Bobby Longoria
Explosion Protection (Ex) & HazLoc Project Coordinator
Define your role within Nemko.
As a Project Coordinator supporting Nemko's Explosion Protection Services, I help manage the certification pipeline for electrical equipment that needs to operate safely in hazardous and potentially explosive environments. I coordinate projects from initial submission through final certification, ensuring compliance with international standards like IECEx, ATEX, and NRTL. My role bridges our engineering teams and clients - I handle technical documentation workflows, drive project completion through proactive client communication, and resolve bottlenecks that could delay certification timelines. I ensure our certification processes run efficiently while maintaining the rigorous safety standards that protect both equipment and personnel in industries like oil & gas, chemical processing, and manufacturing where explosive atmospheres are a real concern.
How did you choose this career path?
I have been a Project Manager my entire career, in a variety of industries and roles. I began as an Investigative Reporter, and later worked in the advertising, film and television industries as a Director and Multimedia Producer. I later went to The University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business, which progressed to entering the solar industry as a Project Manager. I have always enjoyed helping manage resources, people and projects to ensure efficient completion and client satisfaction. It is my pleasure to help improve processes, while maintaining the happiness of my team and clients.
What do you enjoy most about your job at Nemko?
I enjoy being able to work every day with very professional and incredibly talented engineers! I am learning new engineering concepts, that have very real-world applications and are incredibly pertinent to safety in workplace environments. I enjoy using my technical savviness, coupled with my love to tinker! My engineering team is always willing to teach me – so I greatly appreciate the wealth of knowledge I can tap into at Nemko!
Are there any challenges that you’ve faced during your career that have taught you important lessons?
Say more with less, always listen, and be empathetic to EVERYONE’S concerns. I often feel a project is able to complete to everyone’s satisfaction if the entire team is willing to hear each other out. As well, you need to speak your point clearly, listen to your client and team, and ensure you truly care about their perspective. As long as you remain empathetic, every project will completely successfully and to everyone’s satisfaction.
What do you think the industry will look like in 20 years?
I feel electrical product certification will always be needed and will likely grow substantially as new technologies are created. I see Nemko needing to work more with automated production facilities, and perhaps more products related to AI and drones. Certification agencies will likely need to adopt some AI usage, in order to streamline certification processes, by reviewing large datasets and testing reports.
What do you find most rewarding about your role?
I enjoy determining how my team may efficiently complete projects, by identifying where we can run project tests in parallel, or where we can schedule multiple off-site visits, in tandem. I also enjoy each time we certify a product according to the client’s timeline, allowing for their product to launch successfully.
What are some market trends you’re keeping an eye on?
I am curious how quantum computing may affect the development of certain electrical/computer components – which could be applied to certain Hazardous Location and explosive atmosphere settings.
When not working, how do you spend your spare time?
I enjoy spending time with my wife and dog, walking trails, exploring new parks and everything Austin has to offer! I am a huge movie buff, so I watch nearly every good movie that comes out. I also love to cook, and use homegrown rosemary, thyme, oregano and other herbs to liven up recipes! My BBQ grill is in constant use every weekend! Austin also has plenty of biking trails, so I stay active on my mountain bike. I love to combine my love for movies, and the outdoors, by going to the Drive-in movie theater here and there as well!
