A new chapter, from enterprise data to the factory floor
After nearly nine years since I first started at Park Place Technologies (on and off, don’t ask), it’s time for a new chapter.
What I’m taking with me
Park Place gave me the chance to work with incredibly talented people, build and lead teams, and contribute to some significant initiatives. Those ranged from leading Data Engineering, to our global D365 supply chain transformation across four regions, to, more recently, enterprise data architecture and AI.
A few lessons from those years that I’ll carry forward:
- Data you can trust beats more data. The work that mattered most was making sure Finance, Operations, and leadership were looking at the same numbers, and believed them.
- Transformations succeed or fail on people and ownership. Technology choices matter, but building internal capability, rather than depending on outside partners for everything, is what makes a platform last.
- AI earns its place with governance. The AI tools that people actually rely on are the ones that are grounded, auditable, and honest about what they don’t know.
It’s been remarkable to watch Park Place grow over the years, and I’m proud to have been part of it. More than anything, I’ll miss the people.
What’s next
I’ve joined Steven Douglas Corp. as Senior Director of Data, AI, & Automation. SDC operates in industrial automation and custom manufacturing, and I’ll be helping lead technology strategy across IT, enterprise applications, data, AI, and automation.
A few things I’m especially looking forward to:
- Applying AI to sales and engineering design processes
- Advancing robotic bin picking and machine vision
- Modernizing enterprise systems
- Building an AI knowledge platform that makes SDC’s engineering expertise more accessible
Manufacturing is where data and AI stop being abstract. A better model shows up as a faster quote, a cleaner design, or a robot that picks the right part. That’s the kind of impact I want to be closer to.
It’s a chance to bring together what I’ve enjoyed most in my career: building teams, solving hard problems, and using technology to make businesses run better.
To everyone at Park Place, thank you for the opportunities, support, and friendships. I’m proud of what we built together and can’t wait to see what’s next for you all.