Navigating Career Challenges and Finding Success: Frank Curry’s Story

Q: Tell us about your career and how you got to where you are now. 

A:  I initially pursued aerospace engineering in college, but I quickly realized that both the financial burden and time commitments were more than I could handle. Like others, college was a bit of a wake-up call. After stepping back from school for a while, I met my now-wife whose dedication to her education really inspired me to refocus. I knew I had to take accountability for my future, so I went back to school. I had to determine whether aerospace engineering was truly the right fit for me. I ended up shifting my focus to computer network engineering technology, or CNET, at Cincinnati State. However, without financial support, I had to work full-time while completing my degree, which extended my studies to four years. While it was challenging, it was one of the best decisions I made for my career. 

I’ve had the opportunity to work for one of the largest banks in Cincinnati, one of the largest grocers in the US, and one of the largest propane companies in the world. However, in my previous roles, I often found myself eager to take on more responsibilities, but growth opportunities were limited. I was told I wasn’t qualified and needed training to advance, yet no training was offered. The only options seemed to be waiting for a position to open up or moving into management, which wasn’t the path I wanted. That’s when I was introduced to Gray.  

Q: What led you to Gray AES 

A: To be honest with you, I had not heard about Gray or Gray AES. I was approached by a recruiter that found me on LinkedIn. The conversation with him went well, but I still had a lot of questions. I wasn’t familiar with the industry, or the work Gray did, and the recruiter wasn’t very technical. So, I was happy to move forward when he asked if I wanted to interview with the team. 

After I interviewed with Gray, I thought it sounded like a really interesting and fun job. I wanted to see what this is like and even though I had no idea what I was stepping into, I embraced the challenge of stepping into a new industry. It felt like it was breathing new life into my career, you know how you feel when you first graduate college and you’re setting off into the real world? It was a similar experience.  

Q: What have you enjoyed most about working at Gray AES? 

A: A few things come to mind. First, I love learning new things, and I am learning something new every day at Gray AES. It sounds like I am exaggerating, but it’s true. Between new devices, learning the way companies operate, and staying current on trends in the OT/Cybersecurity realm, I am always learning. 

The second thing worth noting is how exciting it is to work in a professional services firm. I get to work with different customers. Not only am I learning new skills to use in my role, but I am learning how other companies operate. As a kid, I loved watching How It’s Made, where you get a behind-the-scenes look at how everyday products come together. Now, through my work, I get to experience that firsthand- walking factory floors, and seeing how orange juice, popular sodas, and even pet food are made. It’s incredible to witness the hands-on process behind products we see on the shelves every day, Now I walk through a grocery store, and I have a deeper appreciation for these items and pride in knowing my work contributes to their success. 

The third thing I wanted to mention is that Gray has been the first company I’ve worked for that has that’s had documented plans to help someone move forward in their career. Gray has tools, like goal setting in UKG (HRIS), GrayU (internal learning and development platform), and Career Frameworks, that are available to everyone and show you what the next level of your career can look like and what you can do to hit that new level. Every company has a 10/15/20 year plan they want as an organization. Providing tools like this shows that Gray is sincere when they are trying to hit those goals, and they recognize it’s the team members who will help them do it.  

Q: What does Gray’s third core value mean to you and what are things you do in your role to uphold that value? 

A: I take that core value to heart in my role. My first work experience in retail taught me the importance of customer service. The customer is coming to you in need of something, and your goal is to make sure the customer leaves happy every time. While this may not always be achievable, you’re supposed to try as hard as you can to make that happen.  

As I progressed in my career, I found that that principle doesn’t just apply to external customers, but to my colleagues, vendors, and anyone I work with. As I interact with this person, I am trying to make sure they have everything they need to complete their job and that I provide a level of service that makes them come back time and time again. I am building relationships and trust with my team.  

We were all brought into Gray because we have unique backgrounds and experiences, and we all have a singular goal; to help our customers. When the team is clicking and we’re all striving to meet that goal, you can go leaps and bounds. If a team is fighting amongst themselves, it affects the quality of our work, and the customer picks up on that. Approaching each team member with the respect I would want, especially when working through difficult challenges, is a great way to keep the ball rolling and serve our customers to the best of our ability. 

Q: Can you talk about a time when you went out of your way to make sure someone felt welcomed and respected at Gray AES? 

A: Before we merged, we would get emails that would introduce and welcome new team members to the company. Something I started doing was reaching out to those people individually in Microsoft Teams and introducing myself, personally welcoming them, and responding to one of the fun facts that would be in the email. Sometimes that would spark a conversation, other times people would thank me and mention how excited they are to be here. I know how it can be coming into a new company and introducing yourself to people may not come easy, so I want to make sure that I can be a person that says, “Hey, I’m happy that you’re here and I’m looking forward to working with you!”. This is something I do with anyone coming into the company whether they’re a new engineer or a director or VP.   

Another thing I do is make sure I have my camera on when I join calls. I want to make sure I can provide a bit of warmth to the call. Working in a remote world has its advantages, but I want to make sure the human element is prevalent in our conversations. Many of our roles have us looking at screens and avatars all day, but it’s important to remember that we are working with real people, and I think keeping my camera on is a nice reminder of that. This is something I do with internal meetings as well as meetings with customers. I want the people I am working with to recognize me, and that’s happened several times! I was on a customer site not too long ago and someone said they recognized me because I keep my camera on in meetings.  

Lastly, I make an effort to congratulate people on their promotions and success. I find it vitally important to recognize wins on our team because, to me, this shows others you care about their contributions even if they may not have been involved in your promotion. When your peers recognize your contributions and are happy for you, it creates a much more inclusive work environment.   

Q: Have you had an experience where someone at Gray made you feel welcomed and respected? 

A: I can’t speak to any one specific experience, but my team and the teams I’ve worked with have been really welcoming. It just takes someone being nice and friendly, saying “Hey, it’s great to have you on board!”, and that was the sort of welcome I had. When I first joined, I was met with encouragement and people seemed genuinely excited. Excited for what they were working on and for me to be a part of that. When I received that sort of acknowledgment, just being a new guy, made me want to live up to those expectations and support my team.  

Q: What advice do you have for new team members to foster a culture where everyone is welcomed and respected? 

A: Practice grace and check in on your people. Recognize that everyone has good days and bad days. You don’t know what someone has going on in their life, so if someone is running behind on a deadline, offer support, not criticism. This doesn’t mean you need to accept work that doesn’t make the cut, our line of work requires great attention to detail. There are a lot of ones and zeros and if you don’t pay attention, one mistake could dramatically delay the project down the road. However, it helps to know what that person is going through and how you can support them now and meet the goals we have set.  

Something my team does during the first 5 minutes of meetings is check on how everyone how they’re feeling in general, with work, etc. I’m not saying everyone needs to do that, but it lays down a foundation to build trust and rapport within your team.  

Trust and respect within the team promote efficiency. At the end of the day, fostering a culture of respect and belonging isn’t just about being nice – it drives success for the business.