IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2021 - 10

observe as long as we
want to in order to
get an accurate
and precise collection of data. "

The Origin of
KOOP

The projects
have ranged from
increasing machine
and labor efficiency
for potting operations
at a plant nursery to
operations at a heavy
manufacturing
facility.

With her audition
c a nceled a nd t he
future wide open, Middelkoop thought the time
was right to get started on this
idea, and KOOP was born. She began
work almost immediately by reaching
out to the various manufacturing companies she had interned with during
college as well as with her alma mater.
The projects have ranged from increasing machine and labor efficiency for
potting operations at a plant nursery
to operations at a heavy manufacturing facility. " If there's an activity I
can watch through a camera, there's
always lots of wasted movements and
steps that can be simplified to help the
customers produce more products by
creating a smarter way to work, ultimately saving time and money, " she
describes. Noting that the applications of an industrial engineering skill
set are vast and can apply not just to
manufacturing applications but also
across all types of businesses, she
says, " You wouldn't typically think
of applying engineering principles at
a plant nursery, but we were able to
eliminate bottlenecks and improve

throughput of the
operations, which
improved the
efficiency of the
process for their
employees. "
The idea of
trying to help all
types of companies is part of the
ethos of KOOP, and an
important principle for
its founder. " The whole idea
behind KOOP is bringing value to my
customers, and something that I value
more than just making money is volunteering, " explains Middelkoop. For
that reason, the company agrees to feed
a child for an entire year for each project they do via donations to Feed My
Starving Children, in an initiative called
KOOP Cares. The reason this organization was chosen, she shares, is that,
growing up, her family volunteered at
their packing plant in Texas, and she
noticed that their process for packing
food was very efficient. The process
inspired her, and that inspiration underscores how she approaches her work
now. " Ultimately, whether my business
is successful or not, it's about the people
I've had an impact on and the relationships I've built. "
As for whether she will revisit the
idea of becoming a professional acrobat in the future, Middelkoop says she's
learned not to plan that far ahead but
instead to focus on what she is doing

Middelkoop (third from right) with friends after a home meet at Iowa State.

10

IEEE WOMEN IN ENGINEERING MAGAZINE

JUNE 2021	

at present. " I'm taking it one step at a
time and just going with the flow, " she
says. She is also focused on her clients.
" By doing my best for the companies I'm
helping, I'm hoping they will refer me to
others and that my business will grow by
word of mouth. "
To help others beyond the scope of
her business, Middelkoop offers the following advice: " Create opportunities for
yourself by looking into different outlets,
rather than having one single goal in
mind. This enables you to better adapt,
and even if you fail at one goal or with
one idea, during that time you will learn
a lot about yourself and you can apply
that knowledge to the next idea. "

Middelkoop during a floor exercise
competition at a home meet.

Middelkoop at the 2019 NCAA Women's
Gymnastics Nationals in Fort Worth,
Texas, collecting data for research.
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2021

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