Arizona MEP and Nautilus Systems Work Together to Strengthen Employee Development

Founded in 1999 and based in Phoenix, Arizona, Nautilus Systems specializes in precision automation solutions for adhesive component placement. What began as a custom automation firm has evolved into an industry leader with a flagship applicator system designed to place labels and other adhesive components with extreme accuracy on items such as SD memory cards—where precision is critical due to limited surface area—and medical wearables like continuous glucose monitors, where secure adhesion is essential. As the company continued its growth trajectory, more formal employee development and hiring processes became necessary. Over the past few years, Nautilus Systems and Arizona MEP have collaborated on workforce and leadership training, employee assessments, job descriptions, and staffing.

Nautilus Systems, founded by experts in automation, initially relied on personal networks to recruit talent. However, as the company grew, it faced challenges in hiring specialized positions and struggled to reach candidates beyond its existing connections and job boards. The absence of standardized procedures for job descriptions and employee evaluations complicated the evaluation of employees and hindered providing them with a vision for future career pathways within the company. To tackle these issues, Nautilus Systems pursued improvements through a more structured approach to workforce development.

Arizona MEP played a pivotal role in strengthening Nautilus Systems’ leadership and workforce development. The partnership began with DISC personality assessments for all employees, helping the team understand their leadership styles and tailor coaching approaches according to individual strengths. This was followed by leadership training that focused on coaching techniques and effective communication. Arizona MEP also facilitated the creation of detailed job descriptions for each position, introducing a structured performance evaluation system. The leadership team used these descriptions to conduct year-end reviews, assessing employees on a standardized scale. This process provides employees with a transparent understanding of expectations and guides individual development plans. “Arizona MEP really helped lead us in developing plans for everybody,” said Matthew Rich, Director of Operations for Nautilus Systems. “Everyone could see where we thought they were and what they were doing compared to their job descriptions. We were then able to give employees opportunities for development and improvement.”

Nautilus Systems also utilized Arizona MEP’s staffing resources to help fill key roles for technical positions. Rather than sorting through numerous unqualified applicants from public job postings, Nautilus Systems accessed a refined pool of candidates with the specialized skills needed for hard-to-fill positions like control engineers, software engineers, and electrical engineers.

Through its collaboration with the Arizona MEP, Nautilus Systems has formalized its job descriptions and performance review processes while discovering an effective employee recruitment partner to support the company's growth. “Arizona MEP has a broad spectrum of resources,” said Steven Gunnerson, President of Nautilus Systems. “Through one point of contact you can access a variety of specialists. It’s important to have a resource that you can trust to help you find these solutions.”