Autumn 2019 Buffalo Business 15
BETTERWITHBUSINESS
The Sales
Engineer
BRIANA TOM, BS/MBA '17
Briana Tom has long been interested in
chemistry and the process of transforming raw
materials into something people use every day.
But rather than focus exclusively on the science,
Tom set her sights on a career in engineering
management and enrolled in UB's fi ve-year BS
Chemical Engineering/MBA program.
"With engineering, I gained the techni-
cal background to understand heating points
and chemical reactions," Tom says. "And with
the business side, I'm able to take that techni-
cal knowledge and talk with high-level managers
about how to solve their problems."
As an inside sales engineer at Harper Inter-
national Corp., Tom cultivates opportunities for
her company, a global leader in complete ther-
mal processing solutions. In a typical week, she
works with clients that range from startups and
laboratories to commercial enterprises, and span
fi ve sectors: carbon fi ber, advanced ceramics,
battery materials, nuclear fuel and aerospace. In
every interaction, Tom combines the network-
ing and presentation skills she gained in the
School of Management with the deep knowl-
edge she learned from her chemical engineering
courses.
"When I'm meeting with clients, it's import-
ant to reach both the engineers, who will actual-
ly use the machines, and the company presidents
and CEOs, who may not know the technical de-
tails but want to discuss their timeline and bud-
get for capacity expansion," Tom says.
Tom hopes to eventually move into a vice
president role for sales and marketing—and
expects the value of her dual degrees will only
grow in the future.
"The communications and strategy cours-
es were really helpful from the MBA program,"
Tom says. "As a team, when we're having strate-
gy sessions for our goals for the next fi scal year,
I'm able to say, 'We're not using these markets
properly,' and have a voice at the table. As I get
further in my career, those skills will help even
more." x
Photo:
Tom
Wolf
