Question and Answer:
- Tell us a little bit about yourself?
I grew up just down the road from IDS so coming home after serving 20 years in the military has been an easy and fun adjustment. The early years were spent in Maple Grove where I graduated from Osseo and a few months later left for Finland to study abroad for one year. Upon return I furthered my studies at the University of Minnesota and earned a bachelor's degree in Architecture. While attending the university, I attained my pilot instructor certificate and shortly following graduation, I joined the Air Force as a pilot. A short 20 years later, my family and I found myself back from where I left. - What are you most excited about working on at IDS?
Learning, teaching and exploring have always been who I am so transitioning to IDS has been great. IDS continues to be a leader in exploring possibilities and showcasing an immersive data and property visualization platform. Helping bring 3D Computer Aided Design and Building Information Modeling to an already powerful platform has been exciting and the possibilities are endless in this field. Customers appreciate the simplicity that IDS offers in a one stop shop for a total property checkup. - If you had a superpower, what would it be?
Flying. Oh wait, I can do that - You mentioned you flew B-52's, trained incoming cadets, and have lived in Alaska? Tell us more?
My Air Force career took me to many destinations, some desirable and some not so much. Alaska was definitely one of the desirable locations. I was in the Air Force but was working as an Air Liaison Officer with the Army while up at Fort Wainwright, AK. During my tour, our unit deployed to Mosul, Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. I also served as a Liaison Officer with the Navy in sunny San Diego. On top of all the great locations, I also had the fortunes of flying many great aircraft to include the B-52! It is one of the Air Forces oldest workhorses but is still getting the mission done day after day. Flying the B-52 was a joy because it was like flying history, the planes were built in the 1960's and most of it is all original. I also had the fortune of instructing the Air Force's brand new pilots in the T-6 Texan II and the Air Force Academy cadet's in the TG-15 and TG-16 gliders. Both instructional experiences were the highlight of my career; seeing kids who barely knew how to drive a car to flying an airplane by themselves in a few short flights was a very rewarding experience.
