The leadership team at Automation NTH possesses a wealth of experience, diverse skills, and unwavering commitment to excellence in automation. Their collective leadership has built the company from the ground up, turning it into a trusted automation partner for top manufacturers around the world. They continue to drive the company towards pioneering solutions, exceptional customer service, and industry leadership.
Founder
Brent Thomas founded Automation NTH in 1999. Under his leadership, the company has grown to become an industry leader and trusted partner in automation for manufacturers.
Co-President
Jeff Buck oversees the technical and project execution aspects of automation equipment, ensuring we continue to deliver innovative, high performing solutions to our customers.
Co-President
Greg Young oversees business operations, sales and marketing, and the company’s go-to-market strategy.
Head of Sales
Peter Sarvey leads Automation NTH’s Sales team, managing all commercial efforts, and supporting the company’s sales and marketing strategy.
Director of Project Management
Joe Schlesinger leads the Project Management Office at the company and is responsible for overseeing the company’s project management practices.
Director of Applications
Randy Gough leads the Applications team at the company and is responsible for overseeing the development of automation concepts for customers.
Chairman
Warren Young has more than 30 years of experience leading and growing manufacturing companies. Warren is also the Chairman of…
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Brent Thomas founded Automationnth in 1999. Under his leadership, the company has grown to more than 90 employees and become the trusted partner in automation for top manufacturers in North America.
Brent enjoys tackling the most complex and challenging automation projects in the industrial world. He is highly sought after for his ability to create complete solutions from scratch through collaborative concepting with the customer. Brent’s engineering strengths include high precision applications, coordinated motion, controls programming, machine vision, data tracking, and OEE optimization. Among his key accomplishments was designing and integrating an automated syringe molding machine that used vision inspection to identify imperfections as small as .0005 inches.
Brent’s leadership has helped Automationnth build a strong reputation among its customers by deeply understanding their needs and exceeding their expectations. Brent’s philosophy about automation is to keep things simple, whether it be PLC code or an entire machine, which will result in better outcomes for the customer. This philosophy has led to the company’s development of robust templates and standards that ensure the quality and consistency of our programming and control panel assembly. Brent started his career as a controls designer at Wright Industries, a large, Nashville-based machine builder, and quickly worked his way up to becoming the technical leader for $10 million projects.
Brent is a big hockey fan and proud season ticket holder for the Nashville Predators, and also enjoys undertaking home improvement projects of all types. Brent graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BS in Electrical and Computer Engineering and Minor in Architecture from the University of Tennessee.
Jeff Buck oversees the technical and project execution aspects of automation equipment, ensuring we deliver innovative, high performing solutions to our customers. As a registered Professional Engineer in the state of Tennessee and Certified Machine Safety Expert, Jeff is an expert in discerning codes including NEC, UL 508A, and NFPA-79, and ensuring compliance across the company’s projects. Jeff’s detail-oriented approach and skills in risk mitigation and project management has led to the successful delivery of thousands of projects since he joined the company in 2003.
Jeff created and leads “NTH University,” the company’s training program for engineers. NTH University was designed to accelerate the development of well-rounded, technically proficient engineers when they first join the company. This includes a 3-month internship program culminating in a capstone project. In this project, the intern designs and builds a trainer control system for a simple machine that inspects parts on a small-scale production line. NTH University also has a robust curriculum to fill skill gaps in full-time engineers. Course topics range from control system design and risk assessments to programming such as PLC, HMI, SCADA, and robotics, which all conclude with a test to evaluate comprehension. After seeing demand from customers to train their own staff, Jeff led the creation of training as a service offering for our customers.
Earlier in his career, Jeff worked his way through all the major engineering roles of a systems integrator, including designer, programmer, project manager, and technical leader for large, complex automation systems. As part of these roles, Jeff has visited and worked in production facilities around the world in a variety of industry segments. Among his key accomplishments was delivering a high-speed production line with 1,000 parts per minute of output while maintaining 100% vision inspection. Jeff started his career at Wright Industries, a large, Nashville based machine builder.
Jeff is also an accomplished leader, outdoorsman, and developer of youth skills and values. He is an Eagle Scout and currently a Crew Advisor for a Boy Scout Venturing Crew. Jeff previously served as a Boy Scout Scoutmaster, the Outdoor Coordinator for American Heritage Girls (AHG), and completed the Boy Scout’s Wood Badge leadership training and twice participated as a staff member. He also created the AHG Middle Tennessee Council Camporee for youth and served as co-director for 4 years. Jeff currently sits on the Middle Tennessee State University Engineering Technology & Mechatronics Advisory Board. Jeff graduated with a M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Automation, and Robotics and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Tennessee.
