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John Kessler: Win With Loyalty

February 22nd, 2012
By Terreece M. Clarke

The new CIO and Vice President of Motorists Insurance Group is not the new kid on the block. In fact, John Kessler started at Motorists 27 years ago as an entry-level programmer and worked his way up through the ranks. Kessler's tenure, while an exception the IT industry, is the norm at Motorists.

With a combined experience of nearly 100 years at Motorists between the outgoing CEO, John Bishop, the newly appointed CEO, David Kaufman, and Kessler, the pattern of loyalty is evident.

"What I do know is that there are advantages to loyalty. It can lead to a competitive advantage for your organization, and that certainly has been the case at Motorists," Kessler said.

Loyalty Defined

"We are led to believe that these days your best workers are likely to be more loyal to their careers than to their employers, but I'm not sure how that's any different than any other era. The best case scenario has always been if you can establish an alignment between an associate’s loyalty to their career and loyalty to the company,” Kessler said.

While there are definite benefits to loyalty and longevity in the workplace – like gaining a deep understanding of the company's needs and strengths – there are some challenges.

"I can be pretty candid about this stuff," Kessler said. "When you spend 27 years at the same company...you don't know what you don't know. I know a lot of people have worked at multiple companies and with that comes diverse backgrounds, diverse experiences and exposure to different things that make them more effective in their jobs. I haven't had that. I need to network with those people - and do everything I can to learn from them."

Loyalty does have its rewards. In December, Kessler became the chair of the Corporate Strategy Committees for all the major companies in The Motorists Insurance Group in addition to his CIO and vice president duties. In the position, he leads the strategic committees to review and approve initiatives.

"It's a tremendous opportunity for the CIO to not just be at the table, but to lead these committees responsible for establishing and executing the business strategies..." Kessler said.

In the Game

Growing up with the game of basketball as a point guard in high school, college, and then following in his father’s footsteps as a high school coach, Kessler admits he brings the competitive spirit and life lessons from basketball into his professional life.

"I love being in the position [where] I can make a difference everyday," Kessler said. "To use a sports analogy - I love having the ball, I love the opportunity to have the ball and being in this position you have the opportunity to have the ball everyday. That energizes me."

But it’s more than just a sports analogy. Kessler points to real life lessons that are available for the taking, “disguised by a pair of sneakers, a leather ball and a basket.”

"I always taught my sons and players during my coaching years that there is much more to learn from basketball than just the game itself...such as the desire to compete; the will to win; the work ethic it takes to be successful; how to deal with success; how to deal with failure; how to communicate laterally; how to communicate upward; how to effectively lead; how to effectively follow; how to work with others in a team atmosphere; and how to put other’s interests ahead of your own."

The $100 Million Dollar Challenge

As a company, Kessler said Motorist is challenged by the same thing every company in the industry faces - how to be profitable in a soft market and tough economic climate.

"The industry is in unprecedented times. It has shrunk four out of five years," he said. "In the Midwest, there have been more catastrophic weather event losses than any other area in the country in the last four to five years. The new norm is $100 million in catastrophic losses, when it used to be $25 million."

Dealing with the $100 million challenge has led to innovations in the way the company does business.

"Specific to the rise in the number of catastrophic losses in our industry, Motorists has been fortunate to have an innovative claims system that has provided us with a competitive service advantage," Kessler said. "It's a fully automated, paperless system that has allowed us to provide outstanding mobile service & support; while some of our competitors have struggled with keeping up with the high claims frequency demands that are typical with catastrophic weather events."

The award winning system is a big reason why The Motorists Insurance Group was named Professional Insurance Agents Company of the year in 2008, making it the only company to win the award twice. The first award was given in 2002.

IT Martini Rapid Fire

What book are you reading right now?

Switch. How to Change Things When Change is Hard

What books are part of your life philosophy?

The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom

[The book] says, if you can make four agreements with yourself and think about them each and everyday and stay true to them, then it's a guide to personal and professional freedom and success. The four agreements are: be positive with your words, don't take anything personal, don't make any assumptions and always do your best.

Name a leadership role model.

My father, someone who spent 50 years in the educational system, started as a high school coach for various sports, moved into administration and worked his way through from principal to superintendent. Everything he did involved leadership positions - he's always been an inspiration.

Editor's Note: John Kessler will be answering your questions this week at IT Martini on LinkedIn.

Terreece M. Clarke

Columbus IT Community
Terreece Clarke is the newest member of the IT Martini team. She has been a freelance journalist/writer since 1999 for a variety of magazines, Web sites and newspapers. Terreece is a nationally published freelance writer, whose work has appeared in Columbus Parent, ThisWeek Newspapers, Freelance Writing Gigs.com - the #1 Freelance Writing Website, Common Sense Media.com and more. She is also the new Columbus Ohio guide for About.com.

