When Nehat Ajruli started at Barry-Wehmiller, he wasn't in his current role as Enterprise Power BI Administrator.
In fact, he wasn't in the IT department at all. Nehat worked as a contract housekeeping leader for nine years, quietly ensuring the St. Louis office was spotless for team members arriving each morning.
Although housekeeping was a reliable job, it wasn’t Nehat’s true calling. His journey started in North Macedonia, where he was pursuing a degree in computer science. However, his plans took a turn when his family won the immigration lottery, bringing them new opportunities in the United States.
While cleaning the office in the evenings, Nehat’s journey took another unexpected turn. He regularly crossed paths with CEO Bob Chapman — interactions that would change his life forever. During their conversations, Nehat shared his story and dreams of working in IT. Bob deeply listened to his story and saw great potential. As a result of their conversations, Bob offered Nehat an internship in the IT department, allowing him to fully pursue his dreams.
"It's fun to work for Barry-Wehmiller, for me personally, and I'm very, I think, lucky that I (got) to meet Bob Chapman," Nehat said.
As an intern, Nehat finished his degree at a local college in St. Louis. Even though he was over 5,000 miles away from his home, he sought refuge in St. Louis' Albanian community, where he helped fix computers and laptops — allowing him to gain real-life tech support skills that he would later apply in his Enterprise Power BI Administrator position.
In this role, Nehat focuses on developing and deploying business applications using the Power Platform suite, including Power Apps, Power Automate and Power BI. His understanding of programming allows him to streamline business processes, such as software request forms that go through automated approval flows to reduce manual work for the team. This work is not always easy, so Nehat enjoys tackling the challenges of creating algorithms and schemas to ensure they meet requirements.
Nehat attributes his journey through various roles — housekeeper, intern, Jr. Data & Reporting Analyst, Business Integration Developer and now Enterprise Power BI Administrator — to Barry-Wehmiller’s commitment to personal growth.
"I think this company is focused on creating an environment where employees feel valued, supported and empowered," Nehat said. "I think this company has a good culture because they value their people and they support their growth as well, continuously, and they empower people as well. Yes, I love working here."
Barry-Wehmiller's cultural vision, the Guiding Principles of Leadership, says that we are committed to our team members’ personal growth and is centered around the belief that “We can measure success by the way we touch the lives of people.” When paired with a sustainable business model, this vision fosters growth within each team member.
According to the Barry-Wehmiller definition of success, Bob’s decision to truly listen to Nehat proves that the organization holds much more prosperity than its $3.6 billion value. Bob's genuine commitment to Nehat’s personal growth allowed him to fulfill his dreams — proving that every team member is not only valued for their work but also cherished as an individual.
"You come in the morning to work and the team members around, they will come and say, 'Hi, good morning. How are you today?'" Nehat said. "They're curious, (they ask about) how you are doing. So that makes you very comfortable in your workplace, and you feel happy about it."
Although thousands of miles away from his home in North Macedonia, Nehat found a second home at Barry-Wehmiller.
"The connections you have with your team members and the respect and support and the value they (have) for you, it's incredible," Nehat said.