Fisher founded Fisher Controls, which is now Emerson Process Management (EPM). Lennox founded Lennox Manufacturing, and the Williams brothers, MARSHALLTOWN. The aforementioned are Marshalltown engineering and manufacturing legends who left a legacy of innovation, perseverance and stability.

Staff from Emerson — who hosted the event in partnership with the Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce, eight other companies and the National Society of Sales Engineers (NSSE) — said they had never hosted the event, known as the National Sales Engineering Conference, before.

Emerson’s renowned Innovation Center is the event headquarters.

Preston Schaaf, Sales Engineer Flow Controls with Emerson, was part of the event management team. He said Thursday evening at a Marshall County courthouse square event that he and colleagues were excited to network with other sponsors and students.

Attendees from the National Sales Engineering Conference hosted by Emerson Process Management of Marshalltown patronize the Lillie Mae Chocolates food truck on the Courthouse Lawn Thursday evening. The three-day event consisting of networking, seminars and contests in engineering sales applications concluded Saturday evening at Wayward Social.

The students are mostly juniors and seniors representing universities and colleges from Florida to Ohio to California. The team from the University of Central Florida (UCF) departed from its Orlando campus Tuesday in automobiles well in advance of Hurricane Milton.

Schaaf said a key component of the conference is a contest to allow students to display their skills in the challenging but rewarding field.

“A contest held today (Friday), and Saturday will allow students to exhibit their sales and engineering skills in a case procurement project,” said Schaaf. “It will be designed as a ‘real life’ situation where a customer needs a solution to a problem. The teams will demonstrate a piece of equipment integral to the solution. Handsome trophies will be awarded to the first, second and third place teams Saturday night. The winning team will receive a $2,000 cash prize. Cash prizes will also be awarded for second and third place.”

Brooke Hunstad is a junior at the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio. A junior from Cincinnati, she is studying mechanical engineering. She also is a media and marketing chair for the NSSE chapter at the school. Hunstad said she was motivated to pursue sales engineering because it would offer a competitive environment while using math and problem-solving skills.

“I have developed a passion for the field,” she said. “At school, we have leading national companies come to campus and we get an idea of ‘real world’ problems and solutions. I am passionate about connecting students to the world of sales engineering. It is a growing and new field.”

Pictured is the first place trophy on display Friday morning in the lobby of the Emerson Innovation Center in Marshalltown. It was awarded to the winning team Saturday night as part of the three-day National Sales Engineering Conference in Marshalltown hosted by Emerson.

She stresses to students skilled in engineering that they must understand the competitive drive required to succeed in a results-driven industry.

“In sales, one also must have a ‘tough skin,” she said. “You have to be able to be ‘hit’ and knocked-down but then get back up. One needs to have adaptability to make changes in strategy on the spot too.”

Gary Williams of Virginia Beach, Va., is president of the National Society of Sales Engineers.

“We are excited to partner with EPM, it had been a sponsor for many years,” he said. “With the resources Emerson and Marshalltown provide it was a good fit for us. We are only in day two (Friday) and we can already say the event is an entire success … It has been exemplary. The students, representing 10 different universities from across the U.S., had never heard of Marshalltown, and they are loving it. They have had a great response to the small-town feel here that is truly authentic.”

Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce Tourism Director Dylan Does said he has been promoting Marshalltown’s competitive advantage, affordability and livability melded with a diverse community of almost 30,000 to students and sponsors alike.

The students, some of whom may be offered positions at Emerson in the future, will then know Marshalltown’s assets.

“This conference has put EPM and Marshalltown at the forefront,” he said. “We say at the Chamber of Commerce, that in addition to EPM, we have a lot of companies in Marshalltown and central Iowa that are phenomenal.”