George Photakis: Lead With the Truth

February 7th, 2012
By John Bishop

"A CIO is a change agent at heart," George Photakis, Vice President and Chief Information Officer of The Anchor Hocking Company and Oneida Limited said. “Next to the CEO, the CIO is probably the one person that really has to understand how the company actually operates and understand all the processes of the company on a daily basis. A good CIO is a change agent downward and upward in an organization."

Photakis has more than 23 years of C-Suite experience and has been a CIO of Fortune 500 companies for 10 years. Anchor Hocking, a glassware manufacturer, brought Photakis onboard in 2007 when they needed to bring previously outsourced processes back in-house.

As change agents and truth seekers, CIOs don't make many new friends in the process. Photakis said he gives new hires and people he works with one of his favorite books - "Who Moved My Cheese" by Spencer Johnson.

"We [CIOs] are generally seen as the bad guys," he said. "As an agent of change, at times the CIO has to be the bad guy, at times the CIO has to make the difficult decisions to achieve the company goals. At times I have to tell people I'm going move your cheese. Find your cheese or else you may find out you're going to get hungry."

Leading with the Truth

Photakis said a CEO, vice president of logistics and vice president of sales will come to a CIO separately with what they believe are separate issues. In reality, Photakis said, they are talking about the same problem from their own frame of reference. It is the CIO's responsibility to see the overall picture and solve the issue across the board.

After 35 years in the business, Photakis said it’s uncovering the truth that enables him to solve for these issues. "A leader should never be afraid to speak truth to power. Truth is truth."

To better solve for 'one truth', Photakis is using the inspiration of 2010 CIO of the Year Filippo Passerini of Procter and Gamble and setting out to declare one company-wide way to measure what is working across all departments - instead of each department having its own set of numbers.

"I consider myself an above level leader, not a manager," he said. “People do what a manager tells them to do, but people will naturally follow a leader because they know they can be [more] successful by following that leader than if they did not."

Retail & Manufacturing Challenges

In November of 2011 the parent company of Anchor Hocking Corporation acquired Oneida Limited - one of the country's oldest tabletop manufacturers. Photakis has recently taken on a new role as Vice President and CIO of Oneida Limited in addition to his continued role as VP and CIO at Anchor Hocking.

Photakis said his top challenges include maintaining each company’s very strong brands.

"Companies have never been in the situation with social media, the internet and e-commerce," Photakis said. "A CIO is a Chief Innovation Officer as well, driving innovation into an organization. They have to look at it and say 'we have to change the way we look at our business and understand the way our customers want to look at our businesses."

These changes to the distribution cycle, in addition to the recession, high unemployment and high transportation costs, have created ‘the perfect storm’ for the retail and manufacturing industries.

"Customers are making pointed decisions. They are weighing the option of going to the store, using gas, time to find one particular item versus buying it online."

Thinking Like an Entrepreneur

The CIO role has dramatically changed from appointed IT person to true business peer. Savvy CIOs are becoming entrepreneurial and driving business in many ways, including expense reduction, Photakis said.

"For example if a business is operating at a 25 percent margin, if you're looking to improve profit or EBITDA, for every $1 you spend a salesperson has to sell $4 in product," he said. "Doesn't it make more sense to save a buck?

A CIO is also custodian of the information that enables critical business making, Photakis said. "No manager is going to make the wrong decision with the correct information. They make the right decision based on the wrong information. It is critical a CIO provides correct and credible information."

Closing Thoughts

Photakis is taking his 35 years of experience and putting it in print for other IT pros. "Confessions of an Old Dog CIO" [title pending] is Photakis' effort to debunk popular IT and business myths such as, "Don't sweat the small stuff."

"Bull..." Photakis said. "The small stuff turns into big stuff when you ignore it. Every company is the Titanic waiting to sink. A big ship doesn't turn on a dime. The question is, do you have good enough info to see the iceberg far enough in advance? If you can see the problem and make adjustments you can avoid hitting the iceberg. There are always warning signs - white caps - if you wait until you're right in front of it it's too late."

Photakis is on the lookout for those warning signs, but sometimes it takes deeper analysis than simply serving up a requested report.

"I try to give what they ask for, but I strive to give them what they need," he said. "The [CIO] has visibility to almost every channel and vertical in the company,” he said. “They want data; [the] CIO provides information.”

And what’s the knee jerk reaction to this crusade for the truth?

"If you want to make friends as a CIO, get a dog," Photakis said.

John Bishop

Columbus IT Community
John Bishop founded IT Martini with Aladin Gohar in 2008. His resume includes technology roles within companies such as JPMorgan Chase, AEP, and Nationwide. John divides most of his time contributing to IT Martini, enjoying family life with his wife and daughter, and, of course, working as an IT Pro. He would like to hear your feedback at john [at] itmartini [dot] com.

Marc Canter: Change the World with Software

January 31st, 2012
By Terreece M. Clarke

Marc Canter is probably best known for creating MacroMind - the company that eventually became Macromedia, the creators of Flash. MacroMind, created in 1984, got its start by developing software for the brand new Apple Macintosh.

