About Wes
Wes joined Barton in 2004 and since has been with Barton for over 18 years serving as our Director of Electrical Engineering. He attended The Pennsylvania State University where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering.
“Aside from helping establish the culture at Barton, it’s great to know that everything we do now not only impacts our day-to-day work life but also has a direct impact on my family’s financial situation down the road.” Stated Wes when asked about how the ESOP impacts him the most.
Tell us a little bit about your life at home.
I was born and raised here in York. I came back home after college, married my high school sweetheart, had a few kids, and moved in next door to the house I grew up in. Never thought it would go that way but wouldn’t change it for the world. Sarah and I have now been married for 18 years and have three amazing kids that make us proud every day.
What’s your hometown?
York, PA.
Where did you to college?
I graduated with an electrical engineering degree from Penn State. Where else?
How long have you been with Barton?
This fall will be 19 years.
What do you like most about the ESOP?
I think being an ESOP has really helped foster a culture of ownership and community within our organization. There really is a collective feeling that what we do matters, not only to ourselves but to each other.
What do you love most about your job?
The challenges and problem-solving.
What’s your favorite sport (professional, college, or other)?
For better or worse, we live and breathe baseball. It’s what my family does – youth games, minor and independent league games, Orioles games, or just throwing batting practice to the kids on a Saturday afternoon. That said, it’s probably football. We have season tickets to Penn State and of course, we bleed that kelly green. Go birds.
What’s on your “stranded on a desert island” playlist?
Tough call depends on the day. Tom Petty is always up there at the top. Some days it’s Foo Fighters, Weezer, and Green Day. Others it’s Zach Bryan, Ryan Bingham, and Whiskey Myers. Or maybe some Jack Johnson- it is an island, after all.
When I’m not at work I’m doing……
Coaching. Little league baseball, travel baseball, and basketball (and for one fateful season, soccer). I love it, and working with the kids is my favorite thing in the world. I am also president of our local little league, which is the largest youth baseball organization in the area, supporting kids from ages 3 to 19. When I was a kid, spring was baseball season. It’s now a spring season, summer tournament season, fall season, winter clinics and workouts – which at times feels like a second full-time job.
What’s the one movie you can watch over and over again?
Christmas Vacation.
What’s on your bucket list?
Visiting all the national parks, but that seems to be a popular one. Let’s go with seeing the Northern Lights from Iceland.
What’s your favorite holiday?
Christmas. In a house with 3 kids, Christmas season trumps all.
Best book you’ve ever read?
Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil Degrasse Tyson. I’m a nerd at heart and love to geek out over space, time, and relativity.
What’s the best piece of advice that you’ve ever been given?
Control the controllables. Probably the number one message I try to get through to kids when coaching, but also wholly relevant to life. There are only certain things that you can control – your attitude about a situation, your effort – mixed in with a whole lot of things that you can’t. Focus on the things you can and try not to let the things you can’t bring you down. Easy to say, hard to do!