Outside the Box

Monday, September 16, 2019

Alumnus Lee Easton credits OSU for his success-oriented work ethic

Oklahoma State University alumnus Lee Easton is a man of many hats. With two bachelor’s degrees, four companies and a full-time
engineering job, he knows what it means to work hard. He developed this mindset as a student in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at OSU.

Easton tried several different majors at OSU before ultimately finding his place in ECE.

“I did some reading and soulsearching to ultimately find that I wanted to do things that would leave behind a positive impact and inspire
others the way that I had been inspired,” Easton said. “I felt like technology was the best route to take.”

Easton felt he had to work twice as hard as his classmates to keep up in college. But he believes that made him a better person.

“Halfway through my sophomore year of college, I switched to ECE,” Easton said. “From then on, for the next four years of school, I was on campus from 8 a.m. to 12 a.m. every single day — yes, 16-hour days. I eventually just got used to this and realized this is what it
would take for me to keep up.

“I saw graduation as the end goal and thought of living a normal life with eight-hour workdays. Oh, how I was wrong — it's the life of an entrepreneur. All that being said, I would have never developed this work ethic if it hadn’t had been for the switch into the ECE
program.”

One of Easton’s first impressions of ECE was a hands-on learning experience that seemed tailored to his learning style.

Easton remembers his intro to engineering class fondly. “We built Styrofoam boats with a single electric motor. The goal was to split into teams and design the best craft to make it the furthest distance. Right off the bat, we were learning about teamwork, design practices, budget, timeline and documentation. These are all skills that are important in any career. For me, it was the hands-on learning practices
like this that made the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering stand out over the others. Now I visit campus, and I see the ENDEAVOR Lab. Why would anyone not want to go here?”

Easton graduated with two bachelor’s degrees in computer engineering and electrical engineering in May 2014.

Since graduating, Easton has had a full-time engineering job at ConocoPhillips and founded four companies. His two favorite companies
are Aerovision.io and ModernBlox. Aerovision.io is a tech-based marketing company that helps businesses around Tulsa collect data on their processes and converts that data into cost-saving opportunities.

At ModernBlox, Easton (vice president) designs and builds commercial and residential properties out of shipping containers with two other OSU alumni, Ben Loh and Swapneel Deshpande.

“I almost switched my major in college to architecture. ModernBlox has helped me scratch that itch,” Easton said. “We recently built a 1,600-squarefoot custom car garage out of five 40-foot shipping containers for a client in Tulsa who collects classic cars. We called it
#AutoBlox. We have done projects from Tulsa all the way to Detroit, Michigan, and Atlanta, Georgia.”

Easton said the quality that most differentiates the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering is its people.

“I had the best experience developing great relationships with my professors and my classmates,” he said. “This was probably the best part of the whole college experience for me. The ECE department felt like my second family. I could walk into any professor’s office any
time I wanted to ask a question.”

For future and current ECE students, Easton stresses the importance of building relationships.

“Now that I am out of college, I cannot stress how important networking is,” he said. “Relationships have proven to be so important in the past four years of my life after graduating from OSU. I simply would not be where I am today if it weren’t for some of the amazing people I’ve met along the way.”