NES June Employee Spotlight
Employee Spotlight
Tara DeLong
At her job interview in the spring of 2021, Tara DeLong was told that this position was like a blank canvas.
She could paint any picture she wanted.
To DeLong, this sounded appealing. Yes, she’d have an array of responsibilities, overseeing – or assisting with – everything from human resources to accounting to information technology. But each day, each hour, would present a different challenge, the kind that she could tackle on her own accord.
Just over four years later, that’s exactly what the job has entailed.
And DeLong, who landed that position – Napoleon Engineering Services’ manager of office operations – prefers it that way.
DeLong loves the HR component of her job, which includes helping NES employees with insurance plans, educating them about investing in their retirement accounts or working with co-workers to plan monthly birthday/anniversary lunches, the annual Christmas party or community events, such as the Corporate Challenge 5K run. She also enjoys the new hire process – interviewing hopeful applicants, working with fellow administrators to choose the perfect candidate and onboarding those individuals to join the NES team (and luckily, as NES continues to grow rapidly, she’s had the opportunity to this a lot).
DeLong is viscerally aware, however:
Those are just two functions in her Swiss Army knife of a job.
DELONG REPRESENTS the company at various Cattaraugus-Allegany Dream It Do It events, the annual Junior Interview Day at Allegany-Limestone and career fairs at local colleges such as Alfred State, Pittsburgh at Bradford – her alma mater – and Jamestown Community College. The latter, especially, allows her to meet “so many young people who are just starting to learn about manufacturing, or know about it, but just need time to figure out exactly which direction they want to go.”
If you asked DeLong to choose which part of her job is most rewarding, she wouldn’t be able to choose; she appreciates the importance of each, including the accounting responsibilities, which “can be challenging, and I love that.” But she does a tremendous job of managing each – her messy desk, despite the optics, serving as proof.
Hence, her selection as NES’ June employee spotlight honor.
“I tend to thrive when I’m able to multitask,” DeLong said. “Being able to do accounting and HR while mixing in some IT network security all in the same day keeps me motivated. I often have to be able to take a break on what I’m working on to help an employee with an (insurance question) or reach out to a customer to check on payment status, answer phone calls from customers and vendors to support our team and many other things.
“I am busy, but I seriously wouldn’t want it any other way.”
GIVEN HER myriad duties – and a desire for personal growth – DeLong has long sought opportunities to self-improve and enhance her leadership skills.
In 2022, NES allowed her to participate in Leadership Cattaraugus, which allowed her to accomplish both of those objectives. More recently, after being encouraged by NES president Chris Napoleon, she joined the Cattaraugus-Allegany Workforce Development Board, with whom she now holds the position of vice chair.
“The connections I have made with these organizations are priceless, and they’ve provided us with many opportunities,” DeLong said. “One example is that NES has received support through funding for our training programs.”
What does a typical day for NES’ office operations manager look like?
It’s impossible to say, she said, as no two days are the same.
But that’s what makes the job so gratifying. And it’s the spotlight recognition that “very much validates” her feelings of being supported in these efforts.
“He (Chris Napoleon) and Chris Truman are always supportive and encouraging to me,” said DeLong, a Baton Rouge, Louisiana native who grew up in Southeast Texas before relocating to the Allegany area in her early 20s. “It feels a big cliché to say, but I really love my job.
“I am so proud to have the opportunity to work here at NES, with this team. We work with some really smart people; I love to see (our) dedication and creativity. I mean, we’re making bearings for the aerospace industry. How much cooler can you get?”
When she’s not at work, DeLong’s focus is on family. She and her husband Eric enjoy watching their two sons play sports, riding bikes, taking their dogs for a walk and taking the pontoon boat out on the lake where she tries to “soak up as much sun as possible.”
In many ways, DeLong is the glue that holds NES together. Her versatility and invaluable presence within multiple departments hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“Tara consistently demonstrates an exceptional willingness to help, always being the first to offer support and assistance,” said Chris Truman, NES vice president of business operations. “Whether it’s a small favor or a significant undertaking, she approaches every situation with genuine helpfulness and a proactive attitude. Her generous spirit makes her an invaluable asset to any team.”