Meet the Live Automation Team
Live Automation is comprised of a core group of strategists, inventors, designers and engineers. And when needed, we compliment our team with additional engineering staff and leverage a group of trusted subcontractors for specialized tasks.
Mike (Founder)
Mike has over 20 years’ experience in the industrial automation and manufacturing industry. A degreed Mechanical Engineer, Mike has launched hundreds of automation solutions for various industries including food and beverage, water and wastewater, plastics, security and detention, biotech & pharma, medical, and many more.
In the 1990’s Mike worked as a project engineer for the fledgling plastics recycling industry, managing projects across 6 plants nationally. During those days, specialized equipment for the recycling industry didn’t exist. “We had to either repurpose machinery from other industries or build our own from scratch. At that time my skillset was in the mechanical design of machines…I just didn’t know how to make my designs tick.” So after spending countless nights and weekends learning basic relay logic, Mike found he had both a passion and unique ability to develop innovative control systems that were easy to use.
In 2001, Mike left the plastics recycling industry and joined forces with a local industrial electrical firm to explore the possibility of becoming a full-time controls engineer. In 2002, Live Automation, Inc. was formed and Mike began building the company from the ground up. Through the years and with various partners and subcontractors, Live Automation has grown from a one-man operation to a full-service automation provider with loyal employees who have diversified expertise in many disciplines. Having a reliable, skilled team of experts means that Mike can concentrate his focus on customer relations, business development goals and larger project management.
Mike has been married for over twenty years and has three children. When he is not working, Mike enjoys coaching, watching and sometimes even playing ice hockey.
Nicole (Operations Manager)
A seasoned project manager for over 20 years, Nicole joined the team at Live Automation when the need arose for someone with strong management skills to run the day-to-day operations. Nicole brought to the organization her extensive experience working on multiple time- and budget-sensitive projects as well as excellent communication skills. She is a result-driven leader who truly believes that an organization is only as strong as its team members. To that end, she has introduced new methodology and systems that help keep things running smoothly, keep team members focused and happy to come to work, maintain Live’s reputation as a relevant and valuable member of the industrial controls and custom manufacturing industries, and keep customer satisfaction very high on the list of priorities.
When she is not working, Nicole enjoys spending time with her family and friends.
Ed (Controls Engineering Manager)
Ed is a degreed Plastics engineer who found his calling to do controls early on in his career. After many years as a field engineer with a large OEM, followed by years as a technical expert in HMI and PLC controls, Ed joined Live Automation in 2010. Since then Ed has proven to be a valuable part of our team and is tasked with taking on some of our toughest challenges and managing our biggest clients.
Ed is married and has three boys. When he is not working, Ed spends his time coaching football and basketball.
Scott (Senior Controls Engineer)
Scott started off with Live Automation as a trusted subcontractor back in the mid 2000’s. He eventually joined our team full time in 2016. As both a licensed Master Electrician and a Controls Engineer, Scott excels at large and complex control process solutions.
Scott is the proud dad of two daughters.
Marty (Senior Controls Engineer)
Marty has been with us since the beginning. A seasoned controls engineer with varied experience in PLC, Servo, SCADA, Motors, HMI and Data Collection, Marty brings not only control systems knowledge and data, but also wisdom to Live Automation.
Away from work Marty enjoys golf, spending time with his wife and family, and the occasional game of pool.
Amber Flanagan (Design Engineer)
As our resident nerd, Amber is a degreed Mechanical Engineer. She loves being challenged by whatever is thrown her way. She has been designing and creating from a very young age. Amber started her career while still a student, designing, building and maintaining industrial thread rolling machinery.
Outside of work she enjoys working on cars, engines, computers and 3D-modeling. She is also a proud cat-mom of two.
David Tolle (Controls Engineer)
David graduated from Massachusetts Maritime Academy in May of 2018 with a Bachelors in Marine Engineering. Early on he sparked an interest in engineering and controls through the automotive and marine industry. David began his career working for a large automotive manufacturer, where he gained experience in Electrical Control Systems and PLC programming. In 2020, David joined our team as a Controls Engineer.
Marina Meehan (Intern)
Marina joined Live Automation as an intern and is currently a junior at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth where she is majoring in mechanical engineering. Her interest in engineering began as a child where she would dream up all sorts of inventions in the backseat of the car. Marina is an active member of The American Society of Mechanical Engineers as well as The Society of Women Engineers on campus. Marina is an equestrian, enjoys going golfing, and loves hiking with her dog.
Bruce (Management Consultant)
Bruce and Mike have worked together on and off since 1996. A veteran of the high-tech industry, Bruce managed production at a large computer manufacturer. He left high tech for a period to start a plastics recycling company. After a successful merger and acquisition, Bruce has consulted on many businesses across various industries. A trusted member of our management team, Bruce has helped Live Automation grow responsibly into the organization it has become today.
Away from work, Bruce is surrounded by women. That’s to say his wife of 47 years, three daughters, and six granddaughters.
Karen (Office Manager)
Karen joined Live Automation back in 2013 as our bookkeeper. Since then she has developed into one of the most dependable members of our team, managing everything office related. Extremely organized with an unmatched attention to detail, Karen keeps the office running efficiently.
Karen is also Live’s “Minister of Fun,” managing company outings and get togethers. Away from Live, Karen loves to travel the world with her husband.
How Can We Help?
Our team loves what we do and we know you'll love it too. We look forward to talking with you and learning more about what's on your industrial automation horizon. Contact us at (866) PLC-GUYS .