Some things are certain in life. Death, taxes, and a “good morning” from Michael Saville as he fills his coffee cup with a wolf on it every morning. To not see Michael filling up his cup almost feels like the Earth’s poles have shifted. I suppose you need the fuel to power all of the wizardries Michael performs in our engineering department. Based in our Little Rock office, Michael takes these puzzle pieces, puts them together, and through magic, assembles a system that can not only be installed but also functions! It must be some sort of ancient magic.
Born in San Diego, CA, where his dad was in the Air Force, Michael and his family moved to Arkansas when he was 18 months old. “My family moved to Arkansas for more opportunities and to get away from the big city. My dad retired from the Air Force and my mom stayed busy at home.”
Michael started working in the life safety industry at a very young age. He was 13 years old when he started his first job at Arkansas Dictograph. Michael started out pulling wire and mounting devices for fire alarms, low-voltage, and nurse call systems. In case anyone was wondering, that puts Michael with over 30 years of experience in life safety! To say Michael knows his stuff would be an understatement.
When Michael was 19 years old, he joined the Navy. He took a friend to enlist, and the recruiter kept trying to get Michael to enlist. When the recruiter told his buddy to take the ASVAB he convinced Michael to take it “since you are already here.” Michael ended up joining. His friend did not. He was responsible for installing low voltage systems on the ships and was a huge part of the team that produced the news broadcast while onboard. Michael got the opportunity to visit many countries while in the Navy including France, Italy, Spain, England, Ireland, Iceland, Turkey, Greece, Indonesia, India, and the Philippines, just to name a few. Of all the countries Michael visited Australia was his favorite. “I just enjoyed myself there. The people were really friendly. The only bad part was that the US dollar was weaker so I could only exchange my dollar for .95 cents.” He never responded when asked if he ever saw any dingos.
One would think that all the experiences would be Michael’s greatest prize while in the Navy, but they would be wrong. His greatest prize, you ask? His wife of 42 years, Christina. “While I was in the Navy we met. I fell asleep on the beach watching a football game and got some severe sunburns. She kept running into my sunburns and I kept trying to send her with someone else. She kept coming back and complaining that nobody was teaching her so we started working together. The rest is history.”
Michael and Christina have one daughter, Joanne. They also have two granddaughters Alex and Lilly. Not to be excluded is Michael’s German Shepard, Fenris, who he referred to as his “lap puppy.” That’s one HUGE lap puppy, Michael.
In his spare time, Michael is passionate about gardening. He specializes in useful plants like mosquito repelling plants, aloe vera, etc. He hasn’t quite mastered roses, Christina’s favorite, but continues finding ways to make them flourish. Persistence is the key. Michael is also passionate about spending time with his family, especially his granddaughters. He enjoys playing pinochle with his in-laws, as well. His other favorite pastimes include fantasy football and watching college football and basketball. He also enjoys bowling and was in 5-7 leagues at one time while in the Navy where he won multiple patches and awards. “I never bowled that 300 game, but I got close…real close.” Michael said with a smirk.
When asked what led him to engineering, Michael explained “I did project supervision and project management and started learning AutoCAD and since I had already been laying out systems in the field this just sparked my interest even more.” One of Michael’s greatest strengths is his versatility and knowledge of many systems. He has seen the industry evolve so much and enjoys learning about the changes and improvements in the systems. “I love the challenge of engineering. Things are constantly changing.” Michael’s favorite part of being an engineer? “I have to figure out how to get the systems to do everything they are capable of. I love learning new things.”
All of us are proud and happy to have Michael on our team. Michael is dependable, and a strong mentor to his co-workers. He never asks for recognition but deserves it all the same. He is willing to help the team in any way possible. We can’t thank him enough for upholding our values: One Team, One Purpose, One Family!!!
- Kevin Henderson - COO
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