Behind the Research: Tyler Finley

About the feature

Many people are involved in the remarkable range of programs, services and facilities that undergird research in the College of Agriculture. Collectively they’re integral to the college fulfilling its research mission. “Behind the Research” explores their individual roles. Each academic year, we profile six people whose work supports the College of Agriculture’s global reputation for developing innovative, multidisciplinary solutions to challenges and then putting those solutions into action.

Tyler Finley, facilities and equipment manager, agricultural and biological engineering (ABE) building and the ADM Innovation Center

• Responsible for day-to-day operations of ABE buildings and equipment, focusing on safety, building maintenance and space and equipment management.
• In summer 2024, led efforts to improve useful space at the ADM Agricultural Innovation Center by converting inefficient storage space into multiple hands-on work areas.
• Assists in ag equipment drive labs by showing students how to drive and operate a John Deere 8RX tractor.

Training graduate and undergraduate students how to safely operate equipment and tools in ABE’s shops and labs is a normal part of Tyler Finley’s job. But he recalls one unusual experience in which he shared the cab of a $600,000 tractor with a student who had never been behind the wheel of any vehicle. “I’ll remember that for a while,” he says. “They did great.”

Finley has been in his current job for a little over a year. He studied energy technology at IVY Tech and worked at Purdue previously, as an indoor air quality technician, before spending four years as a precision ag specialist with John Deere.

He decided to return to the university in 2023 for the ABE opening that tapped both his skilled trades experience and agricultural background. “Not too many building managers can help someone troubleshoot the cab of a John Deere tractor,” he says. “Being able to work with two different environments is unique.”

Finley reports to Nate Mosier, ABE department head. “Tyler works behind the scenes to make sure that the facilities and equipment in both buildings are running well and safely in support of our research and teaching missions in ABE,” Mosier says. “He coordinates the movement of large agricultural machinery and helps graduate students and faculty in updating and maintaining spaces for cutting-edge research.”

“There’s a lot of versatility when it comes to this position, Finley says. “You just never know what you’re going to walk into during a day. It keeps me on my toes.”

He might find himself dealing with power, heating or cooling issues in the buildings or helping someone solve an equipment issue. He has led electrical projects to ensure that ABE labs can accommodate the advanced equipment that faculty, researchers and students use. 

In addition to managing maintenance-, safety- or security-related issues in the two facilities, Finley helps prepare equipment for hands-on labs and assists with events. On the equipment side, he maintains five vehicles and numerous pieces of farm equipment.

His work brings him into contact with a wide range of people: the zone 5 maintenance crew, faculty and staff, ABE students and occasionally, alumni.

“If we have an alumni event, I make sure areas are presentable for anyone coming into the building,” he says. At a recent Ag Alumni tailgate, Finley volunteered to give ABE alumni tractor rides to the football game.

The ADM Innovation Center caused Finley some anxiety when he first took the job, he admits. It had become a catch-all during the ABE building’s renovation and addition, so last summer he focused on converting its storage space into work areas that ABE students and faculty can use for events, labs and senior capstone projects. ADM houses the quarter-scale tractor pulling team and Purdue utility project (PUP) group, as well as engineering’s research machining services.

“With a lot of time and the right support from Dr. Mosier and the faculty, we’ve pulled it together and made it more organized and useful space for both research labs and faculty events,” Finley says. “I have learned that when you have square footage or acres to pursue opportunities, the sky is the limit to what you can achieve.”

Finley says his job demands patience, listening skills, organizational ability and, most of all, flexibility. “Adjusting is a daily occurrence,” he says. “We can plan for one thing, but we have to be able to adjust for everything else. So being open to moving my schedule around to accommodate our students and faculty, that’s a big responsibility.”

He sometimes feels pulled in different directions but reminds himself, “not everything has to be done in a day. After seeing the position for over a year, I’ve found a rhythm and an organizational path, but I’m also always up for learning,” he says. “If I can learn something every day, I’m having a good day.”

Away from work, Finley and his wife, a Purdue engineering employee, keep busy with twin 4-year-old daughters. He is also an avid trail runner and enjoys outdoor activities like hunting and fishing.

Back on campus, his focus is clear: “The world of agricultural and biological engineering is always evolving and changing, so keeping the facilities up to spec with an environment that meets the needs of the research being conducted is always on my radar.”