Alumni Spotlight: Ed Atkins – Class of ’95

Ed Atkins graduated from NC State in 1995 with a degree in Pulp and Paper Science Technology.  We reached out to Ed to find out about his experiences since graduating from NC State, and what advice he would pass on to current students.  Thanks for your time Ed.

Experience at NC State

•  Internship/co-op experience: Worked 5 summers at Union Camp Corporation in Franklin, VA. I worked 3 summers in production and had 2 summer internships.
• Favorite class: WPS 360 with Dr. Jameel. Dr. Jameel made the class engaging and covered a number of process areas. I was also starting to mature more at this time and it really started to help shape approaches to problem solving.
• Best memory at State: I attended my first State-Carolina basketball game resulting in 99-88 Wolfpack victory. Tom Gugliotta scored 36 points, Reynolds was loud and rocking. This was followed by my first celebration on Hillsborough St. I was hoarse for 3 days.
• Worst memory at State: Hours in the computer lab trying to get Fortran code to compile.
• Clubs/Hobbies:  Intramural basketball and softball. My introduction to Golf! Madden and Mortal Kombat tournaments on the Sega Genesis.
• Favorite part of PSE program: Getting to know my classmates and faculty the last two years. The faculty and staff were really invested in our education and future careers. Even though as classmates we were competing for jobs that last year we had spent time on teams and in study groups trying to push to the end. I feel very fortunate for the advent of social media to keep up with friends
• Most important thing PSE taught me:  The important thing it taught while I was at State was working in teams and to develop relationships with team members.  The important thing it taught me after I graduated was sharing real life experience and knowledge with co-ops and engineers to help them anyway I can.

Current Career Information

• Company/job position:  WestRock – Technical Manager
• Years at current job: I started this role in January of 2016 at our West Point, VA location.
• Favorite part of the job: I have the opportunity to be involved with all areas of the mill. I work on items that directly impact Safety, Environmental, Quality, Reliability, and People Development. It is also likely that I will touch all of these topics in a day which really keeps the job interesting.
• Biggest accomplishment in career: I led a $290MM capital expansion project at our Covington, VA facility. It was an important investment in the mill and the community. I worked with an outstanding group of people that had a very aggressive timeline and scope. We really invested ourselves to make the final product special and I am glad I was a part of that.
• What other positions have you had: I’ve held the following positions over the last 25 years, process engineer, shift supervisor, and technical assistant with Mead Corporation in Cottonton, AL. Mead and Westvaco merged and I was Recovery Asst. Superintendent, Power and Recovery Superintendent, Safety Director, Power Expansion Project Director, and EHS Manager for MeadWestvaco in Covington, VA.
• Advise for current students:  For students who have not gotten involved with TAPPI or working with classmates at Biltmore, get involved. I did not take advantage of this early on and I regretted it. Also, try to get to know PSE students outside of your class. You will be amazed how many of us are out their when you start your career.
  I am extremely blessed and happy that I got to attend NC State. For someone who grew up in a very small community it really opened my eyes to the diverse world that we live in.

Personal Information

• Hometown: Courtland, VA
• Tell us about your family: My wife, Kristi and I have been married for 24 years. She graduated from Meredith college and we were engaged during our college years and both lived on our respective campuses the entire time! We have two wonderful children. David is 16, he loves to hunt, fish and actually has designed a video game that has had 4+MM site visits since August. Katherine is 13, she enjoys drawing, reading and music. She is artistic and analytical. I am blessed that both of my parents are still with us and in good health. We live about 90 minutes from them and I am able to see them a few times a month.
• Current Hobbies: Nothing fancy, I like to golf, fish and hunt. I am reading a lot more these days which is great. We also bought an electric smoker about 6 months ago so I am working on my pork and chicken BBQ recipes!