About POA
One Responsible Company
From a single garage in Oregon to a nationwide team delivering complete automation, calibration, validation, and filtration solutions.
One Responsible Company
POA is unique in the automation sector—we integrate, calibrate, and validate complete systems so our customers can relax knowing they have one responsible partner supplying everything.
+ Founded in 1997
+ A team of 36 employees
+ 20,000 sq ft facility in Bend, Oregon
+ Quality Certified ISO 9001:2015
Our Story
1997
The Garage Years
Powers of Automation was born in Steve Power's garage with a singular focus: providing high-quality automation and instrumentation solutions with a "do it right the first time" approach.
1999
Growing the Team
Within two years, Steve added his wife Edie to handle administrative and quality duties, and his brother Lonnie for calibration, control panel construction, and installation activities.
2000
Moving Out of the Garage
After three years of continual growth, POA moved out of the garage to meet customer demand. The company added expertise to handle increasingly complex control design needs. This marked the beginning of POA as it is known today.
Growth Era
Building a Quality Culture
As the industries POA served became more quality-focused due to regulatory requirements, we became certified to manufacture UL Listed industrial control panels. We built a world-class ISO 9001 certified Quality Management System and brought the right people onboard to ensure our internal focus on quality exceeded customer expectations.
Today
Positioned for the future
POA has grown to more than 36 professionals with expertise spanning industrial automation design, software engineering, control panel fabrication, instrument calibration, validation, and quality management. We continue to maintain relationships with customers and business partners from the garage days.
Why we exist
We help businesses be more productive, more competitive, and more innovative. We achieve this by developing highly-efficient and elegantly-designed systems that drive down costs, meet industry challenges, and support cutting-edge technologies.
Customer-focused
We treat our customers like business partners because we're invested in their success. Our commitment extends beyond getting systems in place—we support long-term success through quality management processes.
Quality Driven
Our ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System governs everything we do because we believe in doing things right. From initial design through final documentation, quality is built into every step of our process.
Deep Expertise
Our team brings decades of specialized experience across disciplines. We have high-level software engineers, certified technicians, and validation specialists who relish challenges and create elegant solutions that work.
Join the POA team
Contribute to systems that protect public health, ensure product safety, and support cutting-edge technologies across regulated industries.
"I have had the pleasure of working with Steve, [Lonnie, Edie] and the rest of the POA team for nearly 24 years now.
From filtration and calibration to validation and systems integration, POA has the staff, experience, and knowhow to deliver high quality results."
Ian Stout
Serán Bioscience
"POA is a critical partner in the continued success of our mobile gas generation project. Their team has consistently demonstrated exceptional technical leadership while providing deep industrial automation expertise that has directly influenced the quality, reliability, and performance of our system."
Tim Kemper
Director of Engineering, CV International
"Working with POA has felt less like engaging a vendor and more like adding trusted teammates to our project. Their professionalism, organization, and commitment to doing things right have made a lasting impact on our success."
Tim Kemper
Director of Engineering, CV International
"In February 2015, the McKesson drug distribution facility in Memphis, Tennessee experienced a roof collapse due to an ice storm. The damage...(threatened) the CDC's entire US supply of vaccines for children. With Steve and Lonnie leading, the entire POA team provided 24/7 support to McKesson. With POA's collaboration, McKesson was able to stabilize the situation, install a new controller, and get it operational. In this situation, partnering with the right company saved McKesson from a potential $876,000,000 loss."
Timothy Phelps, McKesson
Former Manager of Facilities & Engineering