Prior to working at SMC, Beem was employed at Modern Plastics Corp. in Benton Harbor as an engineer. During his seven years at Modern Plastics, Beem was involved with injection, compression, and blowing molding. His job experience included management, project management, mold purchasing, machine and fixture design, part design, and mold design. Beem also worked as a designer with LDI Inc., of Grand Rapids, which manufactured electromechanical assemblies for the automotive industry.

Beem enjoys teaching at SMC, but for fun he likes to kayak and canoe, boat building, and hiking.