Covering All Bases: Director of Operations

Each spring, nothing sounds better to our Director of Operations, Tierney Barnes, than the crack of the bat to start a new baseball season. She watches or listens to every game of her beloved Atlanta Braves. It isn’t hard to see similarities between baseball and her career in Operations. In fact, it may be one of the main reasons she appreciates it all. Beyond the crack of the bat and the roar of the crowd lies a microcosm of organizational strategies, team dynamics, and collaboration that resonates profoundly within her world of additive manufacturing.

Seen as a simple game to some, Tierney sees baseball as an intricate game that mirrors the complexity of real-world operations and her role similar to versatile “utility” players in a baseball game who cover various positions. In the world of operations, being a "jack of all trades" is not just a virtue but a necessity, and it is key to a winning team.

Just as a utility player must possess a broad skill set to excel in different positions in baseball, those in Operations must have a diverse toolkit of competencies, including problem-solving, analytical thinking, communication, and leadership skills. Similarly, at The Barnes Global Advisors, many of the non-engineering responsibilities fall into the area of Operations. Our Director must be versatile and adaptable, capable of tackling diverse responsibilities ranging from IT to HR to Accounting to process improvement, and be able to work between those for a smooth operation. Tierney’s work as Director of Operations is inherently collaborative, working with her colleagues across departments to achieve the common goal of being the best in the business. Furthermore, all successful baseball teams have talented individuals, just like TBGA, but their success is limited unless they are a cohesive, smooth-flowing operational unit that thrives on teamwork.

Additive manufacturing operations was not something Tierney ever saw in her path. Tierney began her career with something far different than AM, working in Operations at The Coca-Cola Company for much of her 18 years there. She took on various roles which utilized her talents in process improvement, decision analysis, forecasting, and collaborating as a liaison between the leadership team and the IT organization. After leaving Coke, she and her husband, John, moved to Australia, where she spent time managing the operations of their two young children until things changed in 2017. She then entered the additive world by way of marriage when John started TBGA. Tierney’s various roles at Coca-Cola gave her invaluable experience needed to take on the many tasks of Operations for a growing TBGA.

Much like that utility player in baseball, Tierney covers all the bases by taking on any role needed to keep this TBGA team winning year after year.

"You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime." – Babe Ruth