The evolution of aerospace and defence technology
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EDITION MARCH 2020
www.businesschief.com
Driving security benefits for the wider industry
INTRODUCING DEVSECOPS AT SCALE Larry Maccherone on the growth of DevSecOps in media and tech
City Focus
NEW YORK
FOREWORD
W
elcome to the January edition
discussing the institutes digital
of Business Chief USA!
transformation in New York City.
This month’s cover features Larry
Elsewhere within the magazine,
Maccherone, Distinguished Engineer of
Calvin Carter, CEO of Bottle Rocket
Comcast, who measures the influence
discusses how the technology and
DevSecOps has on one of the world’s
software industry is being disrupted
biggest telecommunications companies.
by Generation Z.
Other leaders that feature in this
In addition, this month’s City Focus
magazine include Alan Avakian, Senior
explores New York City borough-by-
Director of IT and John Jackson,
borough to discover how each
Chief Information Officer at Aerojet
component works together to build
Rocketdyne who - since we last spoke
its economic powerhouse, while our
with in 2018 - discusses the company’s
Top 10 takes a look at the top 10
innovative digital transformation
most valuable NFL franchises in the
journey. As well as William ‘Bill’ Giard,
United States.
Chief Technology Officer at Intel
Do you have a story to share?
explaining the ways in which the
If you would like to be featured in an
company’s industry leading approach
upcoming issue of Business Chief
to security will benefit the wider
USA, please get in touch at georgia.
industry, and Vincent Moorehead,
wilson@bizclikmedia.com
Senior Director of Strategic Procurement and Supply Chain at
Enjoy the read!
Success Academy Charter Schools,
Georgia Wilson
w w w. b u s i n e s s c h i e f. c o m
03
Change is hard. The truth is that many mining companies are still very hesitant about furthering their digital mining transformations in fear of cost of implementation, risk and uncertainty. However, digital solutions from AVEVA can help mining companies reduce complexity and optimize business and operational performance. aveva.com @avevagroup linkedin.com/company/aveva
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CONTENTS
10 36 Technology and Software: riding the disruptive wave of Gen Z
46
54
64
76 City Focus
NEW YORK
86
102 Aerojet Rocketdyne
120 Intel Corporation
132 Success Academy Charter Schools
150 Pura Vida Bracelets
164 CodeBlue
186 Radius Bank
200 Plymouth Rock Assurance
228 DC Blox
212 Great Southwestern Construction
10
Comcast: Introducing DevSecOps at scale WRITTEN BY
SEAN GALEA-PACE PRODUCED BY
CRAIG KILLINGBACK
MARCH 2020
11
w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
COMCAST
Larry Maccherone, Distinguished Engineer of Comcast, discusses DevSecOps’ growing influence on one of the world’s biggest telecommunications companies
A
s a global leader in media and technology, Comcast is the parent organisation
of three primary businesses: Comcast Cable, NBCUniversal, and Sky. Comcast has more than 12
55 million subscribers, with Sky renowned as one of Europe’s leading entertainment companies operating in seven territories and Comcast Cable recognised as one of the biggest cable TV, high-speed internet, and phone providers in the United States. Sitting down in the new Comcast Technology Centre at its headquarters in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Larry Maccherone, Distinguished Engineer of Comcast Cable, shared how the company is uniquely positioned for success in their agile approach to achieving a DevSecOps cultural transformation. Maccherone’s professional background heavily revolves around data analytics and Lean-Agile, and he started his first business while still an undergraduate at university. “I’ve been a serial
MARCH 2020
13
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COMCAST
“ I believe that if you’re doing DevOps right, then the security part is just automatically included” entrepreneur throughout my entire — Larry Maccherone, Distinguished Engineer, Comcast
career. My first business had 80 employees and made US$20mn annually in sales,” explains Maccherone. “We were writing software that controlled a large portion of the world’s power generation,
16
and it meant that if hackers exploited a vulnerability in the software, then it potentially brought down the world’s power grid. We got really skilled at writing software that didn’t have exploitable vulnerabilities.”
MARCH 2020
DevSec CLICK TO WATCH
|
2:07
17 Upon joining Comcast in June
as empowered engineering teams
2016, Maccherone became responsi-
taking ownership of how their prod-
ble for overseeing the company’s
ucts perform in production, including
DevSecOps transformation. “I have
security. When you get development
a love/hate relationship with the
teams owning the problem, you
term DevSecOps. I believe that if
get a fundamental difference in
you’re doing DevOps right, then
decision making.”
the security part is automatically
Since its creation over a decade
included,” he explains. “You don’t
ago, DevOps has become a vital
call it DevTestOps or DevPlanningOps,
component of how companies oper-
it’s just DevOps. However, what
ate. Building upon the foundations
I do like about DevSecOps is the
of the agile movement, DevOps lev-
emphasis on security. My definition
erages automation, for quality and
of DevOps and DevSecOps is
security testing as well as for for-
essentially the same. I define both
merly manual deployment and w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
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on software, and DevSecOps provides speed and security for its applications. By working with Veracode, Cox Automotive is realizing its vision, without being held back by security.
COMCAST
operations activities, in a bid to intro-
to achieve that level of trust,
duce software into production at
Maccherone introduced a trust algo-
speed. The primary goal of any
rithm. “The trust formula has three
DevSecOps initiative is to enable
terms combined in the numerator:
development teams to change their
credibility + reliability + empathy
mindset and adopt security practices
which are all divided by apparent
into their daily activities.
self-interest,” he explains. “It’s impor-
However, Maccherone believes
tant that the apparent self-interest
it’s impossible without healthy collab-
is as small as possible, with an
oration and mutual trust. In order
emphasis on shared interests.”
E X ECU T I VE P RO FI LE 20
Larry Maccherone Larry Maccherone is a Distinguished Engineer at Comcast where he currently leads the DevSecOps transformation initiative. Previously, Larry served as the Insights Product Line Director at Rally, where he published the largest ever study correlating development team practices with performance. Before that, Larry worked at Carnegie Mellon with the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) and CyLab conducting research on cybersecurity and software engineering. While there, he co-led the launch of the BuildSecurity-In initiative. He has also served as Principal Investigator for the NSA’s Code Assessment Methodology Project, on the Advisory Board for IARPA’s STONESOUP program, and as the Department of Energy’s Los Alamos National Labs Fellow. He speaks and publishes regularly on DevSecOps, Lean/Agile, and analytics and he is the primary author of a dozen open source projects, one of which gets 400,000 downloads per month.