Greg Young oversees the business functions at Automation NTH including finance, sales, and marketing, and is responsible for the company’s business systems and go-to-market strategy. At Automation NTH, Greg has led the implementation of new business systems and developed key processes and personnel that have enabled the company to grow and earn a spot on the Inc. 5000 fastest-growing companies list on multiple occasions.
Prior to joining Automation NTH, Greg held a diverse set of global and regional financial management roles at Procter & Gamble. His responsibilities have included financial management over supply chain and manufacturing operations, capital expenditures, sales organizations, marketing investments, and bringing new product innovation to market. At P&G, Greg held financial management positions in businesses with over $400M in revenues, including working on the Crest, Oral-B, and Scope brands. Among his key accomplishments was providing leadership to bring five new products to market successfully, including creation of pricing, distribution, and capital purchase strategies, and identifying and executing several multi-million dollar savings programs. With Greg’s leadership, his businesses increased revenue by 20% annually and operating profit by 70% to record levels during his tenure. Additionally, Greg is a former Certified Internal Auditor with skills in implementing process improvements and managing operational risks.
Greg sits on the board of the Control System Integrators Association (CSIA), a global trade association that seeks to advance the industry of control system integration. Greg is also an Eagle Scout and a mentor for small business owners in Nashville through the non-profit SCORE organization. Greg received a MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and BS in Industrial Management with minors in Manufacturing Management and Finance from Purdue University.
Peter Sarvey leads the Sales Team at Automation NTH, where he spearheads all commercial initiatives and plays a pivotal role in shaping the company’s sales and marketing strategies. His expertise and guidance have helped position Automation NTH as an industry leader, leveraging its world-class sales team to expand its reach across North America and globally.
Prior to joining Automation NTH, Peter led a global sales team that provided automated packaging equipment to Fortune 500 pharmaceutical and life sciences manufacturers. Peter has experience managing large, multi-million-dollar projects for mission critical products with FDA validation and GAMP requirements. Additionally, Peter has experience leading technical sales teams that provided custom automation solutions, machine control hardware, software, and integration services.
Peter’s experience in industrial automation started earlier in his career as an Applications Engineer with a focus on high-speed continuous motion systems. His proficiency in programming multi-axis motion controllers, servo drives, PLCs, and HMIs has contributed to his technical knowledge and also equipped him with a deep understanding of customer needs. Peter’s combination of technical expertise and commercial insight significantly contributes to the ongoing success and growth of Automation NTH.
Outside of his professional life, Peter dedicates his time to family. He enjoys traveling, running, snowboarding, surfing, camping, and anything outdoors related with his family and friends. Peter holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University and is an active member of the Westfield, NJ community.
Joe Schlesinger leads the project management function at Automation NTH. In this role, he oversees projects and develops and maintains project management methodologies, standards, processes and procedures in accordance to the PMI standards. He completed his degree in Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University and started his career as a design engineer in the suburbs of Chicago.
Joe moved into project management while working in the environmental and industrial automation industry where he managed the installation of the largest biogas facility in the United States before transitioning into the medical device automation field. He has managed everything from small proof of principal machines to $100 million multi cell systems in markets ranging from automotive to medical devices. Joe also plays an important role in maintaining our customer relationships, which are built on a foundation of trust and confidence.
Like many others in Tennessee, Joe is a transplant from Illinois. In his free time, he enjoys partaking in the many activities Tennessee has to offer, including hiking, dining out in Nashville, and enjoying the view of mountains as opposed to cornfields. He has taken on a lifelong mission to convince his relatives to move to Tennessee as well.
Warren Young has more than 30 years of experience leading and growing manufacturing companies. Warren is also the Chairman and owner of Acme Industries, a large manufacturer of precision machined components for OEMs. Warren acquired Acme Industries in 1998 and led the company’s growth, doubling its revenues in one four year period. Warren also led Acme’s creation of a differentiated business model and brand, implementation of manufacturing best practices, and addition of engineering services to better serve customers, which in one case resulted in an IP trademark and patent-pending product enhancement for one of its customers.
Previously Warren was President of M&R Printing Equipment Co., a privately held manufacturer of screen printing equipment. Earlier in his career he held executive manufacturing positions at John Crane, a manufacturer of mechanical seals, and Rockwell International’s Graphic Systems business unit and Harris Corporation, both manufacturers of web fed printing equipment. Warren started his career in the Manufacturing Development Program with General Electric’s jet engine division.
In 2013, Warren was honored as an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year finalist and was inducted into the University of Illinois Chicago Entrepreneurial Hall of Fame in 2012. Warren earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University and a MBA from Xavier University.