Arguably, Canter is the most exuberant father of multimedia.

"We were all video game programmers," he said. "We knew there had to be easy to use tools for the burgeoning multimedia world - as up to that time, one had to be a programmer to do animation, graphics, audio, etc. Remember, that was all pre-video days. So the original concept of the company was to create tools for creating video games."

After launching VideoWorks II in 1988 to great reviews, the company attracted venture capital investment, influence and relocated to San Francisco. While most entrepreneurs believe venture capital funds mean the beginning of big things, Canter found himself pushed out of the Macromedia by the those same money men in 1992.

"Flash code as it exists today is terrible." - Marc Canter

After entrusting others to run Macromedia, the technology was put on coast. "Flash continues to be the same code it was when it was first created and that is its failure," he said. "Flash still provides a lot of value to people, but it's flawed."

Like most developers, Canter applauded the death of Flash Mobile, threw his support behind HTML 5 and accused Android of "keeping the dinosaur alive" by offering Flash on their phones. While a vocal critic of software, he took exception with another famous Flash detractor - Steve Jobs.

"It was hypocritical of Steve [Jobs] to criticize Flash [closed system] when Apple systems are closed," he said. The genius of Steve is, he understood where things were headed and knew [Flash] would slow down processes and drain battery life. Now, could they have built processors to handle that? Sure, and that's what they did for Siri. It's a huge hog, but, you know, when it's an Apple program on Apple devices, then it's okay..."

Open Social Networks

In 2005, Canter founded Broadband Mechanics to build social networks on open platforms. It’s different than Facebook and other platforms that are closed, where they "monetize your information," Canter said. "With an open system everyone participates."

Canter's company built systems for the Sacramento Kings, the Times of India, Mondadori, Bell Canada, RadioOne, NVidia and the U.S. Army ROTC program.

When asked about success with user adoption, Canter candidly replied, "Nope - complete failures. But remember it wasn't supposed to be our job to get user adoption. We build it and you, the white-label customer, are supposed to run the network, get the people to come in and you benefit from all that. I could write a book on all the ways to f*ck up marketing social networks," he said. "Socialworld.com and iTimes.com are the only two left standing."

User adoption also wasn't affected by social media behemoth Facebook, Canter said. His systems are designed to compliment current popular platforms.

"Vertical, niche networks have plenty of room in a horizontally dominated world," he said. "Social media aggregation will become the norm."

Moving to Cleveland

In 2010, Canter moved his family to Cleveland and began working on a new way to change the world - by putting people back to work. He came to Cleveland to research what's going on in the real world and has remained in the region for two and a half years researching ways to stimulate the economy through technology.

Canter founded Digital City Mechanics to set up digital economic ecosystems, where people are trained online to work online. This creates a freelancer environment where companies can hire by project.

"All workers are local and that keeps money local,” he said.

The program is a collaborative effort between the company, the local government and the citizens. Citizen engagement is a consistent missing component in most economic development models Canter said.

"...Government [is] hemorrhaging resources," Canter said. "They are pouring money into programs that don't work and they don't understand. I should point out that it isn't in Cleveland that we'll do our first deployments. It looks like Weirton, West Virginia and the entire country of Jamaica - along with its ex-pat communities worldwide - will probably be our first deployments. Kansas City is close behind.

Changing the World

When it comes to changing the world, Canter scores his multimedia technology work at the top - for now.

"...What we did for the multimedia industry in general - helping to give birth to the concepts of: multimedia authoring, multimedia players and author-once, playback many places. That changed the world. Can't cash that in at the grocery store, but that's what I'm proud of...so far," he said.

It’s his passion for changing the world with technology that helps him drive the work he’s doing now.

"The first principle is to love what you are doing. It's not a job, you have to love what you do because it is your life. It's two times as much time as a 9 to 5 job. I'm able to do what I do because I believe in what I'm doing," he said. "Software is about helping the world. I know the power of software, I know how to change the world."

Editor's Note: Marc Canter will be answering your questions all week at IT Martini on LinkedIn.

Terreece M. Clarke

Jeff Sopp: Always Be Recruiting

January 25th, 2012
By Terreece M. Clarke

When a company experiences rapid growth, people take notice. When a company lands on Inc. Magazine's Fastest Growing Companies list five years in a row, people sit up, take notice and take notes.

"Business has been good," Jeff Sopp, President and CEO of Expesite, said.

That is an understatement.

Sopp was hired to lead Expesite, a project management software company, after it spun off from WD Partners in 2003. Based in Columbus with offices in California and Ontario, Expesite offers web-based, collaborative software-as-a-service (SaaS) products to help a variety of industries including real estate, construction and facilities management.

With projections of 25 to 35 percent growth over last year, how can Expesite continue growing so rapidly in this economy?

