Grant Anderson, Project Engineer
Grant holds a B.S. in Computer Engineering from Northwestern University and a Masters of Computer Science from the Illinois Institute of Technology. He spent over 13 years at Northrop Grumman developing drivers, test applications, and Windows tools for the defense industry, particularly for RF countermeasure programs. He'd tell you more, but the guys in black suits probably wouldn't appreciate it. Originally hailing from Door County in the land of Cheese and Packers, he's now spent almost as much time living amongst the flatlanders as he has with the cheeseheads. When not planning new schemes for world-domination, he typically spends his time jogging; reading; gaming of all kinds (board games, card games, video games, tabletop RPG's, LARPs--yeah, that's right, LARPs); cooking; discovering new wines, beers and bourbons; waxing philosophical on the interwebs; and assisting his girlfriend with homebrewing. Some day he plans to get back into singing more than just during karaoke nights.
Stephanie Balavitch, Executive Assistant
Stephanie Balavitch is a graduate of Lehigh University, where she is finishing her master’s degree in American Studies. Before joining DMC, she was an administrative assistant at Lehigh University Athletics and an editor at Woodley Books, a memoir publisher. A Michigan native, Stephanie loves being outdoors and enjoys hiking, running, sailing and long naps on the beach.
Jesse Batsche, Project Manager
Jesse graduated Summa Cum Laude with a 3.9 GPA from the University of Notre Dame with both a Bachelors and Masters in Mechanical Engineering. Before DMC, he worked with GE Aircraft Engines. He was the co-inventor on a Patent for a Robotic Vision Control Method and a winner of the Rockwell Automation Design Award, and is a Certified LabVIEW Architect. Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Jesse is a huge Notre Dame fan and loves skiing, basketball, volleyball, music, racquetball, frisbee, ping-pong, cooking, robotics, camping, sand and palm trees. He has a strong dislike of bees and other stinging insects.
Read Jesse's Employee Spotlight interview.
Anjali Bharadwa, Senior Consultant
Anjali has over eight years of sales, marketing, and project management experience, primarily in the Industrial Automation industry. Anjali graduated with honors from Illinois Institute of Technology with a B.S. in Computer Engineering. Prior to joining DMC, Anjali led several project teams to success, most notably the successful launch of an SAP ecommerce site and a Microsoft Dynamics CRM system. In her free time, Anjali loves to spend time with her two daughters, decorating, scrapbooking, and dancing.
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Employee Spotlight interview.
Ken Brey, Technical Director
Ken Brey is a licensed professional Engineer in the state of Illinois. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Marquette University and was a part of the Diesel Engine Design Group for Navistar International Truck and Engine before joining DMC. Ken is a Wonderware Archestra Certified Application Developer, a Microsoft Certified Professional, a Siemens Certified Engineer, and was
nominated for Test Engineer of the Year for Test & Measurement world. Ken enjoys soccer and water-skiing. He lives in Mount Prospect with his wife, son, and daughter.
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Employee Spotlight interview.
Danny Budzinski, Senior Project Engineer
Danny Budzinski holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University where he graduated with a 4.0 GPA. Danny joined DMC after stops at GE Healthcare and SPX Contech. His expertise includes automated building and infrastructure controls, packaging automation, and beverage industry testing. Danny is a Siemens Certified Engineer, Certified LabVIEW Architect, and Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD) and Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS). He has published research in bio-chemistry as well as an article in
Control Design magazine. Danny is a rabid Notre Dame fan, and is a retired goalkeeper for a local club soccer team with Kristie and Nick. He reads a strict diet of political non-fiction and technology books, and enjoys working on his
personal army of robots.
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Jon Carson, Senior Project Engineer
Jon holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and worked as a Systems Engineer with Rockwell Collins before joining the DMC team. In programming languages, he has a penchant for Java and MatLab; in human languages, he is fluent in and Certified in Technical Translation in German. Jon is experienced with Allen Bradley and Siemens PLCs, and ELAU motion controllers. Jon grew up in Georgia, where he sat under peach trees, rode in pick-up trucks, and played bluegrass music all day. Now lacking peach trees and trucks, he spends a lot of time with his banjo.
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Employee Spotlight interview.
