I am an experienced mechanical engineer with a love for developing new products. Overcoming those seemingly insurmountable engineering challenges, that arrive at the worst times, is what I enjoy most. I push myself and my team to creatively solve problems. Building and being a part of a cohesive team with mutual respect not only makes the work most rewarding, but makes us more capable than the sum of the individuals.For 4 years, I built a solid design base at CBW Automation working with a large team of highly competitive, young design engineers. We spent 90% of our time in CAD collaboratively designing $100k - $500k automation lines. Rework or redesign was not allowed, the designs had to work once they hit the assembly line.I spent the next 8 years in R&D, leveraging my design foundation to include system design and optimization on a smaller scale, steppers motors instead of 20+ hp servo motors. But most important was experiencing the power of a cohesive team, I learned that there is no limit to what a team of 3 can achieve if they are united and believe in their cause. I automated several laser cutting systems with web or rotary table feeds and image analysis for product inspection and laser alignment. This was my introduction to optics, where I would spend most of my career.At Beckman, I incorporated my craft into a highly regulated, medical environment. Design controls became the container that organized and aligned my designs for others to leverage with ease of access. Working with large teams, I steadily built trust to collaboratively turn concept into working technology, especially when the task exits my domain. Over time, I gained responsibility and accomplished more through others. Collaboration and transparency became the bedrock to product development. I strive to put the success of my team before my own by identifying their roadblocks early and clearing a path for them to succeed. Identifying roadblocks early is key in leadership and comes with experience. I always encourage the team to stay on target and not be distracted by late arriving tech. The "grass is greener..." trap is a real risk to product development.