Maintenance Technology October 2016 - 15

VOICE FROM THE FIELD

REBEKAH MACKO APPROACHES every task with one
simple philosophy in mind: It's more important to get it done
right than to get it done right now. Her father taught her this
lesson early in life. An organic geochemist, his approach to all
things revolved around a methodical process, the success of
which he passed down to his daughter.
"I can remember spending a lot of late nights in the lab with
my Dad," Macko said. "In fact, he likes to tell the story that he
took me to the lab before taking me home from the hospital
when I was born. We would take apart something, and he would
show me how it works. I was always encouraged to look at the
world around me, appreciate science, and look at the details
of things. When I was really young, I thought I wanted to be a
biologist and work with bugs or work in the rainforest."
As she grew older, around the age of 10, Macko began to
realize she had an aptitude for understanding the mechanics of
machines. "Science was really romantic and fascinating to me,"
she said. "I thought it was so amazing what people could do with
all these creative tools and instruments. This is when I really
began to think about being an engineer."
The interest stuck. The 33-year-old mother of a six-month-old
son, Lance, has been a senior fluid-systems engineer with Geiger
Pump & Equipment in Aston, PA, for eight years. Every day, she
applies the lessons learned from early experiences in the lab with
her father.
"I remember one time replacing the coil on a gas chromatograph," she explained. "It's a pretty simple operation with a big
narrow coil of wire. I had seen the machine a bunch of times, but
I didn't know what was inside, or how it worked, or even what it
did. My dad explained what the parts were, and what was behind
the 'secret door.' I loved learning how it works and how it tells
us useful things. Now, I always want to know what every little
mechanism is and the parts behind it. It's fascinating to me to
realize that someone figured all this out. Nothing just happens.
There are many different components, and pieces, and parts
needed to put together every puzzle."

Getting It

Done Right
Engineer uses methodical process
and attention to detail in her
professional and personal life.
Michelle Segrest
Contributing Editor

A day in the life
Macko uses her curiosity and mechanical gifts every day with
Geiger. As the team leader of the packaged-systems group, she
does everything from taking customer calls to troubleshooting
problems and testing equipment under construction. She also
works with the quality-assurance program and spearheaded the
company's successful effort to achieve ISO9001 certification.
"Rebekah is a pleasure to have at Geiger," said the company's
president, Henry Peck. "Rebekah is a champion for keeping our
systems group on task in delivering the highest-quality products
and services. When our team has an engineering challenge,
whether technical or logistical, Rebekah is a go-to for helping
to find a solution. She is a role-model employee for our favorite
Geiger values-continuous improvement and collaborating as a
team."
Geiger's overall base business is in industrial pump distribution, parts, assembly, and repair. Many years ago the company
OCTOBER 2016

This pump, built to API 610 (11th ed) with a modified Plan 23
seal arrangement, is for hot water service at a chemical plant.

MAINTENANCETECHNOLOGY.COM | 15

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Maintenance Technology October 2016