Why I Still Visit the Motor Room
A Consultant’s Take on Staying Grounded
When people hear the word “consultant,” they often picture boardrooms, spreadsheets, and PowerPoints. Maybe even a few buzzwords like “synergy” or “optimization.” But if you’ve worked with SparksPro, you know that’s not our style.
I still visit the motor room.
Not just as a symbolic gesture, but because I believe that good consulting starts from the floor up.
The View From the Floor
The motor room, on top of a crane, the confined spaces, the dust-covered MCC panels… these aren’t just places on a tour. They’re where real problems live. And more importantly, where the real experts work.
The people wiring the starters, cleaning out the bucket elevators, performing lockouts… these are the folks who know whether a safety procedure makes sense or gets skipped. They can tell you if the arc flash labels are missing, or if the SOPs were written by someone who’s never done the job.
You don’t get that insight sitting in the office.
“Ground Truth” Beats Data
As consultants, we’re often handed policies, training logs, and spreadsheets that say a program is working. But it’s in the motor room where you see the disconnects, haha:
The label that’s faded beyond recognition.
The PPE cabinet that’s always empty.
The risk assessments that sound good but don’t match what the crew actually does.
“Ground truth” isn’t a new buzzword, it’s the reality check that comes from walking the floor, asking questions, and listening without judgment. No amount of digital dashboards or compliance audits can replace it.
Why It Still Matters
It matters because safety isn’t theoretical. Reliability isn’t theoretical. A machine that’s down or a worker that’s injured impacts lives and livelihoods, not just KPIs.
When I walk into a site, I’m not just looking to check boxes. I’m looking to identify and solve problems. Sometimes that means rewriting policies in plain language. Sometimes it means building a confined space rescue plan that your team can actually execute. Sometimes it means challenging assumptions at the leadership level, but always starting from the ground.
That kind of clarity only comes when you still walk into the motor room.
Consulting With Your Boots On
SparksPro Solutions was built on technical know-how, but also on the belief that culture, process, and people all have to align if you want lasting change. I’ve worked in the mills, the plants, the substations… and I still do. Not because I have to, but because I think it makes me better at what I do.
Every site has a story. And most of those stories start where the noise is loudest, the hazards are real, and the solutions aren’t always on paper.
That’s why I still visit the motor room.
