Meet the Team Member: Matt Downes
Isensix considers its team members to be our greatest strength, and we’d like to take special note of these valued employees in occasional blog posts. In highlighting our workforce, we can share about the people who are so integral to the unprecedented service we provide. Here, we introduce you to Matt Downes, Field Operations Manager, who joined our Isensix team 13 years ago. We sat down with Matt to learn more about his experience, role, and personal interests.
Tell us a little about your background.
Before joining Isensix, I owned my own business as a subcontractor performing data collection and energy studies for green initiatives in California. Prior to that, I was a Staff Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps, serving a tour in Fallujah, Iraq in 2006-2007. As a Communications Chief and Primary Marksmanship Instructor, I trained the Fallujah police force and conducted combat patrols and general policing around the Al Anbar Province.
What do you do in your role as a Field Operations Manager at Isensix?
In my role, I oversee, train, and hire Isensix’s Field Technicians. I handle the field logistics, which consists of booking travel and distributing manpower for site visits. I also advise on the technical aspects of Isensix hardware and software and on their implementation in the field, including consulting on policy and technical documentation. I even get to personally perform field technician duties out in the field.
Tell us about an experience that made you feel like you belonged at Isensix.
In 2015, when I was a Field Technician, I was allowed to field test my idea for a live calibration procedure that eliminated manual data collection and later entry. The test was a huge success and became standard practice. We now utilize a system in which calibrations are performed in real time, which drastically improved efficiency and productivity.
What’s the most interesting project or idea you are working on right now?
I am constantly trying to maximize efficiency and improve procedures, and I thrive on troubleshooting, both technically on hardware and software and with our standard operating procedures. For instance, one of our technicians recently coded revolutionary software tools for technicians to use, and after implementation, we were able to complete our biggest phase of the year two days faster than in previous years. I’m excited to continue putting such ideas into operation and to increase productivity any way we can.
Why do you like working at Isensix?
I like the family atmosphere that we share as a small company, and I appreciate the trust put in me to run my department as I see fit. Each week brings a different task, and I enjoy the sense of accomplishment I get when a customer job is completed. I also love the travel: I have been to all 50 states multiple times.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I enjoy boxing, lifting weights, playing golf, doing Muay Thai, and building and flying large-scale RC warbirds. I’m also an avid fisherman, building my own split bamboo fly rods (and tying my own flies), and a photographer, which especially pair well together when I camp in Montana and Wyoming in the summer.
Do you have any secret talents?
I can perform a pretty good ballet switch leap. When I was playing football in high school, I was told that ballet was great for improving footwork, so my friend, who was a dancer, taught me.
Anything else you would like to share?
I am very excited about our future with the Process Sensing Technologies (PST) group. I love change and growth, and I can’t wait to see what Isensix can become alongside our sister companies.
