Meet the Matthews, Bobby Chase

July 21, 2023

Matthews Automation Solutions is a leading provider of material handling systems and software, servicing customers from two North American locations. Our Pyramid | Compass team in Cincinnati, OH provides advanced warehouse execution software (WES) and warehouse control systems that integrate islands of automation and balance work for optimum throughput. Matthews’ Lightning Pick team delivers pick-to-light, put walls, picking carts, and other light-directed systems from Waukesha, WI. Together, we are the Warehouse Automation division of Matthews International (NASDAQ: MATW).

Matthews Automation offers exciting career opportunities to help global brands enhance their manufacturing, distribution and fulfillment processes with innovative warehouse automation including robotics, autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and other state-of-the-art technology. For our second Meet the Matthews, please meet Bobby Chase, a software engineer in our Lightning Pick Waukesha office.

How long have you been working for Matthews?

I started working at Lightning Pick as a Software Intern in Summer of 2019, bringing what I learned in college and applying it to the position. I grew my technical skills while working as an intern and transitioned to a full time Software Engineer after graduating in December 2020. Since then, I’ve worked on numerous customer projects, R&D efforts, and development tasks as a full member of the team.

Why did you come to work for Matthews Automation Solutions?

As a requirement of the program I was in during college, we had to complete an internship that followed academic standards. Lightning Pick happened to reach out to my advisor during that time looking for an intern and I applied. Not really knowing what I was getting into beyond supply chain automation, I was offered an interview where my now boss, Mike, opened my eyes to the expansive industry. I think my communication skills and my interest to learn more about the industry showed in that interview because a month or so later I started as Lightning Pick’s first intern. Though it showed through in the interview, it was at that point the incredible atmosphere here really shined and I knew I could build a career here.

What is the most exciting aspect of your career with Matthews?

I think the most exciting part about being a Software Engineer here at Lightning Pick is the amount of variability that tasks can have. No two projects are the same even though it’s the same product, there are different people involved, different moving parts, different requirements which keep each project new and interesting. Another requirement of my job here at Lightning Pick is traveling to job sites for customer training. Along with the excitement of travel, seeing a new place that I wouldn’t have been to otherwise makes work trips refreshing, and training a customer on the product that I’ve learned and helped develop for years makes it that much more rewarding.

What is the most interesting project you are working on right now?

I’m currently working on a custom solution for a customer that employees in that facility will use in their day-to-day job. It will plug directly into the new release of Lightning Pick seamlessly and allow users to have formed and functional software that meets their specific requirements. This task is especially interesting because I know that after it is implemented, people will be using the software that I wrote, every single day which makes not only function, but user friendliness, a top priority for me while designing it.

What is your favorite thing about your job?

One of my favorite things about my job is the environment that Lightning Pick has created for its employees. The fun-loving but hard-working atmosphere here creates a dynamic where everyone feels comfortable and welcome, allowing them to perform professionally to their highest ability.

What are your hobbies outside of work?

Contrasting my daily workplace in the office, I like to spend my free time outside doing several activities. Among my favorite things to do are golfing and exploring breweries. I find myself at the golf course with friends on weekends, making the occasional par and enjoying the good summer weather. When I’m not golfing, I might look up a local brewery to visit and try a couple craft beers.

What did you learn by working an internship on top of school?

While balancing a 20-hour work week during school, I would use what I learned in school to help me with my internship tasks, inversely, I learned many things during my internship that I was able to use in my classes. While I was in school, the real-world experience of having an internship here was very beneficial in figuring out what I wanted to do afterwards.

What were some of the best moments during your time with LP as an intern?

My favorite experience from my internship was traveling to a nearby job site to help with hardware installation. It was the first time I saw how the software we develop here translates into the real world at a distribution center. Even though I was working hard installing our hardware at that facility, I got to take in the vastness of the industry and fully realize the scope of what we do at Lightning Pick and how it makes a difference.

How has being able to speak Spanish helped you with projects at LP?

I have gotten to use my Spanish speaking ability a few times here at Lightning Pick to the benefit of us as a company, as well as customer understanding of our product. I have met with a customer online to give a full, in-Spanish overview of our software products to better their understanding of the system we delivered for them. Additionally, I traveled to Mexico for an installation, helping lead and interpret for a crew that was local to the area in installing our hardware. This has not only benefitted our customers to improve their knowledge of Lightning Pick, but also has shown me more of the global supply chain industry.