I was reminded this past week how far Zero Wait-State has come as a company over the past 6 years and that it might be worth taking the time to write about where we have been, where we are now and where we are going.  This article will provide some history about the origins of Zero Wait-State and how we have changed to meet our client’s needs and what the future holds given the changes currently occurring in the product lifecycle management (PLM) space.  Product development companies must constantly adapt to anticipate customer needs and demands, and our organization is no different.  We have shifted dramatically numerous times to address market developments and this ability is what has allowed us to thrive and grow over the 16 years we have been in existence.  Moreover, we have done this with no outside investment, strictly funded by the revenue our clients have provided us.

Since 2010, we've focused exclusively on PLM and our three core areas of expertise – implementation, engineering integration, and data migration; we have grown from 3 employees to 20 and boast a PLM practice that rivals much larger organizations.  Our strategy of hiring resources with not only industry experience, but also with both engineering and business backgrounds, has allowed our customers to reap benefits from PLM that are not always available from traditional IT companies, and our strict focus on the three previously mentioned disciplines allows us to offer more depth that other companies.  If you want to learn more about our unique advantages over other PLM partners, check out our website and see the difference.

What’s new today is the announcement that we’ve added many strategic new hires to enhance our comprehensive PLM practice. Dries D'hooghe is joining our team as Vice President of Products and Services.  Dries has been a development partner for Zero Wait-State on our LoadState compliance solution and brings a wealth of experience in product development, formerly working at Oracle as the Product Manager for AgilePLM’s Product Governance and Compliance Module; as the Sr. Director of Product Strategy for Agile’s products at Oracle and as Director of Product Management at Vendavo, a Supply Chain pricing solution.  Dries will work with our current team of developers to continue to enhance our PLM products and assist with our development of Cloud Based solutions that will assist our clients as they move critical business systems to the cloud.  He will also play a key role in Zero Wait-State’s robust compliance practice, working with our current and future customers to ensure their products adhere to the complex and ever-changing environmental regulations, including RoHS, REACH, and Conflict Minerals.

Another leap forward for us is a shift in our sales and marketing model. Traditionally, our sales and marketing resources were a lower priority versus making sure we had the right technical staff.  Earlier this year, we shifted our model and invested in bringing on strong technical sales resources to cover the US.  These resources have engineering AND business backgrounds to ensure we can approach our clients from a technical perspective AND solve real business problems, rather than just selling technology.  Our sales team includes
Brian Logeman, formerly of AMD, Oracle and Agile, who holds an Engineering Degree from Stanford and a Master’s in Business Administration from Duke.  Brian is assuming the role of Chief Revenue Officer and VP of Sales, focusing on working with our West Coast clients to identify opportunities where we can leverage technology to improve product development flow and reduce cost and time-to-market. Ken Madsen joined us in February as the Central and East Territory Manager and previously worked for Emerson, Arena, and Unigraphics.  Ken has an Engineering degree from Rice University and an MBA from Kellogg at Northwestern University.  Both Brian and Ken bring a strong grasp of business best practices to the table along with a thorough understanding of PLM technology and its capabilities for impacting company productivity.  Another key member of the team is Diane Bochese, who joins us as our Sales Solutions Specialist. Diane, previously with TriStar (a large PTC Reseller), provides support for Ken and Brian. We also invested in a more seasoned marketing team and inbound marketing technology that allows us to make sure we are providing timely and appropriate information to our clients and prospects. Amy Fenwick took over as Director of Marketing in February. Amy has a BBA in Marketing and Management (double major) from Texas A&M and has worked in technology marketing at prestigious advertising agencies like GSD&M and Young & Rubicam. Throughout her career, she spent time on both the client and agency side of the business for companies such as Hewlett-Packard, Compaq, Dell, Citrix and AMD. This team represents a major investment in ensuring our clients receive unmatched service and that our messaging is valuable both to our clients and prospects. I am confident that no other company our size offers this level of capability in their business development organization.

Given where we were six years ago and where we are today, it has been a gratifying journey and definitely a strange trip indeed.  In my next article, I will cover our latest product news, discuss how the world of PLM is changing and show how our company continues to adapt to meet customer needs.