Into Chemical Engineering
Out Into the World
Art Hendela, President
Hendela System Consultants, Inc.
Home of the SCANALYZER Year 2000 Solution
Lyndhurst, NJ
1-888-SCANY2K
WWW.SCANY2K.COM
art.hendela@scany2k.com
What books have influenced
my career?
 General,
Physical, and Organic
Chemistry, Thermo, Unit Ops.
 Intro to Fortran and Comp Science
 How to Be a Successful Consultant
 The Year 2000 Software Problem
 The Dogbert Management Handbook
 Softball Tips and Techniques
 The Foot Book by Dr Seuss
How did I become a Chem
Eng?
 Liked
Science and Math in High School
 High National Test Score in Chemistry
 There were no PCs yet
 My brother told me to because they
make lots of money
Why NJIT?
 Excellent
Chemical Engineering school
with good facilities and faculty
 Close to home (no dorms yet)
 Wanted to keep my Fuller Brush
business
 My brother went here
 My dad wouldn’t pay more than NJIT
What did I like at NJIT?
 The
computer part of every Chem Eng
class
 The laboratory facilities
 The Chem Eng, Chemistry, and Math
Professors
 My classmates and social activities
 The Co-op program (the most
important decision of my career)
What did I find out on Co-op
part I?
 Isobutylene
polymerizes in high heat
sulfuric acid (very interesting)
 Naptha gas accumulates near the
ground (interesting & important)
 What bosses say and want are different
 Job performance reviews are like
humanities classes
What did I find out on Co-op
part II?
 Refineries
and Chemical Plants use
ridiculous amounts of steam
 Computers control many refinery
operations
 Programming my material balances
was fun (Super important)
 Other people found it fun for me to
program their material balances.
 I found out about Technical Computing
What was my first full time
job?
 Introduced
to database systems
 Worked long hours
 Learned many computer languages and
systems
 Learned about billing rates
 Given choice one night of Move to
Baton Rouge, Saudia Arabia, or get laid
off. Went to BR. Almost died. Twice.
Full time job part II
 Moved
from BR Back to NJ to Process
Simulation
 Found value in networking after hours
through softball
 Moved to research environment to help
scientists
 Worked on Masters in Comp Science
 Started business after Masters Degree
Why did I start a business?
 Wanted
to use Technical and Sales
background
 Liked the variety of technical challenges
 Understood concept of customer
 Did not understand concept of boss
 Could always go through a contract
house (headhunter)
How did my business grow?
 Used
all of my contacts from grammar
school to the present.
 Willing to take short assignments
 First major break came through a
softball contact
 Second big break came from studying
Swedish
What didn’t I know from my
college education?
 You
sell yourself first
 Learn other aspects of business such as
Accounting, Finance, Marketing, Sales,
and Legal.
 Presentation and interview skills are a
key to success
 A Roladex is more important than a
bank account
What advice can I leave you
with?
 Learn
as many new things as you can,
even if they are not the most fun
 Build a good reputation with teachers,
peers, and bosses
 Network through your professional
societies and social clubs
 “When you are with work people, you
are at work”
 Have the courage to change
Who is Hendela System
Consultants?
 Consulting
and software company
based in Lyndhurst, NJ.
 Established in 1988 as a custom
program shop.
 Clients include many Fortune 500
companies and government agencies.
 Developed SCANALYZER software to
aid Year 2000 analysis for major
international bank.