2015 Engineering Leader Under 40: Jayson Pestow, 31

Senior Controls Engineer, Functional Safety Engineer (TÜV Rheinland); Frakes Engineering; Indianapolis; BS Automation & Control Engineering, Indiana State University

By Amanda Pelliccione, Project Manager and Director of Research September 17, 2015

Jayson Pestow, 31
Senior Controls Engineer, Functional Safety Engineer (TÜV Rheinland); Frakes Engineering; Indianapolis
BS Automation & Control Engineering, Indiana State University

Pestow is very passionate about machine safety and works hard to help customers achieve a safer facility. While in high school, Pestow participated in a 2-year technical program for machine tool technology and was inducted into the National Vocational-Technical Honor Society. His training and state certifications in tool-and-die work guided him toward pursuing an engineering degree, while working as a machinist in college also funded his education expenses. After graduating college, Pestow maintained his commitment to the constant learning curve in engineering and technology. As a young engineer, he earned his Six Sigma Green Belt and utilized those tools to lead Lean initiatives for several years. Working as an engineer comes with inherent risk, and being a witness to two nonfatal industrial accidents propelled him into the concentration of machine safety. Frakes Engineering shares his commitment to safety and presented him the opportunity to pursue a certification as a functional safety engineer through TÜV Rheinland, a certification that fewer than 100 engineers nationwide receive each year. Ecstatically, he passed the test on his first try, when it’s not uncommon to take multiple attempts. Outside of work, Pestow has been a competitive runner and triathlete for the past 6 years. In 2012, he proposed to his now-wife, Tara, at the finish line of his first marathon, which he ran while carrying the engagement ring. This past May he was a top-500 finisher in the Indy 500 Mini-Marathon, which is consistently one of the largest half-marathons in the U.S.