Boris Cherkasskiy, Principal Engineer
Boris Cherkasskiy is a Microsoft Certified Professional and is an expert in Siemens PLC/HMI programming, Beckhoff TwinCat, bases of programming in Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0, Netware 4 Administration (520) and Newtware 3.1 Administration (508). Originally from Russia, he received an M.S. in Computer Science from the Chelyabinsk State Technical University and endures a steady stream of communism jokes from his colleagues with patriotic stoicism. Before arriving at DMC, Boris was a Leading Controls Engineer for Knauf Drywall, a Leading Engineer for Medicom Center and a System Administrator for Pagercom. Boris lives in Forest Park, IL with his wife and son.
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Employee Spotlight interview.
Jerry Choinski, Application Developer
Jerry Choinski holds a B.A. in Applied Mathematics from Yale University. Before joining DMC, he opened a restaurant in New Haven Connecticut and was one of the founders of an IT reselling business. Passionate about making businesses run smoothly, Jerry enjoys creating software that removes management inefficiencies. In his free time, Jerry loves traveling, eating delicious food and enjoys playing tennis, rugby and soccer. Jerry was born in Poland but grew up in the southwest suburbs of Chicago. He is a huge Chicago sports fan and his favorite teams include the Bears, Bulls and White Sox.
Jimmy Condon, Systems Engineer
Jimmy Condon holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Prior to joining DMC, Jimmy worked in a structural testing laboratory where he designed and implemented tests for the transportation industry. He is a Certified LabVIEW associate developer. In the summer, Jimmy can often be found jogging up and down the lakefront path and in the winter he can be found in the gym lifting weights. He also enjoys playing beach volleyball, racquetball, and tennis. His favorite sports teams are the Bears and the Bulls. He is a Cubs fan, but he finds that they keep letting him down.
Patrick Corcoran, Project Engineer
A St. Louis native, Patrick Corcoran graduated with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Missouri. Before joining the engineering team at DMC, Patrick worked for National Instruments in Austin, TX. At National Instruments, Patrick was directly involved in a wide variety of industrial applications ranging from controls and embedded platform deployment to production test automation. Patrick is a Certified LabVIEW Developer. Despite being a Cardinals fan, Patrick regards himself as reasonable and easy going. Away from work, Patrick is an avid zymurgist, and he enjoys sports and outdoors activities, particularly hanging out with his German Shepard.
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Jack Cosgrove, Application Developer
Jack graduated from Northwestern University with a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering and an M.S. in Computer Engineering. Before joining DMC, Jackworked for a startup in California developing software for use in neuroscience research and at TransUnion, LLC supporting a medical billing web service. Jack has a grudging respect for C++ and an enthusiasm for C#, Python, and Ruby. Jack grew up in the Chicago suburbs where he was active in Boy Scouts – achieving the rank of Eagle Scout – and track and field. To stay young in body Jack likes to cycle and to stay young at heart he listens to electronic music, primarily from the north of England.
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Employee Spotlight interview.
Kevin Ferrigno, Senior Project Engineer
Kevin joined DMC after moving to Chicago from Boston. He has a BS in Mechanical Engineering and an MS in Engineering and Management from MIT. He spent over 10 years honing his Automation and Motion Control skills by working a controls manufacturer, machine builder, and system integrator. He has extensive experience in Rockwell and Allen Bradley platforms and CTC automation controllers. When he's not at DMC, Kevin enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter and going sailing.
Dan Freve, Project Manager
Dan Freve holds a Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering and a Masters of Electrical and Computer Engineering from the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. He worked with Seagate Technology before arriving at DMC. He became a Certified LabVIEW Developer in 2008 and is highly experienced with MATLAB. As an athlete, Dan specializes in swimming (Varsity All Conference 3 years) and cycling; as a musician, he specializes in piano and guitar. He holds the esteemed position of DMC Activity Captain, and sings the praises of CCS sandwiches from
Pronto Za like an evangelist. Dan’s favorite programming language is C#.NET; his favorite color is RGB 23 6B 8E; and his favorite sports team is the Boston Red Sox.
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Employee Spotlight interview.
Ashley Enderlin, Systems Engineer
Ashley received her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and went on to attend Stanford University where she enjoyed solving problems and building robots. She graduated from Stanford with an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, her breadth in Mechatronics and a focus in Heat Transfer. Upon graduation, she managed an active Stanford Geophysics research laboratory where she was the sole mechanical, electrical and software engineer for numerous scientists. Projects included developing custom sensors, interfacing with NI hardware and writing LabVIEW software. Ashley is a Certified LabVIEW Associate Developer. After hours, when not feverishly programming AVR microcontrollers, she can be found sewing EL wire into hats or rocking out on tuba.
