H2@Work Employee Spotlight: Emily Buchanan
Emily began her career with a supply chain degree and built experience across multiple areas of operations. She started in retail and grocery operations, then moved into materials management at a smaller engineering company where she learned about the full supply chain. Later, she worked in distribution operations, gaining insight into how many of Plug’s customers operate. Over time, she found a passion for simplifying complex problems and working across teams, which led her to Plug.
Why Plug Was the Right Fit
Emily was drawn to Plug because of the opportunity to work on meaningful challenges in clean energy. She enjoys building structures in fast-moving environments and values being in a place where she can make a direct impact. For her, Plug offers constant learning and the chance to grow while contributing to something bigger.
Fast Paced and High Impact Work
One of the most unique parts of Emily’s role has been building and scaling a service supply chain that supports hundreds of active sites. Service work is unpredictable and often requires quick thinking. Early in her career, she recalls taking escalation calls over a holiday weekend while on a lake with her family, coordinating urgent shipments with her team. Since then, her team has supported recovery efforts after major weather events and even tracked down critical parts through unconventional sources. She says it is fast paced and sometimes chaotic, but incredibly rewarding because the impact is immediate.
Managing Growth and Complexity
As Plug has grown, Emily has faced the challenge of scaling operations while building processes at the same time. She focuses on prioritizing high impact areas, creating visibility into problems, and building accountability across her team. Staying calm and focused on solutions has been key in managing a reactive environment.
Excited About the Future of Hydrogen
Emily believes hydrogen can play a major role in clean energy, especially in areas where electrification alone is not enough. What excites her most is being part of an industry that is actively being built. She sees Plug not just talking about the future but creating the systems and infrastructure that will support it.
A Mindset of Progress Over Perfection
Emily focuses on consistency over perfection. She believes in showing up, doing the work, and improving over time. She often reminds herself not to let perfect get in the way of better. Her optimistic outlook helps her stay grounded even in busy and unpredictable situations.
Life Beyond Supply Chain
Outside of work, Emily’s life is full of energy and fun as a mom to 5-year-old identical triplet boys. She describes it as a mix of comedy, endurance, and constant problem solving. From managing everyday chaos to settling small disputes, it has strengthened her adaptability, patience, and ability to stay positive no matter what the day brings.
