Meet Sticks
Our team members come from diverse and experienced backgrounds in electrical training, and many have been in critical power for years. We pride ourselves on choosing the best people to service our customers to ensure that you get the most out of your equipment.
Meet Sticks
Our team members come from diverse and experienced backgrounds in electrical training, and many have been in critical power for years. We pride ourselves on choosing the best people to service our customers to ensure that you get the most out of your equipment.
Donald Fenstermaker ("Sticks")
Region: North East
After 6 years in the Navy as a Nuclear Electronic Technician II (USS RHODE ISLAND G), Donald - or as our Field Service Team calls him, "Sticks" - started with Mitsubishi Electric in November of 2022. Learn more about his experience, his focus on safety, and his favorite comfort food!
Certifications
OSHA 10, NFPA 70, CPR Certified
Field Trained
9900D; 9900C/CX; 9900B; 9900AEGIS; 1100 Series; 7011B; 9900A; 9800AD; 9800AE; 2033
First and foremost, I have to ask about the nickname. Where did "Sticks" come from?
"It was my third day in the field and my first time meeting most of the team. We were just kinda standing around introducing ourselves and sharing some sea stories while Pete and Cynthia were talking to the site POC to coordinate what we were going to do that day.
Pete yelled over to the group 'Hey Sticks, come over here for a minute,' so I took one look at everyone else (I am built like a bean pole that hasn’t had a sandwich in a few days) and figured he was talking to me.
I ended up having to climb into all the tight spaces because nobody else wanted to, but I’m used to that from my time on the Sub.
Sticks just kinda stuck. There have been times I've gotten a call like 'Hey Sticks, what is your actual name?' But I'm glad it's a still relatively normal nickname and there are some sites I go to that have to ask my real name.
Nobody really calls me by Donald or Don outside official duties or if I just meet them. Everybody in the Navy - and even before the Navy - called me by my last name or just Fence."
What were you doing before working at Mitsubishi Electric?
"I spent 6 years in the Navy as a Nuke Electronics Technician on a submarine out of Georgia. I got out in July of 2022 and started at MEPPI that November."
How did you start working in the critical power industry and at Mitsubishi Electric?
"After I got out [of the Navy], I was working with a recruiting company, so they would reach out to multiple employers, send them my resume, and then reach back out to me and set up a bunch of interviews.
And just one day they reached out and they're like ‘Hey, Mitsubishi Electric – they do UPS.’ I was like ‘Oh, I know what a UPS is and how it works. That sounds like a great time!’
It’s kind of similar to what I did [in the Navy] as we also used inverters, so I had a basic idea coming in."
What is something you think people would find surprising or interesting about working in critical power?
"Well, a lot of people, when I say ‘UPS,’ they ask me if I work for UPS or FedEx…
It’s definitely not what I expected, but also what I expected at the same time. The scale of it all was really something.
I was thrown off at first because the UPS I worked on were about the size of a lunchbox, not the size of a small building. They still function exactly the same way, just a lot bigger."
How would you describe our Field Service Team?
"One of the greatest teams I’ve ever worked with. And I’m loving every minute of it.
If I ever run into an issue, I know that there's 10-15 people that I can call that have either ran into this issue or they will sit down and troubleshoot with me.
I'm definitely sure Jeff Niemietz is tired of people calling him, but he'll always pick up.
And then again, in return, I know that when some of my younger guys run into issues, they feel comfortable enough to call me and try to ask me for help."
What advice would you give to a Facility Manager?
"Some of the best sites I get to work at the ones where the operators are familiar and confident with how to use their equipment.
Getting experience on how to respond in an emergency is definitely important, but I would say that also being more familiar with the day-to-day makes everything go smoother.
Most sites only really have to interact with the UPS once a year, so there can be a slight curve the first few times."
How do you ensure the safety of yourself and those around you while working with electrical systems?
"Well, first and foremost is PPE. And the lockout tagout process – I am very adamant about that. I will check that the breakers are open and locked out probably three times before I even open the UPS.
And then again, just wearing the proper PPE, making sure that there isn't any voltage where there isn't supposed to be voltage. Because the last thing I want to do when I go to work is get shocked.
Sometimes customers ask me like ‘Hey, what’s MEPPI’s policy on this?’ And I’ll explain it to them and 99% of the time they’re like ‘Alright, fantastic.’"
What is your most memorable moment from the field?
"I was chasing a fault that I thought I had fixed it. And then it came back. I changed something else, thought I'd fixed it. Came back three days later and then it finally started consistently failing. I changed out a board, and we turned the UPS on - myself and the site contact I was working with.
I just remember we finally got it to fail consistently, figured out the problem that we'd been chasing for this past week, and just everyone that was in the room started laughing and smiling. We're like ‘Alright, cool. We're finally, finally done troubleshooting.’
We got the UPS back up and running, the customer is happy. Everything is working as expected."
In those situations, what have you found to be the most effective way to communicate the situation to the customer?
"Just 100% honesty. Honestly is my biggest policy.
‘Hey, I thought I fixed it. I didn't. We're going to check the next logical thing,’ and I'll run [the customer] through the steps: What could be the issue(s), what I'm going to do, and what kind of parts we might need. But again, just being upfront."
Where did you grow up?
"I grew up in Braceville, Ohio, about smack dab between Cleveland and Pittsburgh. I am now in Ashburn, VA."
How do you like Virginia?
"It’s fantastic! It doesn’t get quite as cold as OH, but there are nowhere near as many mosquitoes as in GA."
What is something you are passionate about outside of work?
"I haven't done it since I moved up here, but I used to do a lot of woodworking. Mostly smaller pieces, nothing too complex."
Do you have a favorite movie, TV show, or book?
"Ironically enough, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea is my go-to book. I’ve probably read it a hundred times by now. It was one of the reasons I was interested in going on a submarine, although there weren’t as many adventures on my boat."
What’s the strangest food you’ve ever tried? And did you like it?
"The strangest food I ever tried was Navy food. It was very hit or miss sometimes. Somehow frozen yet burnt at the same time. Not a fan."
Do you have a go-to comfort food?
"Really, any kind of pasta – like spaghetti. I could eat spaghetti every day for the rest of my life if you let me.
Growing up, most of our meals were some combination of meat, potatoes, and a vegetable. I had to fight to get pasta night once a month. And now, I am a tax paying adult and will have pasta when I want to!"
Okay, but what’s the best noodle?
"Spaghetti without question. Sometimes, if I’m feeling adventurous, bowtie."
What is the best advice you have received, personally or professionally?
"What I kind of take into every day: be thorough, be safe, but most importantly remember to have fun."
Profile Last Updated: October 3, 2024