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Employee Spotlight interview.
Spencer Glesmann, Systems Engineer
Prior to working at DMC, Spencer received both his M.S. and B.S. in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on mechatronics from Northwestern University. While at Northwestern, Spencer spent a majority of his time either working on various research projects in the Laboratory for Independent Mechanical Systems (LIMSlab) or competing in Northwestern’s annual Robotic Design Competition. In his free time, Spencer enjoys cooking, exploring Chicago’s food scene and golfing. Spencer’s other interests include sailing, downhill skiing, attending Northwestern football games, flying, and running.
Otto Gottlieb, Systems Engineer
Otto graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering. Before working at DMC, he worked with a battery simulator in the Automation Lab at Roche Diagnostics, and with lasers in Purdue’s Nanotechnology Center. Outside he loves playing soccer and tennis, and it would not be surprising to see him juggling a soccer ball or hitting a tennis ball against a backboard! A few of his other favorite activities are playing his bass guitar in a jam band and watching Arrested Development. Otto is originally from the western suburbs so, not surprisingly, he cannot turn down a Chicago style hotdog or deep dish pizza.
Jeremy Green, Systems Engineer
Jeremy graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in Computer Engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor with a focus on the design and programming of embedded systems. He continued his studies at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign to complete a M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Before starting at DMC, Jeremy held internships at Qualcomm, Medtronic, and the Air Force Research Laboratory doing embedded system development and verification. He is a huge Michigan Football fan and also shows unwarranted optimism towards his native Detroit Lions. Jeremy enjoys running, weight lifting and intramural sports like soccer, volleyball, and ultimate frisbee.
Leon Grossman, Principal Engineer
Leon is a Microsoft Certified Application Developer, a LabVIEW Certified Architect, Siemens Certified, and a Microsoft SharePoint master. He holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma and worked with the BDM Petroleum Technologies, the National Institute for Petroleum Energy Research and Phillips Petroleum before he came to DMC.
Leon’s favorite hobby is photography; he is also a visual art enthusiast and fills both his home and office with interesting paintings, drawings, mixed media, and photographs. He drinks Diet Coke like it’s his job.
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Jordan Harris, Application Developer
Jordan Harris holds a B.S. in Computer Engineering from Michigan State University. Prior to coming to DMC he worked internally at Epic, the largest healthcare software provider in the United States, using custom software to make the jobs of managers and HR much easier. Outside of his passion for improving business inefficiencies, Jordan is an avid cook and loves exploring the vast tastes of Chicago. He is also enjoys a good game of tennis and working on his skills as a classical pianist.
Simon Healey, Systems Engineer
Simon graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.S. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a concentration in robotics. Before joining DMC, he worked on building a more realistic CPR mannequin while working in the Haptics Lab at Penn. Originally from New Jersey, he’s a big fan of the New York Giants and loves a good bagel. He also enjoys playing ultimate Frisbee, snowboarding, travelling, and exploring the city with his dog, Penny.
Tim Jager, Project Director
Tim is a Licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Illinois and a bonafide father of three. He has extensive experience with design and fabrication with composite materials, stereolythography rapid prototyping, and is one of the DMC Siemens and Wonderware gurus. He was a member of the U of I Solar Car Team, competing in Sunrayce 97, also known as the
North American Solar Challenge. Tim is so bald and stone-faced that he could be mistaken for a Blue Man, even without cobalt skin. Before coming to DMC, Tim interned at Andrew Corporation and was a Project Engineer for Ambitech. Tim holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Read Tim's
Employee Spotlight interview.
Darren Jones, Project Director
Before working at DMC, Darren was a Senior Programmer and Consultant for DataAct Incorporated, a Xerographic Process & Design Engineer at Xerox Corporation’s Print Engine Development Unit, and an Engineering Co-op for the Harris Corporation and Johnson Controls. Darren is the DMC go-to person for all things National Instruments-related and a certified LabVIEW Architect. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the Rochester Institute of Technology where he was a Presidential Scholar and honors graduate. A badass with a teddy-bear-like exterior, Darren spends as much time as he can traveling, backpacking and riding his motorcycle.
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Employee Spotlight interview.
