Auburn ISE grad leads defense systems at Amerex

From missile defense systems to fire suppression technologies, Auburn University industrial and systems engineering alumnus Conner Feemster has built a career focused on making complex systems safer and more effective.

Feemster, who earned his bachelor’s degree in industrial and systems engineering in 2017 along with a graduate certificate in occupational safety and ergonomics and a master’s degree in 2018, serves as product manager for defense systems at Amerex in Trussville, Alabama.

Amerex is a leading manufacturer of fire suppression and fire protection products for commercial, industrial and defense applications.

In his current role, Feemster oversees product development and departmental strategy while collaborating across teams to meet customer needs.

“Essentially, I listen to our customers describe what they need and work with my team to provide a solution,” he said. “My role involves working across sales, marketing, purchasing, production and engineering to address the unique market needs and applications of military and government customers.”

Feemster’s fascination with how systems work is what first drew him to industrial and systems engineering at Auburn.

“Like many engineering students, I’ve always been fascinated by how things work, not just mechanical systems like my alarm clock or garage door, but also systems like the checkout queue at the grocery store or the baggage claim at the airport,” he said. “To me, industrial and systems engineering is the study of how systems work and how to make them work better, safer and more efficiently.”

Feemster said his undergraduate experience in Auburn’s ISE program was both challenging and rewarding.

“The ISE program pushes you to go in-depth in a wide variety of topics and to think critically about real-world problems,” he said. “Every single faculty member in the department is amazing.”

In addition to his coursework, Feemster worked as an engineering peer advisor, which he said helped him relate to engineers across disciplines, a skill that has benefited him throughout his career.

Feemster decided to continue his education with a master’s degree in industrial and systems engineering to strengthen his understanding of systems engineering, human factors and safety.

The roles in his career have been as diverse as the systems he’s worked on.

“I’ve done modeling and simulation analysis, hardware engineering and testing, requirements derivation, system verification and validation, proposal writing, model-based systems engineering and product management,” Feemster said. “I’ve worked with missile defense systems, surveillance cameras, lasers and fire extinguishers. The foundation I built at Auburn set me up for success in every step of my career.”