HNC Alumni Profile: Byron Meinerth

Byron Meinerth, MAIS 2014, reflects back on his time at the HNC and his experience working as a Global Supply Analyst for Tesla Motors.

Tell us about your current role.

Right now I'm working as a Global Supply Analyst at Tesla Motors. Our job in global supply management is to support engineering to identify suppliers available for sourcing, and then review, analyze and clarify quote packages from those same suppliers. We either lead or support the sourcing process, which starts with prototype parts and continues all the way through production tooling. Once parts are in a stable status and are being produced production, we then move to negotiating commercial cost reductions.

 How do you think your experience at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center prepared you for this work?
What the Hopkins-Nanjing Center did prepare me for is being comfortable in environments where one doesn't yet know everything that s/he wants or needs to know. Most of my coworkers have engineering and supply chain backgrounds, and it's been difficult for me to get up to speed as quickly as I would have liked. The HNC taught me to always be hungry for more knowledge and know how, when, and where to apply that knowledge. Also, the majority of our electronics suppliers are in Mexico or greater China, so understanding international business and commerce has helped to a degree.

What was your most memorable moment when you were at the HNC?
My most memorable moment at the HNC is actually a collection of moments. It was the ability to come together and challenge each other academically, intellectually, artistically, and athletically that I always think back to. It's not often in life that you can have such a close-knit atmosphere with so many opportunities to engage with really talented professors and students.

 What advice would you give someone contemplating attending the Hopkins-Nanjing Center?
My advice to anyone at the Center is to learn a little bit of coding language, even if s/he doesn't plan on using it extensively. Software is eating the world, and every time we pick up a phone, open a computer, or start a car, we're simply furthering that reality.