Chris Yard Email & Phone Number

Spencer, Ma

Mercury Wire was founded when I was one year old. My first jobs at Mercury consisted primarily of cleaning whatever needed to be cleaned and fetching whatever needed to be fetched. While I didn’t realize it at the time, being a young kid growing up in the family business gave me a front row seat to the entrepreneurial journey. I learned about courage, determination, falling down and getting back up.After college, I worked for several large corporations and experienced first-hand how traditional business organizations often conflict with our fundamental nature as human beings - and how this dramatically stifles human potential. By the time I returned to the family business several years later, I was committed to finding a better way. Upon my initial return to Mercury, I served in a variety of roles. As I learned more about the dynamics of the business, I began to explore changes to the underlying organizational model. I also learned some more about falling down and getting back up. As a member of the leadership team, I helped champion the company’s transformation from a product-focused, traditional manufacturer to a customer-aligned lean enterprise. (Built on the value, velocity and people-centric philosophy of “real” lean as opposed to the cost-cutting, oppressive approach of “fake” lean.)Mercury is now organized into agile, empowered teams that align themselves to specific customers, markets and opportunities. Each team, equipped with the necessary resources and immersed in a culture of curiosity and learning, is free to navigate their own continuous improvement journey.I am inspired by the commitment and creativity of these teams and the value they create for the people they serve. It is my passion … and my privilege … to help guide them along their journey.

Austin, Tx

Helped design and develop applications using digital communications chip sets for consumer voice storage solutions. Spent an increasing amount of time in technical sales, applications engineering and customer co-development. I learned a lot from some very talented people. I also learned that bad systems defeat good people every time.

Whippany, Nj

Did some architecture, systems design and software/firmware development for first generation digital cellular infrastructure and early smartphone prototypes. I learned a bit about project management, team dynamics and the challenges that emerge when innovation collides with organizational inertia.

Whippany, Nj

Worked in a small, cross-functional team designing systems that listened to people who didn’t want to be heard for organizations that didn’t want to be named. I learned that the world is a very complicated place and that not everything is as it seems.

Ms, Electrical Engineering

Expanded my electrical engineering background to include broader systems thinking. Continued to explore behavioral science and its role.

Bs, Electrical Engineering

Focused on electrical engineering while also nurturing a fledgling interest in behavioral science. I was a member of the rowing team where.