MARCH 2020
21
Maccherone believes that under-
in its early stages back then and
standing and embracing each pillar
it’s fundamentally different now.
of the trust algorithm is vital to suc-
If you come into a meeting with those
cess in DevSecOps. “Credibility
old mindsets, make assumptions
means that you know what you’re
and use outdated terminology, then
talking about and it’s important that
the development team will pick up
you’re not just saying things for the
on that and you’ll lose credibility.
sake of it or repeating something you’ve read,” explains Maccherone. “Writing code has
Reliability is the same regardless of the context; it’s the old business expectation of making and meeting commitments. It’s important to follow
changed a lot
through and do what you say you
in five years.
are going to do. Finally, empathy
DevOps was
is all about how much compassion w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
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“ If you come into a meeting with those old mindsets, make assumptions and use outdated terminology, then the development team will pick up on that and you’ll lose credibility” — Larry Maccherone, Distinguished Engineer, Comcast
supersedes all of those challenges and give the reasons why. It’s vital that you aren’t dictating them.” The
you show, and the awareness of
importance of coaching rather than
how challenging something is.”
policing is a key aspect of Comcast’s
Following the foundation of the
strategy. The company also has
trust algorithm, Maccherone believes that it has successfully allowed for increased efficiency and has ultimately meant better decisions. “Lots of security groups at other large companies spend an inordinate amount of time cajoling development teams to do things,” he says. “The reason they have to spend such a considerable amount of time policing is due to a lack of trust. Showing empathy is crucial and it’s important to acknowledge how difficult something is to do. However, it’s also fundamental to explain why you’re trying to make the case that this risk w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
23
50m lines of code driving the kids home The more powerful you make software, the more inseparable DevOps and security need to be.
See why Checkmarx leads the industry in delivering automated security scanning for DevOps.
Checkmarx.com
WORKING@COMCAST CLICK TO WATCH
|
1:08
25 a programme in place that provides
what we want; we want them to reach
immediate feedback to the develop-
out and partner with us.”
ment team while also providing
Change management is a key
aggregated metrics to guide coach-
driver to Maccherone and Comcast’s
ing efforts. “We created a workshop
strategy. “The traditional way of
where we sit down with the develop-
gathering a response was to produce
ment team, walk through the trust
surveys. However, we found that
formula and the company’s
the behaviour didn’t change,” he says.
DevSecOps practices and give
“We decided on a framework that
them a chance to internalise what
we can coach from and enable the
that practice means,” explains
developers to reflect on whether
Maccherone. “When someone feels
or not they meet the criteria. If we
like they’re being forced into out-of-
send an email to them then we get
context practices, their natural
almost no response. However, if
reaction is to avoid them. That isn’t
we sit with them and allow them w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
to ask questions directly then they instantly start changing their behaviour.” With any successful transformation comes the challenge of recruiting and retaining top talent, and Maccherone believes it’s the most challenging part of any business. “It’s the key to any tech company,”
1963
Year founded
$108.9bn Revenue in US dollars (2019)
affirms Maccherone. “The HR department that we have at Comcast is fantastic. They really understand the importance of exceptional talent. Candidates want to have work that is interesting, fun and challenging,
190,000 Number of employees
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27
COMCAST
28
“ Three years ago, I started a Google alert on DevSecOps and would get one hit a week or even a month. Now, I get 10-20 every day” — Larry Maccherone, Distinguished Engineer, Comcast
MARCH 2020
29
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LEARN MORE
Comcast Partners CLICK TO WATCH
|
1:01
31 in addition to working with peers
are trying to design their products
they respect.”
to fit in with the direction we’re going.”
In a bid to achieve mutual success,
Maccherone believes that without
Comcast Cable has established
developing such robust and long-
a number of key partnerships, such
standing partnerships, the challenge
as with WhiteSource, Vulcan Cyber,
of reaching the level of success
Checkmarx, Go2Group, Contrast
Comcast has achieved would have
Security, Synopsys, Bugcrowd and
been significantly harder. “Our vendors
Veracode. Maccherone recognises
are a key to our success and we’re
the value of forming strategic, business
extremely excited and happy with
relationships in order to realise long-
the current set we have,” beams
term success. “We’re at the forefront
Maccherone. “They align well with
of DevSecOps, and lots of our vendors
our values and that’s been the differen-
see that,” says Maccherone. “We’re
tiator to finding ways to reduce our
constantly searching for vendors that
security risk.” w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
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“ When someone feels like they’re being policed, their natural reaction is to avoid the police. That isn’t what we want; we want them to reach out and partner with us” — Larry Maccherone, Distinguished Engineer, Comcast DevSecOps has become a 33
hot topic in the technology space in recent years and Maccherone has observed its rapid rise first-hand. “Three years ago, I started a Google alert on DevSecOps and would get one hit a week or even a month,” he says. “Now, I get 10-20 every day and we’re not even at the steepest part of the adoption curve for DevSecOps yet.” In 2019, Comcast’s goal was to scale the DevSecOps programme, the tech giant achieved that by tripling the number w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
35
of teams onboarded to the pro-
we reach that saturation point,
gramme. “By the end of 2020,
I anticipate that we’ll add more
we aim to double that number again,
capability, tools and practices over
and I expect that will get us close
the next few years.”
to the saturation point of all the teams at Comcast. We’ve gone from essentially launching the programme to evolving, optimising and scaling it to the point of saturation. After w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
LEADERSHIP
36
Technology and Software: riding the disruptive wave of Gen Z Business Chief sits down with Calvin Carter, CEO of Bottle Rocket to discuss how the technology and software industry is being disrupted by Generation Z WRITTEN BY
MARCH 2020
GEORGIA WILSON
37
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LEADERSHIP
M
ckinsey defines Generation Z as people born from 1995 to 2010. This generation
is the first truly digital native generation
exposed to the internet, social media and technology
from an early age unlike Baby Boomers, Generation X and Millennials who remember a time before the internet was mainstream. Key traits of Generation Z include connectivity, inquisitive, entrepreneurial and brand-consciousness. Currently, Generation Z comprises 32% of the 7.7bn global population (2019). With this in mind, Business Chief speaks to Calvin Carter, CEO of Bottle Rocket, which provides 38
end-to-end digital transformation services to improve connectivity between businesses and consumers. Carter discusses the changes, challenges and benefits this new generation entering the work environment will bring to the technology and software industry.
WHAT ARE THE KEY TRENDS AND DISRUPTORS WITHIN YOUR INDUSTRY AT THE MOMENT? Within today’s evolving marketplaces, the brand differentiators that have proved successful in the past are no longer enough to set a company apart. This new era has been dominated by a new type of customer, emerging as a result of the digital literacy that is now fed from Generation Z through to baby boomers and beyond. The connected customer, who interacts with brands through digital means, MARCH 2020
“ This new era has been dominated by a new type of customer, emerging as a result of the digital literacy” — Calvin Carter, CEO, Bottle Rocket
39
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LEADERSHIP
experiences. These demands make the
HOW DO YOU FEEL THE INDUSTRY IS CHANGING AS A RESULT OF GENERATION Z?
connected customer a huge disruptor in
While 40% of baby boomers are
any industry, and have spawned a host of
considered connected customers,
trends that companies must pay
Gen Z stands at 80%, effectively making
attention to in order to grow their
any brand who wants to work with the
business in the long-term. Providing a
generation invest in a brand experience
seamless omnichannel experience,
that fits their connected lifestyle. Raised
investing in digital channels of
using the internet, Gen Z is placing great
engagement, and tying such digital
pressure on organisations to provide
transformation strategies to core goals
digital experiences that exceed what’s
are now the basic expectations for any
come before. Fundamentally, the way
firm, and those that are achieving
businesses interact with both customers
is a new type of consumer who seeks immediate, frictionless, and personalised
40
harmony between these aspects are becoming disruptors themselves.