"The economy isn't as down as people are lead to believe," says Sopp. "Our clients are expanding into new markets and are taking us with them. It's a high compliment to the company."

Making Waves

With executive leadership roles at CompuCom Systems, Sarcom Inc., Adecco Inc. and Xerox Corp. under his belt, Sopp always had a desire to run and grow his own business. He counts Lee Iaccocoa, Steve Jobs and "all successful 'wave making' entrepreneurs" among his business heroes. So how is he making waves at Expesite?

"I think I truly make waves by my philosophy of 'always be recruiting,' " he said. "I have been blessed to be able to recruit and retain the best and the brightest in our industry. Our associates make the difference. I always say, and it is more true today, our people - not the technology - makes the difference. That, to me, is making waves!”

Expesite's IT team has approximately 35 employees in the area of development, security and infrastructure. As a whole, the company has grown from 50 employees in 2010 to nearly 70 employees with hiring continuing for the Hong Kong offices.

"Customer satisfaction is the cornerstone of what we do, [including] internal client satisfaction,” says Sopp. And he can prove it, “The majority of our employees come from internal referrals."

Differentiating on Technology

"We have been a SaaS provider before the name "SaaS or cloud" was even thought of," Sopp said. "Being a secure, leading edge "cloud/SaaS" company for thousands of users in over 72 countries has certainly been a differentiator for Expesite."

Sopp tied Expesite's continuing growth and success to their ability to go "deeper" by learning how clients' needs can be met with technology.

One example of this approach involved industry leader Wendy's International, Inc. Four years ago Wendy’s developed a plan to improve the quality of its products by installing double-sided grills (DSG) in many of its restaurants. The challenges of the project included monitoring and updating approximately 3,300 double-sided grills internationally while tracking and scheduling grill updates. Expesite created the technology to track DSG software updates and completion dates.

Now, by using the same technology created by Expesite, Wendy’s monitors DSG updates throughout its stores located in the United States, Canada and the Latin American Region.

What’s Next

Sopp pointed to specific technologies that will impact his company in the next two to three years, including mobile and smart devices with user interfaces with less obtrusive processes that drive efficiency.

"Technology is moving smaller and faster," Sopp said. "More people are working remotely...The surface hasn't been scratched to where wireless will go."

Leadership + Entrepreneurship

Sopp offers this advice to budding entrepreneurs, "Go after what you really want to do. Find a mentor or personal coach who will whisper and say you can do it. Go get started."

Sopp also discussed the fundamental skills a leader should have - including honesty.

"Leaders need to be more transparent than ever before," he said. "Leaders cannot be disingenuous. I'm fun, but fair. People respect that. When you're disingenuous, trust is lost."

"I haven't cracked the code yet, but I work hard everyday," Sopp said. "I've never worked harder and never had more fun."

Terreece M. Clarke

Jason Gilmore: Codemash 2012 Wrap-Up

January 17th, 2012
By Terreece M. Clarke

Codemash. It's the largest conferences for developers in the Midwest. So popular that it completely sold out 1200 seats in less than 20 minutes. Not 20 slowed-down Matrix minutes - real world minutes. It's popularity is in large part due to its unusual premise.

Codemash means the mashing together of different technologies, Jason Gilmore, co-founder and board member said.

In case you missed the buzz, the pulsating Twitter stream and the event itself, Codemash 2012 was the biggest 'mash to date. Taking place in the newly-expanded Kalahari Resorts in Sandusky, the event welcomed over 1300 attendees and is completely organized by volunteers.

"I'm not like other guys [conferences]..."No, I mean I'm Different" - Michael Jackson "Thriller"

Everyone says their conferences are different and special, but seriously? The 2012 event held last week from Wednesday to Friday was definitely special. Can you say bacon bar? Three hundred pounds of bacon at self-serve stations offered with a variety of dipping sauces and toppings. Heads up CIOs - word on the street is developers code better with bacon.

While most conferences concentrate on particular platforms or development languages, Codemash brings them all together. More than 100 different sessions covered a variety of topics and languages including .NET, Java, Ruby, Mobile Development, Software Process, WIndows 8, Design; for all levels of developer - beginner, intermediate and advanced.

Hot on the Developer Scene

The Codemash session selection panel tries to select both mainstream and eclectic sessions for the conference, Gilmore said. Out of the 100+ sessions the more popular sessions had to deal with mobile development - Android and iOS.

Other hot sessions were Scott Hanselman's "What the heck are they doing over there? Inside the Microsoft Web Stack of Love" for the .NET platform and the surprising popularity of Josh Smith's session on Prolog.

For conference attendee Brady Gaster, getting ideas on using Node.js in Windows Azure from Glen Block and Dennis Burton was a big takeaway from the event.

The mashing together of self-contractors, college students, companies who bring staff members and other IT pros to learn from one another is what Codemash is all about, Gilmore said.

"It's easy to get lost in the daily grind, " Gilmore said. "We encourage everyone to attend a session with a subject they are not familiar with. I have had people tell me they go back [to work] with new ideas and energized."

