Chaz Rishel In June, we honored Ray O’Brien, one of Napoleon Engineering Services’ longest-tenured employees. Two months later, we’re recognizing another member of the old guard, a co-worker whose loyalty and contributions have also spanned two-plus decades: Chaz Rishel. Rishel, like O’Brien, is NES to his core, bleeding white and blue. But unlike O’Brien, who’s worn several proverbial hats during his tenure, Rishel has made his mark in one department, dutifully performing his job each day, and mastering it over the last 23 years, that of inspection technician. In this role, Rishel is primarily responsible for NES’ bearing Source Qualification…

The Fundamentals of Bearing Wear and Condition Analysis A customer recently called Napoleon Engineering Services (NES) asking if it could evaluate a bearing which was operating in refrigerant, an apparent ineffective lubrication in conventional terms. The Olean, New York-based bearing services company understood what was needed: A condition analysis. The primary purpose of NES’ condition analysis program is to identify the wear characteristics (and wear rate) of a bearing through both visual and dimensional inspection techniques. In many applications, the lubricant itself, its condition or the application loads and speed create a condition of high-point asperity contact. Bearing manufacturers may…

Employee Spotlight Ray O’Brien Several individuals can rightfully claim to have had a hand in Napoleon Engineering Services’ success over the years, to have helped grow it from a fledgling bearing inspection and testing company inside a spare bedroom into the globally recognized custom bearing manufacturer it is today. Few, however, have made as lasting a contribution – or possess as unique a perspective on NES’ remarkable transformation – as Ray O’Brien. After living out in Colorado and Oregon for a stretch – and performing contract work for Dresser-Rand upon his return to the area – the Allegany native began…

Congratulations, Roman! For the second-straight year, Roman Napoleon’s Tarpon Springs (Fla.) Pirates captured the Elite American Football League (EAFL) Class AAA championship, topping Georgia-based Cherokee County in Elite Bowl V, 27-10, on June 27 in Savannah, Georgia. The Pirates beat Cherokee County in both seasons for the EAFL title, having bested the Bruins, 27-21, a year earlier in Lakeland, Fla. It was the first time in league history that a franchise claimed back-to-back league crowns. Napoleon, a safety/linebacker, was once again one of the team’s top contributors, earning Defensive Most Valuable Player honors in the championship contest. The EAFL is…

May Employee Spotlight Dan Moore It’s his go-to line each time a facility tour group passes through his workstation. “I get to make something out of nothing,” Dan Moore has said to gaggles of student groups, business leaders and community members. And he’s done just that, and exceptionally so, at Napoleon Engineering Services for the last (nearly) 17 years. Moore, a lead machinist, operates the soft turn portion of NES’ complete bearing manufacturing channel, which marks the official start of the production process. In simplest terms, his day-to-day centers around turning raw bar stock into the initial shape of a…

Employee Spotlight Jack Truman Jack Truman wasn’t necessarily looking for a job. But that didn’t stop opportunity from knocking in the spring of 2012. Shortly after being laid off from his previous job at Henkel-Loctite, Truman received a phone call from his nephew, Chris Truman, Napoleon Engineering Services’ vice president of operations, who asked Jack if he’d be interested in a position at NES. Truman, who figured he’d humor a family member, came in to see what his nephew’s company, a custom bearing manufacturer, had to offer. And after having his interest piqued, he was brought on as a welder/fabricator…

Alex Harris Alex Harris sat at home, quietly, but attentively watching YouTube videos on his phone, which happened to draw his wife’s curiosity. “What are you doing,” she asked? “I’m like, ‘I’m learning how to code,’” he responded. “She’s like, ‘Oh, have fun.’” Harris was, indeed, enjoying the process, calling it a “fun learning experience.” (“I’m nowhere near a professional level,” he noted, “but I’ve definitely gotten better.”) And, of course, he was using his free time to learn how to write code. … Because Harris has always been willing to accept – and succeeded in – every role that…

How identifying a bearing’s failure mode can lead to the right NES test plan for you By J.P. BUTLER Marketing Coordinator It was a frigid morning in Olean, New York, when a customer called Napoleon Engineering Services with a question. “Can you test a new batch of bearings for us?” the individual asked. NES had previously worked with this company, which manufactures, among other things, seed planters. Consequently, it was keenly aware of this application’s bearing failure mode: environmental contamination. And because it understood this – and, by extension, the customer’s objective – NES could tailor a testing program to…

NES Employee Spotlight Chris Delaney In the most general terms, Chris Delaney might be considered a metallurgy technician. After all, he does spend much of his work time testing, analyzing and inspecting metal samples to determine their physical properties, composition and quality. To categorize him merely as such, however, wouldn’t be doing Delaney justice. The Fort Erie, Ontario native has served as a bearing assembly technician, dimensional inspector, met lab technician and hone operator. Lately, he’s focused much of his attention on visual inspections, non-destructive testing and metallography. “But then also whatever needs to be done,” said Delaney, who’s worked…

OLEAN — In the aftermath of her spectacular performance at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, in which she placed ninth overall and was the highest-finishing American in the women’s 3000-meter steeplechase, Angelina Napoleon said she could “feel the hometown love from 7,000 miles away.” She could sense the myriad cheers and well-wishes from back home. She managed to read some of the congratulatory messages on social media. She could feel that there were droves of people in her corner. And now, just over three months since proudly, and admirably, representing her country at Worlds, the Allegany native…