Alumnus Stuart Beussink says that his secret to success is “ a good work ethic, good people skills and willingness to learn from those who have the knowledge and experience to share it.”
Stuart is a 1997 graduate of Southeast Missouri State University, where he earned an industrial management degree. He is now the plant manager at American Railcar Industries in Jackson, Mo.
“The most rewarding part of my profession is working with many different people and many different parts and processes in order to continually improve our plant,” says Beussink. “We start out with various simple raw materials and finish with a detailed, complex assembly or finished product.
Stuart says that Southeast gave him a good foundation for starting a career in any field he chose.
“I started out as a quality engineer for TGMissouri and am now into more processing or manufacturing engineering. Graduates have that wide choice of careers to pursue by even having one degree from Southeast. You are able to learn about a wide variety of processes, as well as the latest ‘buzzwords’ in the industrial world,” he says.
Stuart lives in Marble Hill, Mo., with his wife, Julie, who is a nursing graduate from Southeast. They have two children.
“Having two kids has definitely made our lives richer and challenging at the same time,” Stuart says.
In his spare time, he enjoys hunting, fishing and spending time with family. He especially loves to bow hunt for deer, which gives him alone time to relax and forget about the busy world. Stuart also enjoys taking his son fishing or for walks in the woods.