Brady Sims says he has always been fascinated with how things work and the theory behind it, starting from an early age.
“Thinking back, my dad is in the technology field — electrical technology — and he would always bring me little typewriters and things home from his work,” Sims said. “I would take them apart and then put them back together.”
Now the 26-year-old has taken his passion, left his job at Viking Range and begun his own engineering business, Sims Industrial Solutions. The company will be a “solutions integrator” with expertise in electrical engineering and automation as well as process and manufacturing consulting. Sims will be the owner and operator, working alongside a silent partner.
“Everyone wants to be their own boss, so there has always been the thought in the back of my mind,” he said. “I want to try to find something that I can do for myself.”
A Greenwood native, Sims went to Holmes Community College in Grenada unsure of what he wanted to do until he took an electronics technology class. “That opened me up to the electrical industrial field and also taught me PLC programming and programming aspects that I use today,” Sims said.
After spending two years at Holmes, he went to Mississippi State University, where he graduated with an industrial engineering degree in 2014.
Sims gained experience working as a controls engineer for LEC Inc., an electrical engineering and automation firm in Jackson. He worked with automotive or lumber companies doing refits, or upgrading program systems, and sorting boards.
“I did a lot with robotics,” Sims said. “We were pretty diverse. We dealt with a lot of different industries.”
Later he moved back to Greenwood to work as an electrical engineer for Viking in maintenance and automating processes.
Sims said he felt now was a good time to start his business, especially with the current demand for automation.
“My thing has been, since we came up with the idea, might as well do it when you’re 26 when you can, instead of 46 and you can’t,” he said. “I might as well do it now and try.”
Although finances can pose a challenge to someone beginning a company young, Sims has already begun to line jobs up. He will be working with companies such as Nissan but also hopes to get into the agriculture industry.
“We want to do things with the farmers,” he said. “There is so much technology out there that they could have.”
The company will design and install automation systems and provide services in consulting, design, programming, construction, and Industrial Internet of Things.
Although his plan for now is to work from home, market himself and visit plants, Sims has been big plans for the business.
“I plan on starting out at home just kind of going door to door to plants,” he said. “Eventually we plan to hire guys, have a shop, really build a big service industry.”
Sims hopes to expand his business outside Greenwood and work with companies throughout the Southeast.
“We have a lot of things we want to do,” he said. “I hope we are able to make a change in Greenwood.”
•Contact Lauren Randall at 581-7239 or lrandall@gwcommonwealth.com.
