Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Munster, Indiana. After college I went back to work for a couple of months and then I moved out to Baltimore. It was a great little town to grow up in. My dad was the chief of police there, so, [laughs] that had an interesting dynamic associated with it, both good and challenging. But I loved growing up there, I love Indiana. I’m definitely a midwestern boy.
What did you study/what were you interested in?
In college I studied biology and chemistry. After that I went to graduate school and studied engineering, a program called machatronics. It’s a combination of mechanical, electrical, and computer engineering.
When I grew up, I loved two things: I loved science and I loved math and engineering. I started off in science and worked in pharmaceuticals for twenty years. Then, when I was working in Maryland, I back to graduate school to take on the engineering side. This is why I like to spend a lot of time talking with Jeff about things like operations and production.
What do you do for Cardinal?
I advise on both the business side and the technical side. I focus a lot on supply-chain, how to deliver their products better, how to get more flow out of the production and improve their productivity, and how to grow the business. So, I would say it’s been in an advisory role, but being part of the company is more than just that. I’m a bit of a jack of a lot trades, so I can help in a lot of different areas.
What were you up to before Cardinal?
I’ve been doing consulting work for Procter & Gamble, Pfizer, Boeing, and many, many different companies, using Theory of Constraints. Jeff had an interest in utilizing Theory of Constraints, so he reached out to me and we started just chatting. He would call and ask questions about once a month or once every two months. As time went on, they asked me to become an advisor for them. I did and then I moved on to becoming an owner.
What do you do outside of Cardinal?
I have my own business and I’m still doing consulting work. Using Theory of Constraints is a main theme of the work that I do. I help in engineering, IT, sales, product-supply and supply-chain, and I leverage ToC in all of those different areas.
With this kind of job, I travel a ton. I’m probably gone forty weeks out of the year for travel. I love the different cultures. I love working with the different regions and learning how they think differently, how they live, and what their challenges and benefits are. It helps me think through issues people have in a different way, so I really appreciate it. I’ve had the chance to go to China, Japan, Singapore, Brazil, Mexico, Switzerland, Sweden… a lot of different places, which is a lot of fun.
I like to play golf and I like to fish. In the summer I like to play softball, go for walks with my wife, and spend time with my kids, who are all older now. The last one just graduated from college. Most of what I do is work. I really enjoy what I do, so as much as it’s work, it’s also pleasure to me.
Do you have thoughts about Cardinal or life you want to share, yearbook-style?
I love Cardinal. It’s a passion, it’s a hobby, it’s a lot of things that I really enjoy. Adam and the people who work there are trying to do the right thing. I’m very excited to work with them.
One of my key mantras is: No matter where we are, we can always improve.
