[05:07] Tell us about yourself and your role

I am the CIO at HumanN, and we are the manufacturer of Super Beets. We’re sold on Amazon and Walmart, and are the number-one superfood at GMT. I’ve been in tech my entire life. I’m comfortable on the service desk or the C-suite. I run  a data team, an ERP team, and a commerce team. Everything we do revolves around execution and quality. You have to simplify and explain things to other C-level executives in order for things to work.

[06:48] How do you do that simplification?

Everyone understands certain things. You have to relate it back to what the individual understands. I try not to talk in technical terms when talking to business people, because if you don’t understand what I’m saying, you aren’t listening and I’ve done nothing.

[09:00] What gap are you looking to fill as a CIO?

You’ll always have that one person that’s your go-to person. There are hundreds of requests at any time. Recently, we brought in Project Management to help coordinate with the rest of the company; more like a communications platform. You also need A-players as systems analysts.

[10:43] What are you excited about in technology right now?

Everyone talks about KPIs. If you think about the data streams, you probably have 30 streams. How do you pinpoint the one thing that is not performing or working as it should? I build a million different queries that become the equivalent of a Knock dashboard, and I can see at a glance what is and isn’t working. I’m excited about being ahead of the problem. I’m building quite the modern data stack right now so I can deliver answers to any question.

[13:35] Do you have the same kind of thing for the CEO?

I do, and I have shared my board with him so he can see the data points.

[13:52] Where did you start in your career?

My background is everything. I left high school and went directly to the Marine corps. After that, I went to be a machinist, and computers was my hobby in the late 80s. I had my own business, an ISP, in the 90s. I’m an obsessive learner, so I went out and did everything I could. Then, I went into programming. To understand the network, you need to understand the OSI system.

[16:15] What is OSI?

Open Systems Interconnection model. It’s a framework.

[17:10] You are by far the most technical CIO I’ve ever talked to.

I don’t do it every day, but I have a foundation in it. I have a passion for what I do. When I go home, I want to learn about the latest thing. I want to be a resource for others so they can come to me for help. The biggest compliment that I had was when I came here and needed to build a team. I called people I had previously worked with and said “I need you.” They quit their jobs and came.

[21:25] Why do you think they did that?

As a leader, there are some important principles. General eats last. My job is to support them. I try to empower and grow those around me. You have to lead up. There’s a boss and a leader. There’s a difference.

[26:26] What new thing do you want to jump into?

I am so intrigued by 2 things right now. We are using a product called Segment, a customer data log file. I’m learning how that can be beneficial and how I can collate data about the customer and personalize their experience.

[32:50] What concerns you about technology?

There are non-ethical people out there. Also, people are always looking for something new. Does it always need to be the bleeding edge? No.

[34:36] What do you think tech will look like in 10 years’ time?

If there is a magic machine that could connect to thought, I don’t think we would ever get to that point because of the potential issues. Verbal commands, however, look pretty likely. Have things really changed that much in the last 10 years? I don’t think so.

[44:00] What haven’t I asked you?

I believe in working with and empowering your team. You need the team to be behind you. Prioritization and simplification are paramount.