Alex Krejcie, Systems Engineer
Alex came to DMC with both a Bachelors and Masters in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. His graduate work focused on micro-manufacturing and control theory where he developed a manufacturing process and testbed to create precision surgical blades from bulk metallic glass. Alex loves to waterski and competed collegiately where his team qualified for Nationals three times. He also enjoys many other sports and outdoor activities such as swimming, pole vaulting, longboarding and hiking. When winter hits he enjoys sitting back with a good book or movie and hanging out with his Vizsla puppy.
Watch Alex's
Employee Spotlight video.
Dan Lawler, Systems Engineer
Dan Lawler holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin Madison. Prior to working at DMC, Dan made stops at Plexus Corp. and Rexnord Flattop. Originally from the land of 10,000 lakes and the Twins (Minnesota), Dan enjoys running, soccer, skiing, camping, hiking, ultimate Frisbee, and traveling whenever possible. When in a competitive mood, Dan is always up for a game of Risk or ping pong.
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Employee Spotlight interview.
Mark Locascio, Systems Engineer
Mark joined DMC after completing degrees at Harvey Mudd College and Northwestern University. He studied VLSI circuit design at HMC, then conducted nanomechanics research with Northwestern University and Argonne National Lab to earn an MS in mechanical engineering. He continued at Northwestern in evolutionary robotics research with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and completed a PhD in August 2012. Mark has recently started a campaign to read history's greatest works of literature (in 20 minute increments before falling asleep), and is actively involved in
Project Gutenberg. Mark loves any outdoor activity that serves as an excuse to get together with friends, particularly kayaking and golfing.
Mark Mann, Systems Consultant
Mark is a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer with 12 years of IT and consulting experience. His certifications include Citrix, Cisco, and ITIL. Mark graduated from Western Illinois University with a B.S. in Information Systems and Computer Science. Prior to DMC, Mark has provided consulting services for many well-known companies like GE, Siemens, and State Farm. In his free time Mark enjoys designing and creating websites, going to the gym, and checking out new places in the city.
Jason Mayes, Project Engineer
In addition to being a life-long Notre Dame fan, Jason Mayes is also a triple-Domer, having earned his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D, all in Mechanical Engineering, from the University of Notre Dame. Prior to joining to DMC, Jason was involved in researching green technologies for geothermal applications, taught Computer Aided Design at Notre Dame, conducted micro-gravity research at NASA's Johnson Space Center, and interned at General Electric Power Systems. Jason is a Certified LabVIEW Associate Developer. Although born in California and raised in Texas, he feels quite at home in the Midwest. Jason regards himself as a gourmet cook, an amateur photographer, and a terrible golfer. He loves any sort of competitive game, sport, or event and is probably more competitive than you. Jason is an avid supporter of our National Parks with a particular affinity for Glacier National Park in Montana and enjoys traveling and exploring with his wife.
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Employee Spotlight interview.
Gareth Meirion-Griffith, Systems Engineer
Gareth joined DMC after completing his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) with a concentration in unmanned vehicle mobility. Prior to his Ph.D., Gareth completed B.S. and M.S. degrees in Aerospace Engineering at Kingston University and the University of Surrey, both in his home nation of England. Between his B.S. and M.S., Gareth worked in geostationary spacecraft operations for EUMETSAT in Darmstadt, Germany. In his spare time Gareth enjoys fishing, sailing, swing dancing, guitar, and making terrible fantasy football draft choices.
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Employee Spotlight interview.
Courtney Mitchell, Administrative Professional
Courtney graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.S. in Environmental Economics, Management and Policy. She studied at Virginia Tech where she was employed as a research assistant upon graduation. She has administrative experience in the environmental, political, and non-profit sectors. Before joining DMC, she was a Warehouse Team Leader for an online design community called Threadless. Courtney grew up in Richmond, VA where she enjoyed riding horses and watching loads of live music. She currently loves living in Chicago, hanging out with her dog, traveling, pondering art, biking, and dominating challenges.
Watch Courtney's
Employee Spotlight video.
Jessica Mlinaric, Marketing Coordinator
Jessica joined DMC with previous marketing experience in the hospitality industry. She graduated Cum Laude from Miami University with a B.A. in English Literature and minors in Marketing and Russian and Post-Soviet History. Jessica loves reading and writing, and is involved in youth literacy and writing mentoring programs. Some of her other interests include live music, globetrotting, running, and sports, especially cheering on her hometown teams the Cleveland Browns and Cavaliers!
