Rick Ciemny has always had a passion for safety. He found an outlet for that in the blast-resistant building market and has been committed to the business of safety ever since. BIC Magazine recently visited with Ciemny to discuss his plans as a new addition to the MineARC Systems team.
Q: What led to your position at MineARC Systems?
A: I was fortunate to be involved with a startup blast-resistant building (BRB) manufacture and leasing company in 2007. I was one of the first in the business to comply with API's Recommended Practice 752 and 753. This offered me the ability to help shape and grow products in an industry centered around workplace safety in process areas. We engineered, developed, manufactured and marketed a portable blast-resistant building. This experience of guiding a product and strategy centered around personnel safety led me to join the MineARC Systems team. Working with BIC Recruiting, Sam [Puente] brought this opportunity with MineARC to me. We discovered there was a synergy when it came to personnel safety, and I joined in February as business development manager for petrochemical.
Q: What is the biggest news at MineARC Systems right now?
A: Our ChemSAFE Safe Haven Standard Design Blast Rated shelters and ChemSAFE Safe Haven Utility Design shelters offer standalone protection and life-supporting air scrubbing like no one else in the industry. We have been a leader in safe havens since our beginning. We have been providing safe haven refuges since 1999 to the mining industry worldwide. We take this same approach in assessing the needs of aboveground facilities needing a safe haven shelter space for personnel. The ChemSAFE Safe Haven offers the same scrubbing ability to refineries and petrochemical facilities as our refuges underground. We also offer this safe haven air scrubbing ability in a sealed room of an existing facility. The air scrubbing performed by our MineARC AirGEN will improve chances of survivability in a toxic release. The industry standard says a 1-percent fatality rate is acceptable in a toxic release event. At MineARC, that is unacceptable. We believe a 0-percent fatality rate will be the new standard.
Q: What is the most important part of your position?
A: It is important to understand the goals and growth strategy of the company, and a highly technical product and how it relates to a new stream of business opportunities. It is cultivating these new markets and customers and seeking out ways to create unique partnerships. It's about changing the industry and pushing the boundaries to get people out of their comfort zones.
Q: What is your best management tactic?
A: Everyone has value and a voice, and all bring something unique to the team. I don't buy into the "leading from the top" management mentality where the boss always knows best. I prefer to listen to those around me because their input is critical to the survival of the company. Putting the team first effectively puts our customers and their needs first by default. In the end, the company grows exponentially.
Q: What is a "fun fact" about you?
A: I'm a hot rodder/car nut at heart. I have been involved in the automotive aftermarket for years as a builder, owner and idealist. I enjoy building hot rods, muscle cars and trucks from the ground up just as much as I enjoy restoring cars or trucks. I have been fortunate to have had a few cars featured in national magazines.
For more information, visit www.chem safeshelters.com or call (214) 337-5100.
