2021 Engineering Leader Under 40: Baron Carleton, 36

Chief Operating Officer, Avalon International Aluminum, Tualatin, OR, United States, BS Nuclear Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, MS Nuclear & Radiological Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology

By CFE Media September 8, 2021
Baron Carleton, 36, Chief Operating Officer, Avalon International Aluminum, Tualatin, OR, United States, BS Nuclear Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, MS Nuclear & Radiological Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology

Baron Carleton, 36
Chief Operating Officer
Avalon International Aluminum
Tualatin, OR, United States
BS Nuclear Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology
MS Nuclear & Radiological Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology

Why should this person be recognized for this award?

Baron has dedicated the past five years of his life to making the company more efficient, more productive and more responsive to customer needs.  He was instrumental in turning around a failing company into a successful business that is the gold standard of the industry.

Achievements, Advancement & Career-related Industry Contributions

Baron has re-engineered all of the extrusion dies to make all materials fully integrated and perfected many dies to make the system more functional.  He has further developed manufacturing systems and processes to enhance productivity by more than 50%.  He learned how important hardware preps are to the success of the door frame business and made the effort to learn and fully understand all the relevant hardware products required for successful fabrication.  Consequently, Avalon Aluminum is the only interior aluminum frame manufacturer that can accomplish several complicated hardware preps.  Most importantly, he developed a new product on which he now holds a patent that revolutionized the interior glazing process in the interior aluminum door frame industry.  With his patent, Avalon can produce flush glazed sidelights in any wall thickness from 3 1/2″ to 16 1/2″ in one-eighth inch increments–an industry first that solves glazing issues with non-standard walls.

Non-work-related Activities & Hobbies

He went crabbing for the first time on the Pacific coast.  He did it for the new experience and to spend some fun time with his children.

Interesting Details

  • He earned his Eagle Scout rank at the age of 12. He had read that Ross Perot was an Eagle Scout at 12, and he wanted to do it too.
  • Professionally, Baron has become the “go to” person in the interior door frame industry when it comes to designing and implementing custom systems, having even done so for a competitor.

Why did they choose this career?

Baron actually had a lucrative job waiting for him in a responsible position at the CIA upon his graduation, but he chose to work with his father in a business that his father had purchased just prior to Baron’s graduation with his Master’s degree.  He saw the challenge as well as the opportunity and chose to work in the family business with his father.

Original content can be found at Control Engineering.


Author Bio: Since its founding in 2010, CFE Media and Technology has provided engineers in manufacturing, commercial and industrial buildings, and manufacturing control systems with the knowledge they need to improve their operational efficiency. CFE delivers the right information at the right time around the world through a variety of platforms.