Another reason why Codemash is so popular is its Midwest location.

The conference came about as a result of a discussion from a few code developers, who spent a lot of time traveling to developer conferences on the coasts, Jason Gilmore, co-founder and board member said. "We thought it would be interesting to bring divers groups together and learn from one another."

Gilmore described Codemash as quirky - that's a good word for a conference that takes place in the largest indoor waterpark in the country and combines different technology sessions with "Codemash After Dark" informal sessions to teach something that is not usually tech related. This year even included lock-picking lessons.

All in the Family

Talking code at a waterpark is a family affair. The Kalahari Resort location makes it easy for developers to bring their families along to get away for a few days and maybe get into code. Kidzmash for years has offered sessions specially designed for kids. This year included Lego Robots, Android Programming, Learning to Program using Scratch, movie nights, a dance party and more. The opportunity to combine family, fun, a few hundred pounds of bacon and a chance to learn the latest in the developer world is why Codemash will continue to be a big draw.

When asked about the 2013 event, Gilmore had a few bits of info including the news that submissions for session proposals will be accepted earlier to give the group more time to review them.

"We are going to take a moments to relax before things [planning] gets started again," he said. "But there will definitely be a Codemash 2013!"

While Codemash 2012 is a memory there is still time to pick the founders' brains about it and the future of developers. This week in IT Martini on LinkedIn, group founders Jason Gilmore, Jim Holmes and Brian Prince are ready to answer your questions.

Terreece M. Clarke

James McIntyre: Making Technology Like a Dial Tone

January 10th, 2012
By Terreece M. Clarke

James McIntyre, CIO of Cincinnati Christian University, would be the first to tell anyone that IT departments in higher education have unique challenges. It is those challenges that continue to excite him about the work he does every day.

Four years ago, McIntyre left his position as a senior manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers to take on the CIO position at his alma mater. He was thrust into a world where privacy rules and federal laws combine with the multiple moving parts of an institution of higher learning.

"It's a great opportunity for growth and new kinds of problems," McIntyre said. "I had to learn how everything worked - faculty, students, admissions... I find the people who really are the experts in their area and chat them up, find out what they do and work on how we can help them do it better. "

He described working with the department's different clientele including students and instructors.

"We work with those who have Ph.D.'s in their field - highly specialized minds - and they have trouble working the technology they have available. [Our job] is teaching them how to maximize opportunities for learning with the technology available."

Agility in the Classroom

Because CCU is a smaller university, McIntyre's department has the ability to be more agile in technology implementation than larger universities. When he first arrived, students had to use seven different passwords to carry out various activities online. McIntyre implemented a program that switched everything over to a one credential system.

This program was expanded outside of the university to other systems CCU uses including, the external student loan system. Not only does the program make it easier for students, it helps with security as well.

"Now, when a student gets confused or forgets their password, they reset their password in one system and it's updated across the board," he said.

McIntyre also spear-headed the project to take the student mail application to the cloud using Gmail and Google. The student response was overwhelming, McIntyre said.

Dial-tone Technology

"My whole goal is to have technology like a dial tone. It's in the background, always working," McIntyre said. "Technology has to make sense for the business."

He believes IT has to align itself with the business's strategy.

"It's essential with education [aligning with the business strategy], but it's not exclusive to the field. Many businesses have different departments and they run in circles without looking at the larger picture - you have to be able to do that."

Part of being a successful IT department is staying ahead of problems. "Put your ear to the ground and hear the grumble before they shout," McIntyre said. "Many CIO's don't do a lot of communication - or spend hours communicating badly."

McIntyre doesn't use tech talk and simply describes what the technology is to people.

"The university is happy for whatever," he said. "The students have a different relationship with technology. I love working with them. They are providing new opportunities for customer service. They'll say, 'Hey we want an app to view grades' and we can talk with them on how that's coming in the future and get their ideas."

"They have energy and creativity, they are the next generation of leaders and [within the IT department] I love acclimating them to the professional world."

CIO Tips + Strategy

A skilled, diverse team is essential to the success of a CIO as well, McIntyre said and he regularly reaches out to women and minorities to join his team.

"The group with the highest diversity is the highest functioning group." McIntyre said. "Our department is the most diverse department on campus. It's important to surround myself with people who will challenge me and push back. We're successful because of our team. They are wickedly smart and have a solid work ethic."

In working with his team, McIntyre modifies his leadership style to fit individual needs.

"When you learn how to deal with each person you can customize your communication to them. I try to help them deal with the stressors of the job by asking, 'Did you do the most valuable thing you could do today?' not 'Did you do everything?' There's always a list of things that need to be done. I work with them to prioritize the most important ones."

McIntyre described himself as an 100% introvert who developed coping skills to work on being able to put himself out in front of people - key to creating the type of partnership essential to being successful.

He cited how he talks with his customers - the university, students and alumni on a regular basis.

