Sarah E. Schmidt
President

As President of Mechanized Design, Sarah has the unique ability to offer an agile perspective and provide strategic business acumen in an effort to lead the organization down a path of upward growth. Sarah’s efforts have been been critical to the success of the engineering services firm to date.

Sarah is also the Owner and Operator of Double KS Farms, Inc. “Aside from my family, agriculture is my passion,” Sarah shares, as she hopes to be integral to the development of the organization’s ag engineering services and ag product development program. Sarah holds a BS in Agricultural Business from Kansas State University.

Derek E. Mullins
Vice President of Operations

As Vice President of Operations, Derek leads the company’s business planning and operations. In addition, he serves as Lead Engineer, as he is highly skilled in project and program management.

In everything he does, Derek exemplifies his commitment to exceptional quality. Even his leadership partners brag about his commitment to delivering the very best engineering solution for their customers.

Derek brings a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Iowa State University, as well as nearly ten years of experience in the engineering industry serving at Dell Innovation Services and AGCO. His areas of expertise include engineering design, new product introduction, product cost optimization, and reliability improvement, just to name a few.

James R. Schmidt
Vice President of Engineering

An expert in the field of engineering, Jim specializes in product development, validation, and verification of off-highway equipment. As Vice President of Engineering, Jim brings his many years experience in mechanical engineering and research.

Previously, Jim has served as Senior Mechanical Engineering Manager and Chief Engineer of Research and Development, worked in the areas of mobile product development, applications, and patents, and has worked at leading organizations such as Dell Innovation Services and AGCO. Jim is also the Owner and Operator of Double KS Farms. Therefore, he has the distinct ability to understand not only the theoretical and technical side of projects, but also the practical and application based side of the off-highway industry.

Not only is Jim passionate about the world of engineering, but he is committed to creating a work environment that empowers employees to take ownership in the organization’s direction and future projects. Jim holds a BS in Biological and Agricultural Engineering from Kansas State University and an MBA from the University of Iowa.