I started my engineering analysis activities after graduating with a bachelor’s degree from Milwaukee School of Engineering in Architectural Engineering (a long time ago) where my focus was on structural analysis. I spent the first 8+ years of my career doing structural analysis, CAD integration and design optimization for a variety of firms including: American Hoist & Derrick, Harnischfeger, and Reliance Electric. Then, I took my first step toward the software supplier world as I took a role as Director of Engineering Applications in a startup systems integration company based out of the Atlanta area.

My first stint working for a software company was for PAFEC, Inc. based near Atlanta. I started as the Finite Element Manager responsible for all the business activity related to bringing their Finite Element products to the North American market. Shortly thereafter, I took over the role of President/CEO of PAFE, Inc.

I left PAFEC, Inc. to help setup and run FEGS, Inc. which sold CAD translation, pre-processing, and meshing software. FEGS, Inc. was the North American subsidiary of FEGS Ltd. based in Cambridge, UK which was eventually acquired by ITI.

After running PAFEC and FEGS I decided to take a stab at running my own company and founded New Renaissance Industries aimed at leveraging leading edge design, analysis, and data exchange technologies to solve the “impossible” problems. Needless to say, this had its own set of challenges with the key one being credibility. But, with a few successes, and a bit of time, this changed and New Renaissance Industries provided services & software for challenging problems to a strong client list including Ford, Goodyear, Polaroid, NASA, and more.

I was then recruited by Spatial Corp. (known for the ACIS geometry kernel) to join their sales team and quickly became the VP of North American Sales. Following Spatial, I joined IronCAD as the VP of Worldwide Sales. But the jump into the CFD world was when I joined Simmetrix as the VP of Business Development. Simmetrix sold mesh generation software components to software vendors and their two primary markets were CFD and Electromagnetics at the time.

In early 2010, I founded intrinSIM for the purpose of Connecting Worldwide Business & Technology with a combination of a unique technology broker model, go-to-market consulting & market data research.

In mid-2016, I co-founded the ASSESS Initiative with the mission of significantly increasing the use and benefit of Engineering Simulation. The ASSESS Initiative is a broad reaching multi-industry initiative with a primary goal to facilitate a revolution of enablement.

I am currently actively pursuing wide ranging activities at intrinSIM and ASSESS.

• Location: Clarkesville, GA 30523
• Current position: CEO/Co-Founder of ASSESS Initiative and CEO/Founder of intrinSIM
• Current computer: Microsoft Surface Pro3
• One word that best describes how you work: Eclectic

How do you know Pointwise?

I originally met people from Pointwise at the International Meshing Roundtable where we still meet up almost every year. I also connected with Pointwise at COFES, the ASSESS Congress and several other conferences through the years and through my business dealings at Spatial, Simmetrix, and intrinSIM.  Pointwise has also been an active supporter of the ASSESS Initiative from the beginning, and John Chawner is an active member of the ASSESS Initiative advisory committee.

What do you see are the biggest challenges facing CFD in the next 5 years?

The single biggest challenge in my mind is that the level of expertise required to perform “appropriate” CFD analysis actually limits the breadth of where we can apply CFD. ASSESS sees this as the biggest issue for not only CFD but for all forms of Engineering Simulation. CFD does have some of the highest requirements on expertise.

The ASSESS Initiative has brought thought leaders together from all players in in simulation and the result is the creation of six themes to help enable the simulation revolution of enablement.

Alignment of Commercial, Research and Government Efforts
Business Challenges
Engineering Simulation Credibility
Democratization of Engineering Simulation (DoES)
Integration of Systems and Detailed Sub-System Simulations
Generative Design

What are you currently working on?

There are two vectors to mention here. At intrinSIM I am working with multiple software vendors, like Pointwise, to help bridge the gap between business & technology. At ASSESS I am working on providing content for the ASSESS Initiative Members including publishing research papers on key issues related to the six ASSESS themes. We are also working on preparations for the upcoming ASSESS 2018 Congress.

What project are you most proud of and why?

This is the toughest question to respond to. Although I have been engaged with some very challenging technical and business projects, I have to say that co-founding the ASSESS Initiative and seeing it grow and mature to make a real difference to the worldwide use and benefit of Engineering Simulation.

Are you reading any interesting technical papers we should know about?

My reading is less technical these days, but when I do come across something of interest related to Engineering Simulation (technical or business) I usually post it on the ASSESS Resources page.

What software or tools do you use every day?

Like many others, I eat, live, and breathe in Outlook. I also spend almost as much time in Excel. Next on the list is Word and PowerPoint which are followed by Adobe Professional and ACT for contact management.

What does your workspace look like?

I work from a home office.

Do you plan on attending or hosting any conferences or workshops this year?

Yes. The ASSESS initiative is hosting the ASSESS 2018 Congress to be held Oct 28th-30th, 2018 at Chateau Elan Winery & Resort in Braselton, GA. The ASSESS 2018 Congress is being organized to “enable” both strategies and relationships related to Engineering Simulation. The theme of the ASSESS 2018 Congress is “Launching the Simulation Revolution.”

What do you do outside the world of CFD?

Most of my time is spent with intrinSIM or ASSESS initiative activities, but when I am not engaged with those I enjoy hiking, walking my dog, and reading.

What is some of the best CFD advice you’ve ever received?

It’s all about the mesh – you need to build the mesh that will capture the physics and provide the accuracy you need.

If you had to pick a place to have dinner, where would you go?

I think I would go with Chez Georges in Paris just off the Champs Elysees. It should not be legal for food to taste that good.