MARCH 2020
70: The Origin of a Technology Visionary — Calvin Carter — Founder & CEO, Bottle Rocket Studios CLICK TO WATCH
|
0:29
41 and employees has been transformed
in more than simply a digital presence.
in ways that leverage technology.
Yes, today’s Connected Customer
Although deemed a difficult strategy
wants simple and convenient user
to execute, 67% of consumers say
experiences but, in order to keep them
they’ll pay more for a better experience,
delighted, businesses need to ensure
therefore there are great benefits to
these experiences are innovative.
be reaped if businesses are willing
The resulting challenge is the anticipation
to adapt.
of new needs and making them feel that the customer experience was
WHAT CHALLENGES DO YOU FEEL THE INDUSTRY IS FACING AS A RESULT OF GENERATION Z?
designed just for them. For even the
If a business is to demonstrate that they
could result in brands joining the 52%
are harnessing the changing needs of
of the Fortune 500 that have gone
their customers, they will need to invest
bankrupt since 2000.
most established or successful businesses, failure to favour change
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LEADERSHIP
WHAT DO YOU FEEL COMPANIES NEED TO DO IN ORDER TO STAY AHEAD OF FAST EVOLVING TRENDS AND NEW GENERATIONS SUCH AS GENERATION Z? Anticipating needs and desires, and bringing them to market before competitors, is the underlying strategy all companies must have in place to maintain momentum and further reach the Generation Z market. With new technologies emerging on a regular basis, digital transformation is racing ahead and, to keep up, businesses need 42
to purposefully blend each experience across digital interfaces to create a holistic journey. In order to provide that seamless customer experience, companies need to acknowledge every touchpoint and link them to flow from one device to another. This ultimately reduces, or even eliminates, the likelihood of Generation Z finding flaws and looking to competitors who fully accommodate their needs. To better premeditate the next set of needs to emerge, businesses inevitably need contextual data that allows for more personalised features. 53% of consumers are looking forward to artificial intelligence (AI) making brand MARCH 2020
interactions a better experience, therefore companies need to purposefully harness the technology to achieve meaningful connections with customers. By tracking data analytics and customer pain-points, businesses can build technology-enabled solutions that satisfy customers and in turn produce undeniable value for the company.
WHICH INDUSTRIES DO YOU SEE BEING IMPACTED THE MOST BY GENERATION Z? In knowing exactly what they want, when they want it, and how, Generation Z do not judge brands against direct competitors in any specific industry. In fact, those who fail to receive a
“ Raised using the internet, Gen Z is placing great pressure on organisations to provide digital experiences that exceed what came before” — Calvin Carter, CEO, Bottle Rocket
superior experience will not hesitate to switch to any other company that can fill that gap. It is impossible in today’s concentrated business environment to think of a sector that is immune to the ever-evolving demands resulting from digital disruption.
HOW DO YOU FEEL WORK ENVIRONMENTS WILL BE AFFECTED BY GENERATION Z? Forming the newest wave of young professionals, 40% of the US workforce w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
43
LEADERSHIP
44
will be comprised of Generation Z this
deemed a challenge for business
year, undoubtedly having an impact
leaders, but is needed to reduce churn
on company culture and internal
and for the entire business to grow.
processes. As digital disruption takes
This demographic responds by seeking
WHY DO YOU FEEL IT IS IMPORTANT FOR BUSINESS TO FOCUS ON THIS GENERATION?
active engagement in conversations
Positioned as disruptors to the global
around culture and wanting to be a part
workforce, it should be a priority for
of an immersive environment — both
companies to harness the talents and
verbally and spatially. These employees
expertise of Generation Z. In the same
take the time to understand ‘why’ and
way that it is crucial to cater to the
ask a lot of questions, which may be
needs of post-Millennial consumers,
force, the need for immediacy and connectivity replicates in work settings.
MARCH 2020
“ Forming the newest wave of young professionals, 40% of the US workforce will be comprised of Generation Z this year” — Calvin Carter, CEO, Bottle Rocket
come together to build amazing things together, regardless of their age, ethnicity, gender, background
business leaders must also focus their
or belief systems. So you could say
resources on maximising the potential
we are predisposed to being attractive
of this workforce demographic.
to the Generation Z workforce.
Traditionally, team members are
Gen Z and Millennials demand
delegated tasks and are only deemed
authenticity, transparency and
successful based on their ability to
vulnerability, which are all things
get as many tasks completed, or
most companies struggle with and
boxes ticked, as possible. Nowadays,
make executives uncomfortable.
Generation Z employees define
We have had to become more and
success differently, and view career
more transparent and vulnerable
progression as a team effort. Within
with our Rocketeers as our workforce
this, leaders should understand that
continues to be filled more and
what they build internally has an impact
more by more recent generations
on the marketplace. Recognition,
of professionals. The good news
awards, and compensation rather than
is that we already had this mindset,
simply clocking-out invites long-term
but we had to amp it up and get
rewards and retention.
very real with our Rocketeers.
HOW HAS BOTTLE ROCKET BEEN IMPACTED BY GENERATION Z? Bottle Rocket’s culture has always been a place where the best and the brightest w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
45
TECHNOLOGY
46
MARCH 2020
Cleansing the complex Cleansing CRM data doesn’t have to be an overwhelming task - it can be an easy, manageable and efficient process, as Oleg Rogynskyy, CEO of People.ai explains WRITTEN BY
OLEG ROGYNSK Y Y 47
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TECHNOLOGY
T
he origin of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) can be traced back to the 1990s, when companies such as Siebel helped gradually drive the evolu-
tion of contact management software towards CRM systems. Previously, CRMs were built on hierarchical databases, but these have since been wiped out by SQL (Structured Query Language) CRMs. Since then, the likes of Salesforce have moved SQL CRM into the cloud, but the problems that inhibited the platforms 20
years ago, such as inaccurate, incomplete and 48
untrustworthy data, still exist today. This is a problem that limits the true potential of CRM software. The technology was built for static data while today’s business data is, in fact, very dynamic. Information is constantly developing and so can quickly become outdated. The current use of CRM is like using flipbooks to try to watch a movie: the method has become obsolete and overtaken by newer, more efficient forms of technology. The main issue is that modern CRM platforms, despite their sophistication, focus primarily on processing and consuming data instead of collecting and keeping it accurate. According to Ben Horowitz, we have witnessed the demise of systems of record from the rise of AI. CRMs were built in the point-in-time sales world, meaning that they were built in the days of one-time sales, where MARCH 2020
“Today’s business data is, in fact, very dynamic” Oleg Rogynskyy, CEO and Founder, People.ai
49
activity data and the dynamic nature of contacts didn’t matter. Since then the world has transitioned into a continuous sales world, leading companies like Zuora and Gainsight to try to fix the point-in-time nature of CRM and successfully address data inaccuracy and duplication.