"You have to connect with people. Technologists ask 'Who, where and how,' CIOs have to restructure their mind and think 'Why, what and where.'"

Editors Note: Got a question for James McIntyre? He's got answers all this week (1/10 - 1/13) at IT Martini on LinkedIn.

Terreece M. Clarke

Founders' Note: Thanks for Pivoting with IT Martini in 2011

January 3rd, 2012
By John Bishop

It's been another amazing year, with an incredible outpouring of support from IT Communities everywhere. Thanks to you, IT Martini was a success in 2011.

Thinking Different in 2011

Aladin and I started IT Martini to connect with professionals in the industry. We enjoy producing engaging, creatively inspired events for IT Professionals, but in 2011, we wanted to do it differently. Rather than host a record number of happy hour events, the IT Martini team acquired top tier venues, sponsors, conference partners - and even produced an IT Martini conference.

It was a year focused on quality over quantity, with Janova at the Limited Brands Campus in New Albany, Genesis10 at the House of Blues in Cleveland, Sprint & MTCI at the downtown Hyatt in Cincinnati, and partnerships with TechTomorrow and The Path to Agility in Columbus.

New Depth

Reaching this level of depth was a new experience for us. For example, we were stunned almost 100 people were waitlisted for IT Martini's very first conference event about quality assurance!

Conference presenter Mark Harris, Enterprise QA Manager at Grange Insurance discussed the importance of events exploring the intricacies of quality assurance in an August interview about the upcoming conference. "The value of quality assurance to an organization can be qualified ultimately in terms of business success. These discussions help QA professionals come to grips with that and communicate their vital role in an organization," he said.

Other topics were also hot, including the 4G technology briefing at the start of the year. The topic was so hot, a standing room only crowd nearly overheated one of the Hyatt's largest conference rooms during the discussion.

In a March 22, 2011 interview, John Cox, Vice President of IT Services for Rockfish said, "These types of discussions are important for the IT Community because technology is all about evolving to meet the needs of end users. [They] hit on 3 key components of success in technology: ideation, inspiration and innovation. The first is social in nature. The second personal. And the last technical. These...events touch on all three to move everyone involved forward."

Thought Leadership Focus

To better serve this thirst for knowledge, it made sense to (once again) do something different. In late 2011, we launched IT Martini Weekly with a vision for an IT Community on the web. So far, it's been a lot of fun seeing the newsletter format mature - and shake things up with a focus on top IT leaders and their 'unvarnished' perspectives on the industry.

Jeanne W. Ross, Director and Principal Research Scientist at the MIT Sloan School's Center for Information Systems Research, was one of the first to share her perspective. She discussed the value IT organizations can bring to a business, "...if IT leaders are really good, they will keep management decisions focused on what is core, what capabilities matter, what can be reused, and how the firm can build on its success. As one chief architect described it, 'we provide the rudder for the company—without us, business leaders would just pursue the flavor of the day.'"

And who could forget Jeff Harper, CEO at eProximiti, and his perspective on buying local here in Ohio? He described his dilema with this community, "It seems like it sounds better to say you got something from a company in California or New York. We've done business with Harvard and they don't have a problem with us being from Ohio, but local companies do."

In our short time publishing IT Martini Weekly, we've already discovered so much from the likes of Jeanne Ross, Michael Fergang, Jeff Harper, Joseph Sanda and Pamela Springer. And we're ready to share even more perspectives in 2012.

Looking Back, Looking Forward

In summary, 2011 was a 'pivot' year. Heading into 2012, we're looking forward to new and complimentary ways of connecting IT Communities, such as:

Producing conference style events with first rate industry presenters and social activities

Publishing weekly newsletters featuring IT industry leaders

Connecting IT Pros with the web resources to make social and professional connections

I'm proud of IT Martini's evolution: from a cocktail hour into something that could impact the industry on a broad scale. Stay tuned for more in 2012!

Final Thank You's

So once again, thanks for your contributions to IT Martini this past year. Your words of encouragement, constructive criticism and feedback got us to where we are today.

In closing, and on behalf of Aladin and myself, I'd like to offer one more thanks. Here's to the team that made IT Martini happen in 2011:

Operations Team

Jennifer Fisher (Event Director), Katie Greene (Marketing Manager), Staisja Brant (Event Manager), Angela Slezak (Media Correspondent), Terreece Clarke (Editorial Director), Raquel Marquez (Event Manager), Jessica Kuhn (Event Manager), Rachel Orndorff (Event Manager), Andrea Mazzacco (Event Manager), Tony Whelan (Program Manager)

Community Team

Michelle Aro (Philanthropy Director), Kevin Hiser (Entrepreneurship Director), Holly Solomon (Community Development Manager, At Large), Dan Clark (Community Development Manager, Columbus), Daryle Johnson (Community Development Manager, Indianapolis), Jay Apple (Community Development Manager, Cleveland), Tina Koczeniak (Community Development Manager, Cleveland), Jared Price (Community Development Manager, Columbus), Denver Hutt (Community Development Manager, Indianapolis)

Cheers and see you soon!

