Principal Systems Engineer

I help validate new products and features on current products that we are putting out into the world, including components and/or software. It’s tough to describe my day-to-day because there are always new products and new problems to be solved, but most of the time you can find me digging into data or writing reports trying to form conclusions from said data.

I was working at Case New Holland as a test engineer in the data acquisition lab collecting data and writing reports on big agricultural equipment such as combines, sprayers, balers, and tractors.

I started working at Seakeeper on June 1, 2015.

Growth! When I started, the Engineering team had three tilt tables in the FAT area and a small office. Now, we have an entire building dedicated to R&D. It’s been great to see the company grow and expand on campus and I am excited to see how we continue to grow at our new facility.

There have been so many. I think leading the Seakeeer 26 field replaceable bearings (FRB) program was probably at or near the top of the list. It was our first model attempting the FRB and it introduced a lot of new challenges. There are still many hurdles and challenges related to all the parts needed to swap bearings in the field, packaging, and logistics.

I have had the opportunity to work on a lot of great projects over the years that have led to great advancements in our product line, but one of my favorite accomplishments was sort of a rogue assignment that I took upon myself to optimize our trim balance speeds. At the time, we were having issues consistently balancing a lot of different models and I investigated some of the issues and changed the speeds to what they are today. For a few months after that, we were holding some of the lowest vibration levels in the history of Seakeeper. I’m sure most people in the company don’t realize how sensitive balance can be when you are spinning such a large mass as fast as we are and moving its mounting locations. Some of the tolerances we can hold are truly amazing.

I enjoy a lot of things about working at Seakeeper. First, the location. I grew up about four miles away from our Mohnton campus. Who would have thought that you could find a company making such an interesting product in Mohnton, PA? The thing I like the most is that even as we continue to grow, we still have that small company feel because of all the great people here.

Considering how much time I have spent trying to learn what makes the difference between a good gyro and a bad gyro, I would have to say that’s the most challenging part. Another challenge is trying to become a better leader in the group.

I would say be patient. Not everyone can rise to the top in a few months or even years. With the way the company has been growing, if you work hard and prove yourself, from what I have seen, there is a real opportunity for advancement. Make yourself an expert and valuable part of the company, and in time you should be rewarded.

I have been fortunate to work at Seakeeper long enough that I have worked with and learned from a lot of great engineers including John Adams, Chief Engineer, and co-founder. There’s also Mike Gallagher who said, “We have the best gyro engineers/experts in the world”. I just try to soak up as much as I can from everyone.

I recently got my real estate license earlier this year. I would be happy to help anyone out if you have any questions or need a realtor.