SPECIALISED TOOLS A ‘CRM Scan’ can quickly identify data quality metrics and incorporate them into an overall metric called the w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
TECHNOLOGY
“ We have witnessed the demise of systems of record from the rise of AI” Oleg Rogynskyy, CEO and Founder, People.ai
50
‘CRM Health Score’, revealing where
1. Is the activity data complete?
efforts need to be focused. This
2. Is there a single representation of
assessment sheds light on CRM fitness and, when combined with a strong understanding of how sales and marketing teams are using the
the activity data? 3. Does the activity data correctly represent the real world? Although it is possible to create the
activity data, elevates confidence in
metrics internally, this would take sev-
prioritising efforts to improve the
eral weeks. Not only does this dis-
CRM system.
courage teams who are investing
Within this process, it is para-
significant time in this work, but it also
mount to focus on three primary
paralyses them as they often don’t
dimensions of CRM data quality to
know where to start or whether their
establish the baseline:
efforts are making a difference.
MARCH 2020
How Cogniance Enables Their Sales Team CLICK TO WATCH
|
2:18
51
IMPORTANT FIRST STEPS
1. DEFINE DUPLICATES
Identifying data duplication is another
The first step is to define what is con-
hurdle that can undermine productiv-
sidered a duplicate. For instance, in
ity. Duplication is typically due to a
contacts and leads this can be email
lack of standard and unique identifiers
address matches, identical name
for companies and the people that
matches and account associations.
work for them. Despite the use of domain and email addresses, these
2. S ET UP PREVENTATIVE DEDUPE RULES IN THE CRM
are often not unique, as the names of
Businesses should then use fea-
companies and people can change or
tures established by Salesforce to
have variations. To tackle duplicates,
block and prevent the creation of
businesses need to:
duplicate records.
common proxies, including web
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TECHNOLOGY
3. I DENTIFY AND CLEAN EXISTING DATA DUPLICATES The ‘CRM Scan’ can be used to identify duplicates and clean them up. This requires some planning based on the CRM system in use. There are specialised tools that make this process easier, but in some cases it can be a good step to reinforce the process by taking it offline to use spreadsheet analysis.
52
4. IMPLEMENT ONGOING MONITORING FOR NEW DUPLICATES Once data duplicates have been identified and cleaned, it is important to set up preventative de-duplication rules in the CRM platform to monitor and repair duplicates.
QUICK, VISIBLE RESULTS Specialised scan tools, custom reports and dashboards are used to identify, clean and enrich data. This focuses on finding invalid data, such as digits or special characters in contact names, email addresses, web domains and incomplete mailing addresses. This can be done by combining spreadsheets and simple MARCH 2020
“Organisations need to set targets that are tied to business priorities� Oleg Rogynskyy, CEO and Founder, People.ai scripts to build update files for a CRM loader, as well as using a database built for this purpose. The timescale of this process varies depending on data quantities, the number of duplicates and the amount of data that needs cleansing. With the right tools, reliable measurement and ongoing commitment, results can be visible almost immediately. In order to achieve this, organisations need to set targets that are tied to business priorities. This will enable businesses to communicate results, rebuild trust in the data and celebrate milestones to keep the momentum going. Benefiting from CRM data doesn’t have to be overwhelming, impossible or disheartening. It can be relatively easy, straightforward and more than satisfying.
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53
S U P P LY C H A I N
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ADOPTING BIG DATA AND ANALYTICS TECHNOLOGYIN SUPPLY CHAINS Business Chief speaks with supply chain experts to discuss the benefits and challenges of adopting Big Data and analytics in supply chains
WRITTEN BY
MARCH 2020
GEORGIA WIL SON
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“P
eople talk a lot about data being ‘the new oil’, and cognitive supply chains are indeed making a huge
impact, allowing businesses to use Big Data
to drive themselves onto the next level. Using artificial intelligence and machine learning to process data makes it increasingly realistic for systems to make smart decisions without the need for human intervention,” says Fred Baumann, GVP for Industry Strategy at Blue Yonder. “When businesses are able to identify disruptions and act with immediacy and decisiveness, the effect will be transformational. 56
Alongside the short-term problem solving, cognitive supply chains provide longer-term learned recommendations to enable businesses to stay ahead of the curve.” Agreeing with Baumann, Grant Millard, Director and Technology Services Specialist at Vendigital, explains that traditional data analysis methods are outdated and inefficient. “More often than not, companies are operating in a data vacuum. Analysis is based on static data sets which are created, and then recreated, from the ground up. Companies are continuously manipulating the data to get the insight they are after and then repeat this process every time insights are required. This is not only inefficient, but costly, and the result is reliance on systems that fail to deliver MARCH 2020
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“ Government and regulators have a role to play to ensure that legislation is clear, to guide companies on the correct usage of this technology” — Raj Bawa, Operations Director, JBi Digital 58
clear and credible data-based insights. This is where Big Data and analytics can help so that the user is no longer required to analyse data. Rather, the
COO at Oliver Wight EAME adds that
THE CHALLENGES OF ADOPTING BIG DATA AND ANALYTICS WITHIN SUPPLY CHAINS
“it is a proven benefit that advanced
“The world is becoming more complex
analytics for the supply chain indus-
as more business and consumer inter-
try increases yield, whether through
action channels migrate into the digital
improved production or reduction of
space. This complexity is evident in the
waste. Advanced analytics can play
amount of data these interactions
a vital role in identifying issues that can
create across an increasing number
impact yield, as well as help to reduce
of channels,” says Jonathan Clarke,
operating costs, manage inventory
Manager, Statistical Modelling at
and create a more personalised cus-
LexisNexis Risk Solutions. As a result,
tomer experience.”
when it comes to Big Data and analytics,
system is telling them what action they need to be taking.” Kirsty Braines,
MARCH 2020
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there are a number of challenges that
implemented. If organisations don’t
companies can face including data
align technology with their business
manipulation, adherence to GDPR,
plans, they risk making a very expensive
credible data, talent and digital maturity.
mistake in terms of time and money.