John Bishop

Joseph Sanda & Pamela Springer: Innovation Takes a Team

December 20th, 2011
By Angela Slezak

The end of the year brings television and magazine summaries of births, deaths, natural disasters and celebrity happenings. What doesn’t make the news is the quiet innovation occurring in the background, each and every day, in our local communities. In a bustling tech community like Columbus, it can be hard to keep up with all that is happening with individuals, start-ups and enterprise companies.

Enter the TechColumbus Innovation Awards. For 16 years TechColumbus has kept its finger on the pulse of the Central Ohio tech community, recognizing success through the awards. The event also serves as an opportunity to gather a diverse cross-section of the community together.

"We showcase what’s possible and, in turn, others find motivation to excel - the bigger the accomplishments, the more momentum across the region and the more dramatic the effect on the regional ecosystem," said Tim Haynes, Vice President of Membership Services and Marketing for TechColumbus.

On February 2, 2012 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, TechColumbus will present the 2011 Innovation Awards, featuring hundreds of nominees in 13 award categories including: Outstanding Startup Business; Outstanding Product (over and under 250 employees); Outstanding Service (under and over 250 employees); Outstanding Technology Team; Green Innovation; Innovation in Non-Profit Service Delivery; Corporate Innovator of the Year; Executive of the Year (under and over 250 employees); Outstanding Woman in Technology and Inventor of the Year.

Several of the technology company nominees have participated in IT Martini events, including: Janova, DOMedia, QStartLabs, e-Cycle, Expedient Communications, Pluto Networks and eEvent.

But the innovation awards isn't just about technology. Haynes continued, "Beyond new technologies and products, organizations can innovate by changing business models, rethinking the supply chain or adopting a new approach to organizational management."

Joseph M. Sanda, CEO of Astute Solutions and 2010 Executive of the Year [over 50 employees] winner, discussed how rewarding innovation shaped his team's mission and values.

“[Winning]...reinforced the importance of leadership helping our teams accomplish our vision and mission,” Sanda said. “An executive is only as good as his or her team. It helped me to refocus on empowering our people."

Sanda went on to describe the characteristics of a successful executive.

"The top three characteristics of a successful executive are: Vision and mission – a picture of where you want to go and how you want to get there; Teambuilding – a group of people working together to achieve a goal and Execution – turning vision into reality, making it happen.”

Pamela Springer, President and CEO of Manta, and 2007 Outstanding Technology Team winner, defined what it takes to create an innovative technology team.

"Recruit ‘A’ players, position people to play to their strengths, create a culture where open communication is encouraged and rewarded, focus on understanding and being responsive to business objectives, embrace agile and iterative development methodologies, be data driven, take responsibility and always be improving."

Editor's Note: The 2011 TechColumbus Innovation Awards take place on February 2, 2012 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Reception and networking begins at 5 p.m., dinner and reception begin at 7 p.m.

Angela Slezak

Columbus IT Community
Angela Slezak has 10 years of marketing experience, specifically in database marketing and mail planning. Angela also hold as Masters in Library Science and speaks Mandarin Chinese. She speaks Spanish un poco, and eavesdrops on conversations for fun and learning. Angela's role in database marketing puts her in close contact with IT Professionals. She is eager to support the IT Community through communicating about past and future events.

Michael Fergang: Fire Your 'Tech Talking' CIO

December 6th, 2011
By Terreece M. Clarke

Michael Fergang, CIO of Grange Insurance doesn't talk tech.

"Fire every CIO that doesn't know how to talk business," Fergang said. "The company's business partners don't care about bits and bytes. They care about the business value IT delivers. It's unfortunate that we still have all of these conferences and articles on it [business and IT departments communication]."

Fergang said he's been told by people he doesn't fit the typical 'IT Guy' profile. Those people are right, and that difference is why Fergang has been so successful in his career. He revealed his path to CIO success as one paved by the failures of others to communicate.

"I worked with CIOs who were very technical people. Business leaders were frustrated with them because every time they wanted to discuss business, these guys would launch into statistics. You know its a problem when CFO's come to you about reducing spending. If you can't communicate you're going to get left out of meetings."

Ease of Doing [Insurance] Business

With no previous insurance background before moving to Grange, Fergang said he learned the most by spending time with customers and learning.

"I find it very interesting that people have a choice not to do business with us. Everyday we have to do it better and different. Other companies spend billions [in advertising] and it comes down to whoever makes it easiest. A lot of that depends on the technology."

In fact, the tradmarked Grange commitment to "Ease of Doing Business" (EODB) is what guides the IT department's service to their three types of clients: internal, agents and customers.

"With a motto of EODB, you better understand customer service. In our department we approach our partners at Grange like this: 'We have an idea you haven't thought of and this is how it will enable the business to be successful."

