Mears awarded the Certified Maintenance and Reliability Professional of the Year

  • Published
  • By Raquel March
  • AEDC/PA
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, TENN. --  Christopher Mears, an Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC) engineer and section manager with the Aerospace Testing Alliance (ATA) Test Support Branch, recently received the Certified Maintenance and Reliability Professional (CMRP) of the Year Award in the Rising Leader category by the Society for Maintenance and Reliability Professionals (SMRP).

The SMRP Award Committee cited that Mears was a Rising Leader award recipient because he demonstrated leadership, professional development and accomplishments in the Maintenance and Reliability (M&R) industry.

Mears stated to the SMRP that he recommends that M&R professionals should find mentors to guide their career development and they should become involved in the maintenance and reliability community. He suggests choosing mentors from various associations and stated that Ron Martin, a school administrator and minister, has been a mentor to him outside of his associations at AEDC.

"I have been privileged to have a number of mentors since working here [AEDC], including Dennis Weaver, David Hurst, Walter Bishop, Rod Stewart and Chip Stepanek," he said. "But one of the most influential mentors I have been privileged to have in the field of maintenance and reliability has been Ramesh Gulati. He has been a constant steering influence to help me get more involved here and outside AEDC, including with organizations such as SMRP."

Mears expressed the importance of having mentors to ask difficult questions and to seek guidance and direction for his career.

"Not a single one of us can succeed on our own; we each need the guiding influence and steady hand of others to help us along the way," he said.

Mears received his CMRP certification in 2003 and began assisting other Jacobs industrial sites in their maintenance and reliability training, maintenance program assessment and reliability improvements. He also held the office of secretary/historian in the SMRP local chapter and leadership roles within the SMRP Annual Conference Committee.

SMRP is a nonprofit professional society formed by practitioners with a mission to serve leaders and advancing Reliability and Physical Asset Management. For more information about the SMRP see their website at www.smrp.org.