Our Industry Person of the Week is Dr. Lucas Marino, D.Eng., PMP, CMRP. Lucas is the owner and principal solution developer of Marino Consulting Services, LLC and the EAST Partnership.
Q: How did you get started working in your field?
Lucas: My dad was a gearhead and my grandfather owned an auto shop so I suppose you can say that I grew up in a mechanic’s world. I was enthralled by internal combustion engines. I decided to join the US Coast Guard at 19-years old and told the recruiter, “I want to work on big engines!”. He didn’t disappoint! I became a machinery technician and immediately fell in love with working on the propulsion and power generation systems on the ships. I saw the world, spent years at sea, did thrilling stuff, earned an officer’s commission (naval engineer), served as a Port Engineer, Chief Engineer afloat, and eventually led the Coast Guard’s engineering and weapons schools before retiring after 21-years of service. I immediately began working as a program manager for ship acquisition logistics which is the military’s way of covering all support for complex assets including maintenance, reliability, supply support, training, configuration management, logistics/technical data management, the works!
Q: What do you love the most about your job?
Lucas: I get the best of both worlds; during the day, I serve my country as a life cycle manager for a nuclear submarine logistics program with Amentum, an amazing company. This work never gets old, there is so much to learn, to do, and to share! We solve very hard problems for some of the world’s most advanced military assets. Pretty awesome! I am also an entrepreneur and founded EAST Partnership. This is where I get to give back, serve others, share knowledge, and most importantly, elevate the fantastic talents of fellow entrepreneurs who are truly experts in their respective disciplines. It’s all about building up the community. I just wish I had more time in the day!
Q: What are you most proud of?
Lucas: I’m most proud of hopelessly loving my three kids and my wife. I’m also extremely proud of serving my country and as an entrepreneur, being the type to place relationships first. There is no greater legacy to leave than one of service to others and I pride myself in producing quality work and nurturing relationships that last a lifetime.
Q: What advice would you give to someone considering this line of work or new to the field?
Lucas: This advice applies to anyone in a technical field, not just maintenance and reliability. You have a very short time on this earth, make the most of it by being a good human being and contributing to the positive experiences of others. Light a fire and never let it burn out! NEVER stop learning, you are never fully developed, fully exposed, or fully informed. Seek mentors, you need someone to confide in and the wisdom you gain throughout your career is directly informed by relationships with mentors. Be patient, yet persistent. Find a way to organize your life so that it works not just for you, but for your family; you are not the only person running down the track! Finally, get into the details and marinate in your specialty. That’s where the real value and understanding of complex systems, topics, and worlds of work occurs. You have to invest that time and energy, there is no shortcut.
Q: Can you talk about a project you recently worked on?
Lucas: I can! Over the past 3 years, I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to contribute to the design and sustainment planning of new, and amazing, assets: the Army’s newest class of landing craft and the Navy’s newest class of nuclear submarines. It is humbling to work on assets with such high levels of technical and operational complexity. It adds a new layer to the consideration of criticality! The importance of maintenance and reliability in both design and sustainment of such assets cannot be overstated. I’m proud to have played a key role in leading elements of these projects and, most importantly, I’m so impressed by the analysts, engineers, and managers in these projects. We are making the world a much safer place through these projects.
Q: Anything else you would like to add?
Lucas: Shameless plug for the wonderful team pushing EAST Partnership into the future! I am blessed with amazing partners in Sanya Mathura, Bob Latino, Suzane Greeman, Jesus Sifonte, and the team at PM-ProLearn. Bringing their amazing talents into a new space and collaborating with these true professionals makes my role in EAST one of my guilty pleasures. I have an immense passion for learning and teaching and I am thrilled that we can bring so much value to our community in a way that builds others up.
THANK YOU, LUCAS! WE LOOK FORWARD TO KEEPING UP WITH YOU THROUGH THE #PUMPTALK COMMUNITY!
KNOW AN AMAZING PERSON WHO IS MAKING VALUABLE CONTRIBUTIONS WITHIN INDUSTRY? NOMINATE THEM TO BE AN “INDUSTRY PERSON OF THE WEEK”!
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