Deborah Nunaley, Office Manager
Before taking over the office management helm at DMC, Deborah was an Investment Banking Analyst for Morgan Stanley and a Business Analyst for Hewitt Associates. She holds Bachelors of Science in Political Science and Economics from Bradley University. Deborah has a very green thumb, with excellent skills in making plants grown and stacking hay bales. Deborah is a motorcycle enthusiast and loves live music in small venues.
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Employee Spotlight interview.
Cesar Pena, Senior Project Engineer
Before DMC, Cesar worked as a Controls Engineer for DT Industries in Precision Assembly and Delphi Automotive Systems, and as a Vision Systems Developer for Daimler Chrysler AG in Esslingen, Germany. Cesar provides the team with expertise in Allen-Bradley and Siemens PLCs, Cognex, RSView, and Matlab. Originally from Mexico, Cesar received a B.S. in Electronics and Communications from Monterrey Tech (ITESM). He also holds an M.S. in Information Technology and Automation Systems from the University of Applied Sciences in Esslingen, Germany where he was ranked first in his class. Cesar loves cycling, coffee, dark chocolate, and life with his family.
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Employee Spotlight interview.
Matt Puskala, Project Director
Matt holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering, Magna Cum Laude, from Kettering University’s GMI Engineering & Management Institute. Before rising through the DMC ranks to Project Manager, Matt was an Associate Engineer for TRW Automotive Electronics. Matt is one of DMC's experts in vision systems, embedded board design, embedded programming, and PLC programming. His accolades include International Society of Automation Certified Automation Professional (ISA CAP), Advanced DVT Vision Systems Training, and Denso Robotics Programming Training. Matt’s favorite TV shows are Venture Brothers and House. In 2007 he married an engineer in the medical field. He is originally from Minnesota and enjoys jogging, games, ice cream, whiskey, and scotch.
Read Matt's Employee Spotlight interview.
Rick Rietz, Director of Consulting Services
With over 15 years of management and technology consulting experience, Rick heads up DMC’s Consulting Services. Rick’s roots in consulting began at Accenture, which laid the foundation for success in leading high-profile consulting engagements for many Fortune 500 clients, including Sears Holdings, Dollar General, AT&T, Trans Union, and Bank of America. Rick earned a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from the Project Management Institute (PMI) where he is an active participant in the Chicago PMI chapter. Rick holds a B.S. in Business with a concentration in Computer Information Systems from Indiana University – Bloomington. When he’s not working, Rick enjoys travel, golf, and rooting for the Bears, Bulls, Cubs, and Hoosier basketball.
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Employee Spotlight interview.
Frank Riordan, President
I was working with an advisor in grad school doing consulting and saw the opportunity to grow something of my own,” says Frank on founding DMC in 1996. Previously Frank worked with Cinch Connectors, Pratt & Whitney, Whistler Corporation and was also Vice President of Controls & Automation Technologies. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois, Chicago. Frank is a proud member of the
Entrepreneurs Organization. His favorite business books include
Freakonomics,
Good to Great, and
Made to Stick. In his free time, Frank enjoys boating on Lake Michigan, travel, running and exercise,
perfecting smoothie recipes, and spending time with his wife and two daughters.
Lyndon Sapozhnik, Systems Engineer
Lyndon graduated from Northwestern University with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a focus on mechatronics and human-centered design. He spent most of his time in college building robots and tinkering with vending machines. Outside of the office, Lyndon can usually be found playing with his camera, cooking, reading, longboarding, or lost on a hike somewhere. Some of his favorite things include Arduinos, mountains, and stars.
Nick Shea, Project Manager
Nick Shea is certified in Siemens, Iconics, and Cognex technologies and has performed custom automated machine design for a variety of industries. Before joining the DMC team, Nick was a Project Engineer for Lectro Engineering in St. Louis, MO and worked for a year in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, researching strategic industries for an Australian multinational company specializing in silicone technology. Two of his favorite things are Cardinals baseball and Jayhawks basketball; he also plays soccer on a local club team along with colleagues Danny and Kristie. Nick holds a Bachelors of Science in Engineering Physics, specializing in Electromechanical Control Systems, from the University of Kansas.
Read Nick's
Employee Spotlight interview.
Kristie Simon Shea, Senior Project Engineer
Kristie Simon Shea holds a B.S. in Applied Mathematics and an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Her Masters research involved designing a control system to regulate oxygen flow through an incubator in order to avoid the development of Retinopathy of Prematurity in premature babies. Before joining DMC, Kristie worked with Visteon Corporation and General Mills. She is Siemens Certified. Kristie loves travelling to all parts of the world, and especially enjoys hiking, backpacking and camping. A lover of most sports, she has a special affinity for soccer, having played since she was 4 and continuing through most of her life, including a current local club team with Danny and Nick.