“Technologies such as AI, Industry 4.0,
This applies to data too. Unless organi-
blockchain, Big Data and analytics are
sations dedicate time beforehand to
game changers for businesses, how-
understand what information they want,
ever it’s all advanced technology and
what purpose it’s going to serve and
the clue is very much in the name.
how they’re going to manage it, analyt-
A huge proportion of companies haven’t
ics becomes an exercise in futility,”
reached the maturity to completely han-
comments Braines.
dle data, with the technology not fully understood, let alone successfully
“Additionally, there is little point in importing this technology into the w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
S U P P LY C H A I N
business if the data that exists is not
management, they need to understand
credible, as this could lead to incor-
that there is no one-size-fits-all. If these
rect predictions,” adds Millard. “It is also
factors are not fully considered at the
important that business leaders import
outset, any investment could deliver
the right expertise. Sometimes, they fail
negligible value.”
to do this and either get a data scientist
60
Contemplating the future of Big Data
who doesn’t understand the business
and analytics within supply chains,
context or an industry expert who knows
Baumann speaks of the potential of
nothing about data science. Getting Big
the technology, stating that “the use
Data and analytics to deliver value is a
of Big Data and analytics in supply
multi-disciplinary activity.” Ultimately,
chains is rapidly increasing, with it
Millard stresses that “for organisations
being possible to achieve a near-auton-
considering investment in Big Data and
omous supply chain
analytics to improve their supply chain
in the
MARCH 2020
Big Data Supply Chain CLICK TO WATCH
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“ When businesses are able to identify disruptions and act with immediacy and decisiveness, the effect will be transformational” — Fred Baumann, GVP for Industry Strategy, JDA Software
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“ Technologies such as AI, Industry 4.0, blockchain, Big Data and analytics are game changers for businesses” — Kirsty Braines, COO at Oliver Wight EAME 62
future. However, for this to happen, businesses need to get to a point where they feel confident and can trust that technology can identify disruption and subsequently take action. Once this has been achieved, the effects will be incredible: just imagine the possibilities that will be provided by a self-learning, self-healing supply chain that is able to predict challenges and transform them into opportunities for growth.” Agreeing with Baumann, Peter Ruffley, CEO of Zizo, sees emerging technologies, such as the internet of things (IoT) and AI, having the ability to generate greater efficiency within the supply chains of the future. “Edge computing is also going MARCH 2020
to provide a much easier way for businesses to quantify and understand what they are investing in when looking at collecting data, processing it and moving it. It provides the opportunity to have greater agility and real time analytics.” Clarke does however comment that, in order to speed up the adoption of these technologies, “government and regulators have a role to play to ensure that legislation is clear, to guide companies on the correct usage of this technology. The significant benefits offered by the increased use of Big Data and analytics has to be balanced with the lawful, compliant use of data.” Raj Bawa Operations Director at JBi Digital adds that, “while the culture has improved significantly in this area,” he too believes that the need for impactful enforcement or policing of big companies is urgently needed to truly reap the benefits of the technology.
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Nine ways your business can better consider the environment Wilf Robinson, owner and co-founder of Certified Sustainable, offers his top nine tips on how businesses can be more mindful of the environment WRITTEN BY
MARCH 2020
WILF ROBINSON
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S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y
A
new international study conducted by Unilever has revealed that a third of consumers now favour brands
which they feel are doing social or environmental ‘good’. Unsurprisingly, this trend is becoming poignant in the world of business
too. Investing in companies with a vibrant green thumb has become an evident priority for potential clients, making this an important consideration for all businesses. However, despite the many benefits which 66
follow businesses who decide to ‘go green’, CitySprint has revealed that whilst 90% of SMEs thought sustainability is an important aspect of conducting business, over half of these businesses are failing to invest in any sustainability goals. It seems there is an equal number of businesses that pride themselves on fulfilling a greener agenda, for example by selecting suppliers and contractors who are known for sustainable conduct (31%), and businesses who dismiss green-oriented goals altogether. Essentially, the world of sustainability is at a loss; businesses are overpromising and underdelivering. As influential companies continue to demonstrate an ‘all or nothing approach’, MARCH 2020
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changes must be made. Meanwhile, it has been concluded that SMEs don’t feel confident enough to pursue greener agendas; they simply don’t understand how their businesses can become more sustainable. As it’s been found that 51% of businesses lack critical information regarding how efficient methods can be developed and maintained, this failure becomes more understandable. To help you better understand how your business can successfully con68
sider the environment, encouraging others to follow suit, here are nine ways that companies can better consider the environment.
like to become more sustainable, for example by saving water or reducing
1. SET A MISSION STATEMENT
waste and incorporate your revised
If you want to determine whether a
values, creating a short, concise mis-
company is excelling sustainably,
sion statement which reflects your
then the first thing to check is its
green priorities.
mission statement. As a compilation of guiding principles, mission state-
2. BE MINDFUL OF YOUR ENERGY USAGE
ments encompass the organisation’s
There are many ways by which you
values and goals.
can become more energy efficient,
Any company hoping to improve its
having a positive impact on the
sustainability efforts ought to incor-
environment in turn. For example,
porate this into its mission statement.
you can use alternative energy
Discuss with your team how you’d
resources; solar and wind power
MARCH 2020
“Certifications can support your sustainable image exponentially� — Wilf Robinson Co-Founder, Certified Sustainable 69
E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE
Wilf Robinson Wilf Robinson is the co-founder of Certified Sustainable. Providing accreditations to businesses in the sector which have made a clear and demonstrable commitment to best-practice sustainability and waste management, Wilf helps businesses to become more sustainable. He is passionate about the environment and the impact that unsustainable waste-streams are having on our planet. Many large corporations do not inform customers of how they dispose of their waste, which is something that needs to change. As a father, Wilf realised the importance of protecting the environment for future generations to enjoy and has taken a lead to revolutionise the waste management industry.
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are just two examples of the many
3. GET CERTIFIED
sustainable options which provide a
Becoming more sustainable as a
greener alternative.
company is an admirable goal and it’s
Consider also replacing old appli-
equally important that you showcase
ances with more energy efficient
your achievements. Being seen as
ones. Cost-cutting rarely benefits
a sustainable business means you
the environment, contributing to
need to highlight this in your brand-
unnecessary energy wastage which
ing, PR and marketing strategies.
certainly doesn’t portray your com-
Certifications can support your sus-
pany in a favourable light. By investing
tainable image exponentially. These
in energy-efficient alternatives, you’ll
accreditations demonstrate that
create a sustainable working environ-
your achievements are recognised
ment that’s long-lasting.
externally, as your processes are quality-approved by experts.
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For example, the ‘Certified Sustainable’ accreditation provides a clear and visible means for UK manufacturers to showcase the company’s commitment to best-practice waste management and sustainability. Started by a team of independent waste management experts, the certification encourages manufacturers to operate in a truly sustainable manner. By becoming ‘Certified Sustainable’, these businesses better communicate the sustainability efforts, sharing achievements with clients, partners and employees alike.
