Employee Spotlight - Meet Samuel McMillin

Behind every smooth-running network, every secure connection, and every device that just works at Achilles USA, there's a good chance Samuel McMillin had something to do with it. As our Systems Administrator, Samuel is the quiet engine keeping our digital infrastructure humming, and he's made it stronger every day since joining the team; this is why he's in our Employee Spotlight.

Samuel's role at Achilles covers just about everything IT-related. Networking, email, security, servers, workstations, storage, database management, printers, cameras, and as he puts it, "on and on it goes." It's a role that demands both broad knowledge and the ability to dive deep when something needs fixing, and Samuel brings both to the table.

Samuel joined Achilles on February 22, 2022, drawn by the opportunity to work with a wider range of technology.  He found an environment that rewarded curiosity. "Every day has been a process of learning new things," he says. "I know more than I did when I started, but the more you learn, the more you realize what you don't know, if that makes sense." It makes perfect sense, and it's exactly the mindset that makes a great IT professional.

When asked about his proudest accomplishment, Samuel points to the dramatic progress made in IT security. Manufacturing environments like ours carry higher security requirements due to critical and vulnerable equipment on the floor, and when Samuel arrived, protections were nearly nonexistent. Working alongside colleague Mike, he has helped transform the IT department into something almost unrecognizable from what it was five years ago, with automation, new technologies, and a security posture that now matches the demands of modern manufacturing. "The IT department looks very different now than it did 5 years ago because of all the automation and new tech both Mike and I have implemented," he shares.

Samuel says Achilles' culture of continuous improvement has been a direct enabler of his work. "This has allowed me to take initiative and implement solutions, especially if it results in greater efficiency," he explains. At Achilles, the drive to get better isn't limited to the production floor. It runs straight through the server room, too.

For new employees, Samuel's advice is simple: "Learn as much as you can, even things outside of your role. You may be surprised at how helpful it is seeing the bigger picture." Coming from someone who manages everything from cameras to databases, that perspective carries real weight.

On the technical side, Samuel is currently building a configuration manager for our Linux systems, a project that will make upgrading and maintaining those systems significantly more efficient. He's also learning programming to help debug critical applications that the team has source code access to. In other words, Samuel isn't just maintaining what exists. He's actively building what comes next.

Outside of the office, Samuel is just as curious and driven. He enjoys playing games with friends, studying foreign languages (Japanese is his current focus), and spending time with animals. Whether he's troubleshooting a network issue or working through a new grammar rule in Japanese, Samuel brings the same patience and determination to everything he takes on.

Thank you, Samuel, for four-plus years of keeping Achilles connected, protected, and always improving. The work you do may happen behind the scenes, but its impact is felt everywhere.