Nick Lentz

NICK LENTZ’S URGE TO EXPLORE how things worked led him into a bit of trouble at an early age—disassembling many of his family’s power tools that never got reassembled—but paid off in the long run as he pursued a mechanical engineering degree at the Milwaukee School of Engineering and later became a licensed engineer.

In his current role at Generac Power Systems, Lentz is helping to develop battery-powered and renewable energy supporting products, while at the same time improving the efficiency of existing products using fossil fuels. Lentz worked as part of a team to develop and launch one of the first all-electric mobile light towers in the U.S., providing light to consumers with zero carbon emissions. “I see mechanical engineering being one of the leaders in driving sustainability forward,” Lentz said.

His advice for younger engineers is to embrace exploration across the various disciplines in mechanical engineering. “Mechanical engineers have access to a wide array of industries and areas that they can work in,” Lentz said. “Our discipline is the most versatile in the engineering field.” He also stressed the importance of not being discouraged if your initial pursuits do not align with personal interests, as there are numerous areas to explore and resources for networking and connecting.

Lentz admitted that there were times he found himself in positions where his expertise didn’t exactly align with what was needed—being able to rely on a solid network of seasoned professionals helped him to quickly expand his knowledge. He now gives back by mentoring younger engineers and colleagues on the same subject matter he once needed help with—and also spends time teaching his sons about engineering.

Lentz shared his obsession with reading the history of Skunk Works—he’s fascinated by “how they were able to make some of the most advanced and iconic airplanes with very little use of computers.”