“ Going paperless is an environmental saviour, whilst it’s also been said to enhance productivity” — Wilf Robinson Co-Founder, Certified Sustainable
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4. GO PAPERLESS Going paperless is an environmental saviour, whilst it’s also been said to enhance productivity. Findings suggest that employees spend one-third of their time looking for paper documents, an indisputable waste of their skill sets. Adopting a paperless strategy means that important information can’t be lost or misplaced easily, whilst allowing your employees to use their valued time more efficiently. Meanwhile, your 72
business will proactively protect our trees, a commitment to be proud of.
5. INVEST IN SUSTAINABLE PROJECTS Companies that consider important causes are certainly favourable among consumers and clients. This purposeful image demonstrates your ability to support the wider world. As a consequence, you could consider investing in sustainable projects; for example, by supporting charities which proactively work to create a more sustainable planet, you’ll be seen as a ‘greener’ company, with the environment at the top of your priority list. MARCH 2020
“ Use your platform as a successful business professional to champion a local cause” — Wilf Robinson Co-Founder, Certified Sustainable
6. ASSIGN A SUSTAINABILITY ADVOCATE Creating sustainable plans might be simple, but their maintenance requires commitment and monitoring. I recommend having a sustainability leader who can act as an advocate for your company’s sustainability practices. The individual will work to bring your goals to fruition, communicating these with the rest of your team.
7. BECOME AN ENVIRONMENTAL CHAMPION IN YOUR LOCAL AREA Where possible, use your platform as a successful business professional to champion a local cause, contributing to a project which makes a difference close to home. This will encourage fellow members of your team to embrace a more sustainable and supportive lifestyle themselves, using their expertise for good. In turn, your company will consist of passionate employees who aim to live sustainably both professionally and personally.
8. CONSERVE WATER There are numerous ways by which your business can conserve water. Start with a water audit; many compaw w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
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nies underestimate how much water they’re using, however audits can help to uncover any leaks and unnecessary wastage. Once you know where your water’s being used, you can better educate your team. Encouraging them to become more water-aware will help to reduce the environmental impact your business is having, making gradual steps towards a more efficient and sustainable workplace.
9. BE WISE WITH YOUR WASTE Every business will produce waste, regardless of how many changes you implement. It would be extremely difficult to avoid waste entirely. However, there are sustainable uses for your waste, putting your by-products to the best possible use. For example, you can reduce packaging, eliminate plastic water bottles, or contribute to local food banks. Above all else, ‘recycle and reuse’ should be values which lie at the core of your business.
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CITY FOCUS | NEW YORK
City Focus
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NEW YORK MARCH 2020
Business Chief explores New York City borough-by-borough to see how the components of this incredible city fit together into an economic powerhouse WRITTEN BY
WILL GIRLING
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F
rank Sinatra wanted to be a part of it, and, more recently, Alicia Keys called it the ‘concrete jungle where dreams
are made’ - it’s the city so nice they named it
twice: New York, New York. Founded by Dutch settlers in 1624 under 78
the name ‘New Amsterdam’, the city received its more well-known moniker in 1664 when it was gifted to the Duke of York as an 18th birthday present. Now known as New York, the city had the honour of being the first US capital when the constitution was ratified in 1789. However, it was soon replaced with Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and then finally Washington D.C. in 1800. Now home to over 8mn citizens (one in 38 Americans call it their home), New York is comprised of five boroughs: Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island. Demonstrating the sheer scale of New York, either Brooklyn or Queens alone would count as the fourthlargest city in the US if they were designated separate cities. MARCH 2020
8.623mn Population of New York
1624
Year founded
3
Airports John F. Kennedy International Airport ( JFK), LaGuardia Airport (LGA) and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
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CITY FOCUS | NEW YORK
“ Tech companies have found compelling operational reasons to base their businesses in Brooklyn”
With over 600 languages spoken, New York City is one of the most linguistically diverse places in the world. Ellis Island and Liberty Island are symbols of the city’s history of ethnic diversity and partnership with other nations - the latter featuring the iconic Statue of Liberty. A present from France to celebrate the USA’s centennial, the statue was officially dedicated in 1886 and was constructed from 350 separate pieces.
ECONOMY 80
The Greater New York City region has a GDP of US$1.21trn, making it the second-largest metropolitan economy in the world after Tokyo, Japan. In 2012, it was recorded that New York City accounted for roughly 8% of the USA’s GDP, although the city itself only uses about 1% of the country’s total landmass. Home to more than 380,000 millionaires and 78 billionaires, New York City’s Federal Reserve Bank possesses the world’s largest quantity of stored gold. Contained in a vault hidden 80ft beneath the earth is 7,000 tonnes of gold bullion, approximately 5% of all the gold that has ever been mined. MARCH 2020
What It’s Like To Be The Youngest Woman Equity Trader In The New York Stock Exchange CLICK TO WATCH
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Home to the New York Stock
which houses Wall Street is rightly
Exchange and NASDAQ - the largest
regarded as an economic powerhouse.
stock exchanges currently operating
Containing iconic office-buildings such
today - the city is a proverbial mecca
as the Empire State Building, which
for business, with each borough con-
accommodates the corporate offices
tributing to key economic areas.
of Air China, LinkedIn, JCDecaux and more, Manhattan also facilitates New
MANHATTAN
York’s role as an established media
The financial heart of New York City,
power from the advertising industry
Manhattan is a global leader in terms
based on Madison Avenue. Real
of the banking and communications
estate contributes significantly to the
sectors. Providing an estimated 5%
city’s economy; it has recently been
of private-sector jobs and 8.5% of
estimated that the total market value
the city’s tax revenue, the borough
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CITY FOCUS | NEW YORK
Manhattan has properties frequently
Market, located in Concourse, just
valued as the most expensive in the
south of Yankee Stadium, is an almost
world, such as the Times Warner
1mn sqft retail space. Costing $500mn
Center and the Waldorf Astoria.
to construct, the market was opened in 2009 and currently houses well-
THE BRONX
known brands like Target, Home Depot
Although it suffered a gradual decline
and Staples.
following the Great Depression in 1929, the Bronx has been experiencing
QUEENS
an economic revival since the 1980s.
The borough of Queens has the
Most notably, the area contains some
second-largest (after Manhattan) and
of the city’s largest shopping centres,
most vibrantly diverse economy in New
such as The Hub, Southern Boulevard
York. Although the area’s main sectors
and Bay Plaza. The Bronx Terminal
are trade, transportation and utilities,
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MARCH 2020
Queens also has significant input from the healthcare, manufacturing, construction and media industries. A key contributor to the borough is the presence of the two major airports: JFK International Airport and LaGuardia Airport. Ranked as some of the busiest
“ The city is a proverbial mecca for business, with each borough contributing to key economic areas”
in the world, JFK IA alone handled over 61mn passengers in 2018, placing it in the top 25 busiest overall. Long Island City, a residential and commercial district located in western Queens, is also one of New York’s most up-andcoming locations. 83
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S TAT I S T I C S
84
•N ew York City accounted for roughly 8% of the USA’s GDP; 5% of all the gold that has ever been mined in Federal Reserve; Manhattan = 5% of private-sector jobs and 8.5% of the city’s tax revenue.
