Executive Profile: Chauntelle Baughman

Q. How did you get started in the fluid power industry?

A. I graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in industrial distribution with job offers from many distribution companies in a variety of fields including plumbing, building materials, and fluid power. On the advice of my father, I accepted a position at a fluid power distribution company in Houston because I felt that the industry would be the most personally challenging. As it turns out, I fell in love with the industry and I’ve never left.

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Q. How and why did you get involved in IFPS, and what have you gained professionally and personally?

A. I’ve known about IFPS since I began my career in fluid power. But only in the past few years have I had the opportunity to step in and become more involved. I’ve been able to meet new people and collaborate with others. Being a part of IFPS has shown me not only the challenges facing our industry, but also how to view those challenges with perspectives besides my own.

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Q. Why did you pursue certification, and how has it helped your career?

A. The fluid power distributor I worked for required a CFPHS certification to work in an outside sales position. So I immediately began researching the certification requirements. I was the first female at the company to take the test, and I personally felt a great deal of pressure to pass. Fortunately, I was able to study for several months and pass on the first try! The CFPHS certification proved to be a launching point for me, allowing me to advance in my career and become the company’s first female outside salesperson. Ten years later, I left and formed OneHydraulics, and my love of the industry has only grown since. As a young female in a predominantly male industry, I know that my certification has given me a great deal of credibility.

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Q. What have you learned by working in this industry?

A. One of the most fascinating things I’ve learned is just how many industries depend on fluid power. From agriculture to oil and gas, space to wind energy, mining to amusement parks, there is almost no industry untouched by fluid power. And that means the applications are always changing, and there’s always something new to learn.

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Q. Where do you see the industry heading in the next 10 years?

A. I expect to see substantial improvements in efficiencies as fluid power systems are married to ever more sophisticated controls.

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Q. What advice would you give someone starting out in the industry?

A. Never confuse intelligence with experience. I tell this to my new employees all the time. It can be overwhelming to learn about everything from reading hose dash sizes to calculating pump displacements and reading schematic symbols. There are many wonderful people in our industry who have mentored me throughout my career, patiently teaching me all the nuances. These people have decades of experience and have seen hundreds of applications, encountered thousands of problems, and hopefully just as many solutions. The IFPS certifications will certainly help set a benchmark of your fluid power intelligence, but the experience will really come over time. You just need to be patient, curious, and never afraid to ask questions.

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Q. What are some of your hobbies and interests?

A. My hobbies and interests are comically diverse. I always set goals for myself at the beginning of each year, trying to learn one new skill or industry I’ve never learned before. One year I decided to write novels and learn the publishing industry, and another I picked up baking and food canning. But overall, my favorite hobbies are reading, writing, copywriting, and spending time with my husband and two awesome kids.

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Q. What is something people would be surprised to learn about you?   

A. I have written two novels and been on the Amazon bestsellers list.

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