Hometown: Mandeville, LA
Ubisense Location: Denver, CO
Department: RTLS Delivery and Support
Education: BSEE, MSEE (electrical engineering)
How long have you been with Ubisense and what is your background?
I joined Ubisense in 2006 after working with SAIC in the world of government contract work. Though both of my degrees stem in Electrical Engineering I took all of the required classes for Computer Engineering and several others in programming which has enabled me to work in various work environments. With SAIC I was developing automatic test stations which allowed users to connect various avionics to a computer driven test bench which would then run diagnostics on the part and callout the broken hardware. I also have several years of experience in network installation which has been quite helpful with the design and implantation of our Ubisense installations.
What’s a typical day like for you?
I don’t think that any member of the Delivery Team would ever say there is a typical day at Ubisense which is what makes the job enjoyable and challenging. When I am in the office my day includes several cups of coffee along with managing the support cases of our customers, managing the delivery of my current project(s), testing equipment, analyzing data from any given project, and any other task that comes across my desk. When I am on the road my job requires me to install and calibrate our hardware, configure the Ubisense software, manage contractors, troubleshoot networks, and just about anything else required to deliver a fully tracking RTLS system to our clients. One of the benefits of my job is that I am now capable of getting in and out of Home Depot in under 15 minutes with my extensive knowledge of the store!
What is the most significant trend you’ve seen in your field?
When I started in 2006 Ubisense was still in the early stages and most people in the world had never heard of RTLS. As people have begun to move toward the trend of needing to know everything at any moment with the introduction of smart phones, tablets, and essentially internet at our fingertips the realization of RTLS has exploded. The biggest trend in the field of RTLS that I have noticed over the past couple of years is the demand for complex software solutions that utilize our location data. Our customers love the real time views of their assets but what they are really craving is an understanding of what those assets are doing, how are they moving about, and how can I use this location data to better understand my process and improve it? In the past couple years Ubisense has been developing several applications which are proving to be highly useful to our customers and I think that moving forward our business will succeed around the development and improvement of these software products.
How did you become interested in GIS and/or RTLS?
To be quite honest I knew absolutely nothing about RTLS and to this day I still scratch my head about GIS. I happened to stumble across a job posting for an Applications Engineer and decided to read the description since I had never heard of such a position. I was immediately intrigued about Ubisense because I had recently graduated from Mercer University where I had done some basic wireless design and had always wanted to track my professors with some sort of technology so I didn’t have to trek all around campus to find them. Reading more about the company and the opportunity to get involved in a startup I immediately joined on with the company and haven’t looked back.
What was your very first job?
My very first job in the professional world was with SAIC as an electrical engineer working at the Warner Robins Air Force base in Georgia.
What do you enjoy doing in your time off?
When I have time off I love to get outdoors whether it’s hiking, snowboarding, biking or just getting in the car and heading to the mountains. My wife Catherine and I also love to travel and get down to Auburn at least once a year to watch some SEC football!
What is your favorite city?
My favorite city is New Orleans since I grew up in the nearby city of Mandeville. In my opinion you can’t beat the food, the music, and the hospitality. If New Orleans had mountains I would move back in a heartbeat.
Do you own any animals?
We have a rescue dog or as we like to say an “Alabama Road Dog”. Bear is some sort of mix of a flat coat retriever.
What one food (or meal) could you eat forever?
Shrimp Po-boys
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| Chris and his wife Catherine |