BROOKLYN Traditionally the manufacturing epicentre of New York City, Brooklyn started to diversify its economy towards the end of the 20th Century. Now with thriving construction and services sectors, Brooklyn is also reported to have the second-largest growth rate amongst tech startups in the country, behind only San Francisco, California. Featuring alluring office space and lower rent costs than other boroughs MARCH 2020
like Manhattan, tech companies have found compelling operational reasons to base their businesses in Brooklyn. Notable companies in the sector include Vice Media, Makerbot and Kickstarter.
STATEN ISLAND The least populated (approximately 476,000 people) but one of the larger boroughs of New York City, Staten Island was originally known as the Borough of Richmond until it was changed in 1975. The economy of the area is primarily composed of the healthcare, retail and construction sectors and has a GDP of $14.5bn. More recently, Staten Island has experienced growth in real estate, finance and warehousing – the latter being a result of Amazon’s new $100mn fulfilment centre in Matrix Global Logistics Park in 2018.
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T O P 10
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MARCH 2020
Most valuable NFL franchises in the US Business Chief takes a look at the top 10 most valuable NFL franchises in the US from Forbes’ Sports Money: 2019 NFL Valuations WRITTEN BY
GEORGIA WILSON
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T O P 10
MAJOR SPONSORS
Anheuser-Busch InBev, American Airlines, Axalta Coating Systems, Banco Santander S.A., Coca-Cola, Comcast, Entercon, Lincoln Financial Group, MillerCoors, NovaCare, NRG Energy and Verizon.
88
10
Philadelphia Eagles $3.1bn
Established in 1933, the Philadelphia Eagles has been a franchise in its hometown since the beginning of its sports journey. In 1941, a unique swap happened between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers where both franchises swapped ownership and team players. In 1943, the franchises crossed paths again, combined for one season due to a manpower shortage and was known as Phil-Pitt and Steagles. Today, the Philadelphia Eagles has an operating income of US$150mn, and its home ground is the Lincoln Financial Field, costing US$360mn to build and has a capacity of 69,596.
MARCH 2020
09
Houston Texans $3.1bn
Established in 1999, the Houston Texans is one of the newer franchises in the NFL. In 2002, the franchise’s debut game earned it its first victory against the Dallas Cowboys, making it the first time an expansion club had won an opening game since Minnesota defeated Chicagos in 1961. Today, the Houston Texans has an operating value of US$176mn, and its home ground is the NRG Energy Stadium which opened in 2002, costing US$449mn to build and has a capacity of 71,795.
89 MAJOR SPONSORS
Anheuser-Busch InBev, BMW, CocaCola, Ford Motors, HEB, Houston Methodist, Hyundai, MillersCoors, NRG Energy, United Continental Holdings and Verizon.
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MAJOR SPONSORS
Anheuser-Busch InBev, M&T Bank Corporation, JetBlue Airways Corporation, Atlantic Health System, MetLife, MGM Resorts International, NRG Energy, PepsiCo, SAP, Ticketmaster, Toyota and Verizon
91
08
New York Jets $3.2BN
Established in 1960, the New York Jets started its on field journey as the Titans with reasonable success. However, in 1963, the franchise went bankrupt and was bought by Sonny Werblin and partners, who changed its name to the New York Jets. Today, the franchise has an operating income of US$82mn, and its home ground is the MetLife Stadium which opened in 2010 costing US$1.4mn to build and has a capacity of 82,500.
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07
Washington Redskins $3.4bn
Established in 1932, the Washington Redskins are one of the most dominant franchises in the NFL. The franchise has gone through several name changes over the years, starting its journey as the Braves. In 1933, it moved to Fenway Park (Boston, Massachusetts) changing its name to the Redskins, however, George Marshall (former owner of the Washington Redskins) wasn’t happy with Boston, and moved the team once more to Chicago, before finally settling in Washington D.C. in 1937 adopting the name Washington Redskins. Today, the franchise has an operating income of US$120mn, and its home ground 92
is FedEx Field - owned by the team - which opened in 1997, costing US$250mn to build and has a capacity of 85,000.
MAJOR SPONSORS
Anheuser-Busch InBev, Bank of America, FedEx and PepsiCo.
MARCH 2020
MAJOR SPONSORS
Advocate Health Care, Dr. Pepper, MillerCoors, PNC, Proven, United Continental and Verizon.
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06
Chicago Bears $3.5BN
Established in 1920, the Chicago bears is one of the oldest NFL franchises, that started its sports journey as the Stanleys in Decatur, Illinois. After it won its first league championship in 1921, the franchise was renamed to the Chicago Bears. Today, the franchise has an operating income of US$62mn, and its home ground is the Soldier Field which opened in 2003, costing US$630mn to build and has a capacity of 61,500.
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T O P 10
MAJOR SPONSORS
Anheuser-Busch InBev, Bank of New York Mellon Corporation, Dignity Health, Intel, Levi’s, NRG Energy, PepsiCo, SAP, Toyota, United Continental Holdings, VISA and Yahoo!. 95
05
San Francisco 49ers $3.5BN
Established in 1946, the San Francisco 49ers were members of the All-American Football Conference (AAFC), ranking second best behind the Cleveland Browns. In 1950, the franchise moved to the NFL following the collapse of the AAFC. However, it wasn’t until 1982 that the San Francisco 49ers won its first league championship at the XVI Super Bowl. Today, the franchise has an operating income of US$93mn, and its home ground is the Levi’s Stadium, which opened in 2014, costing US$1.3mn to build and has a capacity of 68,500.
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MAJOR SPONSORS
Allbertsons, American Airlines, AnheuserBusch InBev, Cedars-Sinai Health System, Corona Extra, Hyundai, Pechanga and Unify. 96
04
Los Angeles Rams $3.8bn
Established in 1936, the Los Angeles Rams is also one of the NFL’s oldest franchises, that began its sports journey in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1946, Dan Reeves (former owner of the Los Angeles Rams) moved the team to Los Angeles, receiving its first NFL championship game in 1945. Today, the franchise has an operating income of US$30mn, and its home ground is the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum which opened in 1923, costing US$950,000 to build and has a capacity of 77,500.
MARCH 2020
03
New York Giants $3.9bn
Established in 1925, the New York giants are truly entwined into the history of the NFL. For the young league a franchise in the nation’s largest city was imperative to keep the league alive. Two years after its establishment, the New York Giants won its first championship in 1927. Today, the New York Giants’ home ground is the MetLife Stadium, which opened in 2010 costing US$1.4mn to build and has a capacity of 82,500. The franchise itself generates US$142mn in operating income.