Internally, we execute and deliver as promised. We meet on a regular basis with our business partners, so nothing is being formulated without IT at the table..." he said. "[With agents and customers] we use focus groups, whiteboarding...We go into the agents offices frequently to see how they are connecting with customers, what they need and how to make that easier."

Risk + Reward Style

Fergang's management style helps drive the department. He discussed using humor and how it's important his team plays hard because they work hard.

"My [leadership] style is informal. I use guidance, coaching, being available...you get older and wiser. I lead with my gut and my heart. This [industry] is data-driven - you have to step outside the numbers and take the risks."

Fergang likes to take risks on new technology and people. He enjoys giving people opportunities to do something they've never done before.

"When you give someone an opportunity, they do a fantastic job and come up with something new because they don't have a set notion on how others have done it before."

He doesn't see a skills gap in the Columbus market that others have pointed out. "The demand's high, but there's no skills gap. This is a great market - people who have it are learning the businesses, they read the Wall Street Journal and Computer World. They have to know the business value of technology. If their resume is full of tech buzzwords and they are wanting to be a lead project manager, etc., I'm going to overlook them. I'd rather talk to someone who's done something different."

Challenges

Fergang's team looks for something different when it comes to managing the challenges as an IT department. Some of those challenges include managing expectations and demand.

"When you deliver, expectations and demand goes up. It would be great to do more..." he said. "It's no different than what other IT departments are experiencing. Everyone is learning how to do more with less, it's not unique to Grange."

Career Advice

There are few key steps those thinking about choosing a career path as a CIO should take, Fergang said.

Define your management style
Spend time with other CIOs
Let the business know you are there to help them
Understand your purpose within the business

Despite his high-profile position and responsibilities, Fergang is characteristically direct and surprisingly humble when he talks about the people he works with everyday.

"It's about the team. Make sure you put that in, it's not about me...it's about Grange. I just want more people to know about Grange. We've got a great group of people ...unique opportunities. It's a great place to work and we have a good time."

Editors Note: Got a question for Michael Fergang? He's got answers all this week (12/5) at IT Martini on LinkedIn.

Terreece M. Clarke

Jeff Harper: Technology is Changing Healthcare Delivery

November 29th, 2011
By Terreece M. Clarke

Several years ago, Jeff Harper picked up an iPhone and thought, "Hmm, this is an interesting gadget, it's going to change the world." He worked in the financial sector and when he left the industry, the iPhone inspired what he calls, "the brainfart that changed my life."

Three years ago this December, eProximiti was born.

eProximiti is a mobile software products company with solutions in health care, metropolitan area, and mobile-mobile connectivity started by Harper and his father Ivan. Conventional wisdom indicates people should never mix business with family, but the Harpers are an exception.

"We worked together for three years prior on two other successful businesses, so we were comfortable dealing with each other as business partners instead of as father and son," Harper said.

"I come from a very passionate family."

Harper is used to sitting around the family table with everyone expressing their ideas, thoughts and business issues. That passion extends to eProximiti which he describes as being more than an app company.

Harper pointed to one of the company's biggest clients - OhioHealth. The DuetHealth program eProximiti created for OhioHealth is a doctor/patient education system designed to help patients through their course of treatment.

"Eighty percent of people leave the doctor's office unsure about what they just heard. If you look at healthcare in the past, it tells you what's wrong with you and how you got there," Harper said. "This is telling you the steps to get better. We are changing healthcare and how it is delivered to patients."

The program is created with patients' doctors, so the information is in line with the instructions received from their doctors. The first course involved pregnant women. Using smartphones, it helped women track important doctor appointments, provided information about each month of pregnancy and was customized for each patient.

Buying Local

A growing company with 16 employees, eProximiti strives keep much of its purchasing power local.

"Columbus is trying hard to create an infrastructure of tech - that means buying things here," he said. "There's a big 'Buy Local' movement in farming here, but not tech."

He credits OhioHealth with taking a chance on eProximiti when other local companies wouldn't. "It seems like it sounds better to say you got something from a company in California or New York. We've done business with Harvard and they don't have a problem with us being from Ohio, but local companies do."

Harper is not convinced that Columbus should be the next Silicon Valley. "We've got a long way to go - we don't have to be the next, we're not cracking the top 10 and I don't think that's a problem. I think we need to define what we [as a city] bring and be comfortable with that."

Advice

"Everyday I talk to people using our product, clients paying for our products and people building our products. If you ever fall too far away from those people, you've gone too far and you're losing out," Harper said.

Harper's biggest piece of advice for entrepreneurs? Start.

"You can't be Whitney Houston unless you start singing," Harper said. "Dream. Disrupt. Do. Dream about it, but you've got to disrupt the dream. A lot of people talk about what they are going to do - the hardest step is the first step. Just do something. Those are the people I am excited about and want to help. They may have a crappy website up, but at least they've done something."