The drive from Buffalo, NY to McAllen takes approximately 28 hours.

That road has led Evan Thielman on personal and professional journeys he could not have foreseen. Born and raised in Buffalo, Thielman earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering. He accepted a job with a medical device manufacturer in his native state that had a manufacturing facility in Reynosa. Every few months, Thielman flew to South Texas to work on projects at the Reynosa facility.

“It didn’t take long for me to realize sitting in a cubicle in New York did not help me do my job.” Thielman said.

He approached his bosses, suggesting that he move to McAllen for a year to learn, grow and become more efficient. They agreed. Thielman drove those 28 hours, making McAllen his home base while working at the company’s Reynosa facility. 

“A few weeks in, I realized I had made a few mistakes,” Thielman said. “The other engineers were bilingual and I had to have a translator with me.”

That language barrier prevented him from having direct communication with his colleagues in Reynosa. Thielman went back to his bosses and requested Spanish lessons. Those lessons, combined with daily language immersion at the Reynosa facility, allowed him to communicate effectively in Spanish – in only six months – and without the assistance of an interpreter.

Finding A New Challenge

His company’s investment in the move and the Spanish lessons paid off.

It increased productivity and decreased costs. The original plan calling for him to move back to New York after one year in McAllen changed with the significant improvements in his work performance.

Thielman’s friend, Bernice Lopez-Smith, encouraged him to apply to participate in Leadership McAllen. The organization began in 1981 to unite the community after a divisive mayoral election. Thielman applied and was accepted into Leadership McAllen Class 38. The nine-month program focuses on different topics each month, from education to city services and includes the arts, nonprofit organizations and economic development.

Recognized leaders in these fields address and interact with Leadership McAllen class members during each month’s six-hour program. ScanTech Sciences Inc., which treats produce shipped between Mexico and the United States, hosted the Class 38 economic development program in April 2019. 

Switching Gears

Thielman was impressed during a tour of the ScanTech facilities in McAllen with the technology at the plant and implementation of the company’s business plan. The company uses electronic cold pasteurization and electronic beam technology to eliminate fruit flies and other pests. The process destroys pathogens, and extends shelf life by killing the bacteria and mold that spoil products.

Many types of produce, nuts, proteins, manufactured foods and pet treats originating outside the United States go through the ScanTech process. ScanTech is based in Atlanta and established its 100,000-square-foot Rio Grande Valley ECP Center on International Parkway in McAllen. The company broke ground for the climate-controlled facility in April 2017 and began commercial operations March 8, 2022. 

Thielman asked the ScanTech guide if the company needed engineers during the leadership class visit. He also spoke to Randy Main, one of that evening’s speakers and the company’s general manager. Within four months, Thielman accepted a position with ScanTech as business development manager, focusing on process development, educating teams, helping the facility become USDA-certified and getting the first truckloads of products through the facility. 

The company has since had a name change to Reveam Inc., which comes from the first three letters of revolutionary and the last three letters of beam, highlighting the company’s electron-beam technology.

Establishing A New Home

Thielman excelled at the McAllen facility and earned a promotion to general manager in March 2023.

“I have Leadership McAllen to thank for getting me in at the ground level of this company,” Thielman said.

And he has more reasons to thank the organization in now serving as a leadership board member.

“Getting a 360-degree view of McAllen and what makes its heart beat and the networking aspect,’’ Thielman said of the benefits of service on the board. 

Thielman is a long way from home but he has made a new one in McAllen.

“Now I get other friends to apply to Leadership McAllen,” he said. “It’s been a full-circle ride and a very enjoyable one.”