Eric Buchanan, Manager – Process Engineering

SPRINGFIELD, MO—Eric Buchanan has spent much of his life pursuing knowledge. After his graduation from Kickapoo High School, he attended Missouri State University, formerly known as SMSU, to earn his general education credits. From there, he went to the Missouri University of Science and Technology, formerly known as the University of Missouri Rolla, and received his Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering.

Eric graduated in 1999 and immediately began working at Paul Mueller Company as a field project manager for the installation group and as a project engineer for the biopharmaceutical division. Eric handled project specifications and helped develop the Pyropure Line for multiple-effect stills (MES) and pure steam generators.

In 2004, he joined Central States Industrial (CSI) as Project Manager for the field installation group, performing both project management and engineering functions. Eventually, his role expanded to include in-house fabrication project management along with field project management. Over the next few years, CSI recognized the need for a full-time engineering group, so Eric moved his focus to this area and dedicated his time solely to process engineering.

In his 13 years at CSI, Eric accomplished a lot. Eric is a registered professional engineer (PE) in the state of Missouri. To become a PE, he had to graduate from an ABET-accredited engineering program, pass the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam, work under or closely with an established PE for four years, and then pass an 8-hour professional engineering (PE) exam. This registration allows Eric to sign and seal engineering drawings or calculations where professional engineering approval is required.

He was recently promoted to Manager – Process Engineering, and in this position, he helps lead his team to success. Although he has many responsibilities, his focus is on engineering clean-in-place (CIP) systems, conducting CIP and process engineering audits at customer facilities, and tackling technical questions. One of his greatest accomplishments was the development of a standard estimation system for CIP 2.0.

Eric said he would like his team to be a formidable force and be, undeniably, the top experts in sanitary process systems. His main goal is for the engineers to be an excellent and helpful source for CSI’s customers.

Eric is very involved in the community. He is an instructor for Macedonia Baptist Church, where he teaches the Bible from Genesis to Revelation in a year. This is the sixth year he’s helped lead the class. In August, he took a mission trip to Guatemala, where he did construction on a new orphanage for the children there.

An active person­­­—not only in the community, but also in his life—Eric enjoys cycling and has bicycled all over the country, from the mountains of Colorado to the trails in Texas. Last year, he attended one of the oldest and largest cycling events in the nation, the Hotter'N Hell Hundred, in Wichita Falls. A fan of long endurance rides, Eric plans to take on more cycling challenges this year.

Eric also channels his energy into coaching several youth basketball and baseball teams for his three oldest kids. He has four children, Miriam, age 10; Abriella, age 8; Matthias, age 6; and Scarlett, age 4; with his wife, Arien, who he has been married to for 14 years. Arien has two degrees, one in Mechanical Engineering and another in Physics. She recently joined the team at CSI as a part-time Associate Process Engineer.

Eric said he is passionate about spending time with his kids and teaching others. He said, “I feel like, if I’m not sharing my knowledge with people, shame on me.”

With nearly two decades of industry experience, Eric has a lot of expertise to share. His technical aptitude truly has been a formidable force. With Eric leading CSI’s team of talented engineers, progress and innovation will always be driven forward.