Read Kristie's
Employee Spotlight interview.
John Sullivan, Project Engineer
John Sullivan holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology with a certificate in robotics, and he is a Certified LabVIEW Developer. His previous work experience includes Solar Turbines and General Electric-Aviation. John enjoys athletics of all kinds, including rugby, volleyball, ultimate Frisbee, wrestling, and running. He can also be found engaging in outdoor activities such as climbing or backpacking.
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Employee Spotlight interview.
Ryan Taylor, Systems Engineer
Ryan Taylor earned his Bachelor of Science with Distinction in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University and is currently working towards a Masters in Electrical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Before joining DMC, he worked for GE Energy in Atlanta, GA. When he’s not lost on yet another Wikipedia safari, Ryan is likely to be found listening to music, photographing something, watching Arrested Development, running outdoors, homebrewing beer, or playing his bass guitar. Besides flossing, his favorite thing in the world is live music.
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Employee Spotlight interview.
John Toljanic, Project Engineer
John brings 12 years of experience in motion control for packaging and his B.S. in Computer Science from Governor’s State University to DMC. He began his career with ELAU, Inc. as an Application Engineer and helped establish their reputation among the largest packaging OEMs in North America. There he worked on projects with companies such as Procter and Gamble, Abbott Labs, and Pneumatic Scale Angelus. In this position John worked on all types of packaging machines, from cartoners and case packers to pick ‘n’ place robots and labelers. Until recently John held the record for the fastest single head servo capper on the market (50cpm). After hours, when John is not hanging out with his wife and two sons, he enjoys spending time in his home recording studio. John is an experienced musician who has played the bass for over 30 years and is currently committed to 2 bands – The Smoking Section and Push Puppets.
Adnaan Velji, Systems Engineer
Adnaan graduated from Georgia Tech with a B.S. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering. His areas of focus were acoustics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer, while Adnaan's graduate research focused on underwater and bio-acoustics. Adnaan then made the natural transition to working as a Risk and Strategy Analyst for CarMax Auto Finance, before ending up at DMC. In his spare time, Adnaan enjoys cooking, reading, learning something new, and playing soccer, tennis, and ping pong. He'll accept a challenge for just about any sport or activity.
Sam Weber, Systems Engineer
Sam Weber graduated from Northwestern University, where he earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering with a focus in communication systems and circuit design. Before working at DMC, he worked in the Zebra Technologies Advanced Feature Development group and at Tempel Steel Co. as a process engineer. When Sam isn’t at work he can usually be found on his couch watching the Food Network or out in Chicago discovering new culinary establishments. Aside from food, Sam’s other interests include running, rooting for the Northwestern Wildcats, and doodling.
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Employee Spotlight interview.
Eric West, Systems Engineer
Eric graduated Summa Cum Laude from Northwestern University, majoring in Mechanical Engineering with an emphasis in design. Prior to DMC, spent time at S&C Electric Company in Chicago. He enjoys building and programming robots, and his team won Northwestern’s annual robotic Design Competition. Eric also loves to travel, and has travelled to India, China, and Nicaragua for academic projects. To express his creative side, Eric enjoys playing jazz music, primarily on trombone, but dabbling on the drums. In his free time, Eric is an avid Ultimate Frisbee player and enjoys other outdoor pursuits such as cycling and backpacking. Board games with friends and watching movies are his favorite leisure activities.
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Employee Spotlight interview.
Kathryn Wills, Administrative Assistant
Kathryn Wills is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music where she earned her Master of Music in Voice and Opera. Kathryn holds a Bachelor of Music from Central Michigan University where she graduated Cum Laude. An active classical singer and voice teacher in Chicago, she enjoys cooking, thrifting, and checking out new improv theaters. It is her goal this year to attend every opera or show presented at The Lyric Opera downtown. Kathryn hails from the “thumb” of Michigan and is proud of her Midwestern roots.
Han Yang, Systems Engineer
Han graduated from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology with degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering as well as a minor in robotics. Prior to joining DMC, she helped develop a CNC homogenizer for a local medical company. Han grew up in Nanjing, China, and is interested in history and traveling. In her free time, Han likes to read, cook, ride roller coasters, and discover restaurants.