The Two Hats of Simon Nickerson

If you ask Simon Nickerson what he thinks of his new role at Phoenix Mecano, Workforce Development Partner, he would have to admit he is extremely happy with his position. After all, the job was created with his special skill sets in mind: production management and Human Resources. 

Raised in Atlanta, GA, Simon brings a Bachelor’s in Human Resource Development from the University of Texas at Tyler to the team, a degree he relies on heavily to integrate HR and production at Phoenix Mecano. He enjoys developing the resources for planning, onboarding, and training production employees. His valuable skills provide the glue and guidance to the team, who can in turn provide customers with reliable production techniques and consistently high-quality customer service. 

Simon is no stranger to guiding people to success; prior to Phoenix Mecano, he was a swim coach and a CrossFit trainer. His biggest moment in swimming was being a part of the coaching team behind 2008 Olympic finalist, Kathleen Hersey. Simon’s co-workers might also be surprised to find that this husband of 8 years and father of two tiny tots has competed in mixed martial arts. In his role as Workforce Development Partner, he wants to use all of these coaching, discipline, and leadership skills to help people succeed every day they come to work. He says, “Everyone should have the chance to be and feel successful at work, it’s a huge part of our lives. When an employee wins, the company wins.” 

Since joining the Phoenix Mecano family in March of 2021, Simon has enjoyed working with his teams and taking coaching to a different level by creating new SOPs and production programs to consistently innovate and improve. “I really like my bosses here,” Simon explains. “They have given me the room to try out new strategies and programs and improve not only my team but myself as well.” 

Phoenix Mecano’s Production Manager, Will Green, is impressed with Simon’s attitude, skill sets, and performance. “We invented a new role to bridge the gap between HR and production teams, and Simon was able to step right in and take ownership of the position. This can be seen through the positive impact his SOPs have on the production floor. He has earned the respect of everyone, not just because of his leadership skills, but also because he is always willing to jump in and help, no matter what’s necessary.” Will adds, “Simon’s co-workers know they can always rely on him to follow-through on any task or assignment. Here at Phoenix Mecano, his can-do-attitude is consistently positive energy for the entire company.”

Surprisingly, when not at work, Simon dreams of tossing out the maps and rule books. “One of the things I really want to do is The Mongol Rally. This is a man vs destiny 1000 mile road trip across the deserts, mountains, and steppes of Europe in a tiny, 1-liter car. Anything that can go wrong probably will, and it’s just you, your luck, and your wits.” Simon finds the dream to achieve these imaginative, out-of-the-box experiences helpful in meeting the challenges and finding the solutions to help Phoenix Mecano, as well as using them to find ways to improve the customer experience. 

One way Simon brings his love of the unexpected to Phoenix Mecano is by enjoying the unpredictability of his job. He explains, “I love going from routine tasks like helping new employees to creating production programs or getting my hands dirty on the production floor. It’s never the same day twice.” 

Simon’s days are pretty full, but his new job is an enjoyable part of each one. “I love manufacturing. I love mixing production and HR, and finding the best ways to help our customers through innovative and imaginative solutions. This is, by far, the most fun job I have ever had.”

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