VC Funded Start-up
– Role: System Architect & Development
Lead
Challenge:
RF network to monitor and control 70Million street
lights to save energy and increase service levels
Issues:
Product had to be reliable, very low cost, powered
from high voltage, easy to install, operate in harsh
environments, plus be monitored and controlled via
the web
Action:
Recruited and lead a design team of 20+. Using a
low-cost consumer RF chip-set and ARM micro, the
team implemented a 150 channel software radio as the
core of an ad-hoc mesh network. Once plugged into
the power socket at the top of the street light, the
unit monitored and controlled operation. The mesh
access points bridged to the web via TCP/IP. The web
based user interface provides daily reports and
issues work orders.
Technologies:
Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum Ad-Hoc mesh
network, antenna design, Green Tree RTOS, Windows
CE, Windows Server 2000, SQL data base, patent
pending for auto determination of light type and
age.
Result:
This development met the goals and the IP was
purchased by a Fortune 50 Company.
Lockheed Aircraft Computer
Workstation
– Role: Designer and
Project Lead
Challenge:
Aerial Common Sensor platform workstations needed a
secure solid state boot drive. The drive and
Operating system needed to be changed in the field
by the operator. The drive media had to be
commercially available (COTS) and removable while
preventing any secure data or application removal.
Issue:
The Intel chipsets had an IDE drive interface so
Compact Flash was selected as the boot media. This
combination was ideal for flexibility however does
not have a write protect feature to provide data
security.
Action:
Designed and implemented a secure IDE “Volatile”
Boot Drive using RAM, an embedded Xilinx processor,
and a compact flash (CF). The system boots from the
CF and all write commands blocked. The boot image is
mirrored to RAM, CF powered down and a server is
signaled the system is secure; the Application is
loaded and run. CF is completely off line, plus
when the power is removed all data in RAM was
destroyed
Technologies:
COTS chipsets, Xilinx CPLD with embedded code, 12
layer Printed circuit board design,
Result:
This design was very well received by the Army &
Navy allowing the workstation budget to be released.
TYCO Electronics (TYC - NYSE $20B+)
– Role: Program Manager Analyst
Challenge:
After acquisition of 3 competing product lines TYCO
needed a product line migration plan.
Issue:
Collect information from marketing and engineering
teams, during a period of change and uncertainty
Action:
Listen, architect design and report to senior TYCO
management, then present to the line managers within
the marketing and engineering groups for buy-in
Technologies:
IP based control networking, .NET code, SQL data
base, and web based interface to acquire information
from branch office operations
Result:
Design was well received and adopted to become the
basis of the current product offering.
$1B
UK based global supplier of sensors
– Role: Project Lead &
Architect
Challenge:
The customers of this $1B global sensor company are
hitting their growth ceiling plus doing very little
in the USA market. The customer’s size and resources
limit their ability to investment in technology
which will take them to the next level and larger
markets
Issue:
Develop technology which can then be licensed
worldwide in whole or part. The IP must be flexible
and scalable to allow these customers to grow and
drive sensor sales.
Action:
Listen, architect a design, assemble a team of
developers, and deliver a working UL Listed product
which offers modularity, flexible licensing and easy
worldwide localization with all IP ready to
transfer.
Technologies:
TCP/IP network, IPv4, IPv6, CE 6.0 with compact
framework, C# code developed in Visual studio, Web
configuration tools
Result:
At the initial introduction numerous customers
signed licensing agreements and are incorporating
the technology into their products. This initiative
is forecast for 15% plus annual growth for the next
5 years.
Private Corporation
($10M)
- Role: Product Line Architect
Challenge:
Long time leader in very profitable niche market for
courthouse management and court room recording
equipment, is under competitive pressure.
Issue:
Dated thinking, technology, and skill sets
throughout the organization were driving product
design. Current products were added in isolation
without product line plan
Action:
Work with marketing and technical team, to
facilitate dialog then develop the specification,
and implementation plan for the next generation of
digital court room recording system
Technologies:
MS-Media Servers, Digital Media Rights, IPv4, IPv6,
XP Embedded, .NET and C#, TCP/IP, and H.323 video
conferencing technologies
Result:
The product line went from leading a market segment
to dominating the market place, plus the additional
features and modularity provided significant new
growth opportunities
Entrepreneurial use of technology goes from startup
to $35M -
Founded and managed change through two acquisitions
a systems integration company. Pioneered new
market, and then lead the design of an enterprise
wide integration platform, with 8 software
application packages forming a common suite.
Products are distributed worldwide, available in 8
languages. This allowed our team and product line to
grow to $35M with consistent double digit profit
growth, through 20 consecutive quarters.
Improved process speeds quality products to the
market
- Tailored and implemented a SW and HW product
development and delivery process. The key features
provided a common language to track committed
development projects, early warning of any possible
delay, and formalized new idea tracking and review
to control “Feature Creep”, and defined the use of
the word “Done”. The result was universal
organizational “Buy in”, ISO Certification, and a
system of introducing new products and/or upgrades
on a scheduled 6 month cycle.
Technical presentation to FCC saves millions
-Developed,
presented, and successfully defended a unique RF
communication application, to the actual Federal
Communication Commission members. The FCC issued
the license without public hearings, cutting years
off the application process. Subsequently we
successfully defended two rounds of petitions from
powerful industry lobbying groups.
Successfully lead team to recover a $5.5M R&D
investment –
After acquisition Williams Holding (UK) discovered
that the main development project was over 18 months
behind schedule. I was assigned to recover the
investment and bring this product to market in 45
days. By reorganizing product design, redeploying
the in-house engineers, and contracting outside
vendors, this product was completed on time and
brought to market.
Method to gather hurricane ocean current data saves
people and equipment -
After a series of oil platform disasters; we
responded to an energy joint request for proposals
with a method to measure ocean current speed and
depth within a hurricane. Our solution allowed us
to fly directly into a hurricane for up to 5 hours
and deploy RF probes which sent a 1600 meter profile
of water speed, direction, temperature and
salinity. I personally flew in 2 storms to collect
information resulted in safer anchoring systems for
offshore platforms.
Developed technical plan resulting in $5M+ from
Boston Venture community
- Presented technical business plan to the Boston
venture capital community, which lead to
multi-million dollar investment by trucking
companies and venture firms to develop a vehicle
tracking and communication system. The innovative
over the horizon communication technique offered one
of the first nationwide vehicle location and
telemetry systems. Development was venture funded
and IP was sold to a major motor carrier.
