Precision, performance and people all play a critical role in the industry, and companies must be able to strike a balance between technical innovation and strong leadership.
At QMax Industries, those two elements go hand in hand. As the company continues expanding its presence across key sectors — from petrochemical and chemical to food, pharma and sulfur recovery — one leader helping drive that momentum is Carson Hannah, technical director and project development team leader.
What led to your position at your company?
Innovation and leadership: Hannah’s role in QMax’s cross-industry expansion
CARSON HANNAH, Technical Director, Project Development Team Leader, QMax Industries
I started with QMax as a product development specialist, essentially performing research and development for new products and driving improvements to existing products. In this role, I gained knowledge of the technical aspects of our products and their implementation. I also interacted daily with customers who often have temperature-critical processes to understand their needs.
This gave me the practical exposure and experience needed to really take ownership of the technical director position. The products and systems that QMax provides require substantial upfront analysis to offer our thermal guarantee and ensure performance even in the harshest environments. Therefore, the front end of our business (the project development team) must be highly technical.
The technical director, having a leadership role on that team, ensures each application QMax bids on has a sound technical foundation before we engage in a project.
What is the most important part of your position?
Leadership. Implementing technical development programs that give our team members resources to grow is crucial for achieving that goal and leading our team effectively through those programs is the most critical part of that development.
What is the biggest news in your company right now?
While we actively work in the petrochemical, chemical and food and pharmaceutical industries, our work in sulfur has boomed. We are focused more on large-scale sulfur related projects than ever before.
Our concentrated growth in overseas projects has also provided us with the opportunity to help international clients achieve their goals for expansion and improvement.
Having a technically competent team is a high-value goal for QMax.
Are you looking to grow in new markets or expand in current ones?
Both. At 15 years old, QMax is still a relatively new company in the industries we serve, but there is room for growth in those industries. At a basic level we provide systems that move heat from one place to another, so anywhere people need to do that, we can help. We do view the sulfur market, particularly sulfur recovery within oil refineries, as our most significant current expansion.
What is your best management tactic?
In a leadership role, especially one that is technical in nature, it is common to receive many "what should I do here" or "how do I handle this situation" questions. I respond to these questions with additional, "What do you think we should do?" or "What is your plan to handle this?" This promotes ownership, accountability and the ability to act independently. We are growing a team of problem solvers instead of a team of just "problem identifiers." Our team members now come to me with both the problem and multiple solutions, which is a more effective starting point for me to support them in developing a path forward.
For more information, visit qmaxindustries.com.
