I like the close knit teamwork atmosphere.  Everyone works very well together with the same goal in mind:    "Do right by the customer as well as the company and everything tends to work out in the end". 

I will let you know once I have a typical day.  I could be doing almost anything any given day from trouble  shooting or assisting a customer out on the factory floor to writing a program, teaching a class or helping a customer with a technical question over the phone.  That's the beauty of this job it's never the same 2 days in a row and it's never dull.

My very 1st job was bagging groceries in high school at the local supermarket.  My 1st professional job was at the Winnebago County Juvenile Detention Center for adult crimes.

I am not actually an Engineer by degree.  Even though I help Electrical and Mechanical engineers almost daily, my engineering knowledge has been acquired over the 10 plus years of working in automation at R.R.Floody.

My degree is in Sociology, hence the stint at the Juvenile Detention Center, but I also have supplemental classes in CAD, VB Programming and Electrical Controls.  I attended Truman State University and Rock Valley College.

Do you have a favorite Sports Team?  

Well you wouldn't call me a diehard fan, but being born and raised in Rockford on the CUBS,  I really have no say in the matter - I gotta go with the CUBS.

In the summer time I really enjoy bike riding and (when time allows) fishing.  I have just found an interest in owning pinball machines.  Probably because they require maintenance and some of the fun is troubleshooting and repairing the problem - without the urgency of a production environment.  I currently own a 1973 Electromechanical pinball machine and a 1995 Solid State machine.

 
What is your favorite programming language?

 While not technically a language I probably enjoy programming Unitronics PLCs.  It is a very efficient PLC to program because the Operator Interface and PLC are integrated.  The software is intuitive and flexible while at the same time very powerful.

 
Can you describe one of the most interesting projects you've worked on at RRF?

For me the most interesting projects are when you get to be creative to solve a problem.  An existing Vision System customer asked if we could put together a 'turnkey' solution to replace a problematic Omni-Directional barcode scanning system.  The biggest challenge with this application was we had to "read" down inside of a large corrugated box and pick up on a UPC symbol.  The UPC symbol was located on clear packaging film as you would find on pre-packaged hamburger trays at the grocery store.  In addition, the depth of field would change dynamically (from box to box) as the height of these trays changed. 

Initially, I had thought of using a traditional Distance Measurement sensor to detect the individual tray height and set an appropriate focal point in the barcode scanners.  The challenge was the laser burned thru the clear film.  Thus, I ended up integrating a Sick Ultrasonic sensor with the barcode readers.  The barcode readers were able to change focus settings based on discrete outputs from the Ultrasonic sensor.

So, to replace the complex Omni Directional scanner, we networked together two traditional Sick barcode readers (easier to service and support) and used a simple Ultrasonic Sensor for the variable height detection.   We also got to build the frame from Faztek Aluminum Extrusion and provided the electrical enclosure to tie all the components together.  
 
What are some key lessons you have taken from your career thus far?

I've learned that - by and large - we (RRF, Customers and Principals) are all in this together.  Everybody really just wants the same thing at the end of the day.  Be respectful of others, be open and honest and at the same time have some fun.  The days definitely won't be boring and your phone will never stop ringing.