibly grateful. I thought I was going to get the boot with a ‘don’t let the door hit you on the way out,’ but it was the opposite. It shows what kind of company JR is and another reason why I love working there.”

Diamond has not seen the 2014 Reese Witherspoon movie “Wild” based on a real woman who solo-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail in 1995, but he’d heard of it.

“I did read A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. That was a funny one. Anyway, there were many people on the trail doing it for personal reasons. We all had our reasons — some were more complex than others. Some did it purely for the challenge. I met all sorts of people out there — some who actually lived on the trail. They would work at hostels for a while to earn some income and have a free place to stay for a while, then they’d head back out on the trail. I met doctors, lawyers, scientists, and executives from Fortune 500 companies — all walking the trail for their own personal reasons.

“Despite our diverse backgrounds, we all had one shared goal, and that goal brought everyone closer to make it to the top of Mount Katahdin in Maine.”

Big dreams sprout in small towns

“It's amazing how small towns like my hometown, Dowagiac, have connections to such fascinating pieces of history and inspiring achievements! Five Titanic survivors — that's worth seeing when I’m at Pigeon Forge again, especially with all the Titanic exhibits they have there.

“Seeing people from your hometown make it to the NFL, whether as a player or a cheerleader, is incredibly motivating. It’s a reminder that big dreams can sprout from even the smallest places. Makes you wonder what other untold stories Dowagiac holds, doesn’t it?”

Diamond, who is getting married in July and has been busy house-hunting, grew up five minutes from campus on M-62, past Lindy’s.

“I had friends who attended SMC, so it made sense to at least check it out — and I’m glad it did. I really enjoyed my experience at SMC. I still keep in touch with some of my classmates, and a couple of them still work at JR Automation. I graduated a little later than my original high school class — around 2007 or 2008, I think.

SMC won out over Oklahoma

“At the time, I was working at National-Standard in Niles for five years,” he said. “I’ve heard they’ve since closed (on  April 5, 2024). Eventually, I realized I wanted to do something different with my life. Things worked out in a surprising way. My department at National-Standard was being relocated to Oklahoma, and the company announced layoffs. I was given the choice to move to Oklahoma or take the layoff. I decided to take the layoff and hit the books at SMC. Looking back, I’m so glad I made that choice. I really enjoy what I do now. There’s a sense of gratification every time I get to solve a problem with the team. It’s been a truly rewarding journey to get here.”

Diamond was taking prerequisites and initially considered studying biology, but he wasn’t entirely sure about his path.

“I kept walking past the robotics classroom and was intrigued by the robot sitting inside. I’ve always been fascinated by electricity as well,” he said. “One day, I stopped in and Mike McGowan was there. I asked him about the class and what it was all about. I decided to take a few classes and was immediately hooked. I really enjoyed working with the instructors, especially Nathan Kramb, the welding/robotics instructor at the time. He was an incredible mentor during courses, and I learned so much from him.”