MAJOR SPONSORS
Anheuser-Busch InBev, Dell Technologies, PepsiCo, Quest Diagnostics Inc., SAP, Toyota and Verizon.
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T O P 10
02 98
New England Patriots $4.1bn
Established in 1960, the New England Patriots was given its name by a panel of Boston sportswriters in a contest. During its first decade, the franchise climbed the ladder to become a serious contender in the late 1970s. Today, the franchise has an operating income of US$240mn and opened its own stadium in 2002, the Gillette Stadium, which cost a total of US$325mn to build and has a capacity of 66,878.
MARCH 2020
MAJOR SPONSORS
Anheuser-Busch InBev SA, Bank of America, BDSE, Dell Technologies, Draft Kings, Gillette, JetBlue, Optum, PepsiCo and Verizon.
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Do Your Life: Duron Harmon The Life of an NFL Player and Parent CLICK TO WATCH
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Legendary Cowboys Players Celebrate 60 Years of Football CLICK TO WATCH
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Dallas Cowboys
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$5bn
Established in 1960, the Dallas Cowboys won its first two divisional championships in 1966 and 1967. Despite not playing in MAJOR SPONSORS
American Airlines, AT&T, Bank of America, Ford Motors, Dr. Pepper, MillerCoors and PepsiCo.
the Super Bowl since 1995, the Dallas Cowboys still generate the most operating income compared to other NFL members, generating US$420mn in 2018. In 2009, the AT&T Stadium became the franchise’s home ground, the stadium cost US$1.2mn to build and has a capacity of 100,000.
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Aerojet Rocketdyne: the evolution of aerospace and defence technology WRITTEN BY
GEORGIA WILSON PRODUCED BY
MIKE SADR
MARCH 2020
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AEROJET ROCKETDYNE
After two years, Alan Avakian, Senior Director of IT and John Jackson, Chief Information Officer at Aerojet Rocketdyne, discuss the company’s innovative transformation journey since 2018
W 104
ith 20 years’ experience within information technology, Alan Avakian, Senior Director of IT at Aerojet Rocketdyne,
has spent most of his career in the aerospace and defense industry. “I started out as an application developer, working in technologies ranging from the mainframe to client/server and web. Other technical roles I have had include database administration and project management,” says Avakian. “After working with programmers and internal customers, I branched out into other more specialized disciplines including reporting and ERP. At a certain point, I had to make a career choice between technical and management tracks, and chose management in the end for the opportunities. With guidance from others, I went back for my Masters of Business Administration and transitioned to managing my own department before becoming a Director and Chief Technology Officer.”
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AEROJET ROCKETDYNE
“ Additive manufacturing, hypersonics, and solar electric propulsion are key innovation areas for Aerojet Rocketdyne” — Alan Avakian, Senior Director of IT, Aerojet Rocketdyne
Avakian describes Aerojet Rocketdyne as “an innovative worldclass developer and manufacturer of advanced propulsion and energetics systems
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Aerojet Rocketdyne Manufacturing B-Roll CLICK TO WATCH
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107 for customers including the US
“Additive manufacturing, hyper-
Department of Defense, NASA and
sonics, and solar electric propulsion
other agencies and companies, both
are key innovation areas for Aerojet
in the United States and abroad.” Its
Rocketdyne. We are also developing
vision is to further develop the brand
propulsion systems to utilise high-
and leverage its experience to provide
performance ‘green’ propellants.
the most cost-effective, on-schedule
Green propulsion systems are an
and reliable products in the industry.
alternative to conventional chemical
Over the last two years, Avakian has seen the aero-
propulsion systems that use hydrazine propellants for a variety of applica-
space and defense industry evolve
tions, including next-generation
significantly, with multiple new trends
launch vehicles and spacecraft,”
emerging fast such as: additive manu-
says Avakian.
facturing, solar electric propulsion, cybersecurity and cloud technology.
John Jackson is the Chief Information Officer at Aerojet Rocketdyne and w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
AEROJET ROCKETDYNE
110
E X ECU T I VE P RO FI LE
Alan Avakian Alan Avakian is the Senior Director of IT at Aerojet Rocketdyne. In this role, he leads the organisation’s Business Alignment and Technology Management functions responsible for shared business service strategy and operations including Networking, Infrastructure, Applications, and End User Support services. He coordinates with line-ofbusiness leaders to understand their needs (including anticipated technology and product changes) and works with IT outsourcing partners for execution. MARCH 2020
111 has extensive experience in cyber-
security in cloud, Jackson is also
security and cloud technologies. In
seeing companies shifting to this tech-
the Information Technology arena,
nology. “Cloud solutions now meet the
Jackson mentioned that “there’s a
stringent security requirements of our
much bigger focus on security and
industry, so companies are now start-
the new Cybersecurity Maturity
ing to pivot.”
Model Certification (CMMC) that was
Further discussing data security,
released in January. An accredited
Jackson explains the company’s own
third party assessor will independently
efforts since 2018 to develop its data
assess whether internal information
security methods. “Keeping up with
systems of companies that perform
the ever-increasing security threats
DoD work (including suppliers) have
for people who want to steal your data,
the required cybersecurity controls
while also meeting the new industry
in place to meet the assigned cyber
compliance standards such as the
maturity level.” With new levels of
CMMC, are core challenges when it w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
AEROJET ROCKETDYNE
112
comes to data security as it changes
a traditional IT architecture which
so fast.” At Aerojet Rocketdyne,
relies heavily on on-premise infra-
the company has a threat hunting
structure to a hybrid architecture.”
program which allows the company
In particular, Avakian highlights the
to proactively measure its security
company’s adoption of cloud tech-
posture rather than only relying on
nology, microservices and robotic
traditional threat management meas-
process automation (RPA). “Over
ures such as firewalls. In addition,
the last couple of years we have
“we are currently embarking on an
transitioned our Product Lifecycle
Enterprise Information Management
Management (PLM) system from
initiative to establish a data govern-
an on-premise solution to a cloud
ance program. This program will
provider. Our data is housed in a
assist with the standardisation and
FedRAMP data centre with around-
integration of data and metrics
the-clock support.” In addition to
across the enterprise.”
the cloud, the company has begun
When it comes to the innovative
conducting an RPA proof-of-concept
evolution of the company, Avakian
with its Finance department. “This
explains that over the last two years
will reduce costs, eliminate input
the company has “pivoted from
errors, speed up business processes,
MARCH 2020
What Is Artemis? CLICK TO WATCH
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0:45
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E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE
John Jackson John Jackson is the Chief Information Officer and Vice President at Aerojet Rocketdyne. In this role, he leads the Information Technology organization focused on the development and execution of an IT strategy to help deliver on mission success. The goal of the strategy is to unlock greater value for customers and the business by enabling innovative, secure and compliant technology solutions.
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Empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. Microsoft is a technology company whose mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. We strive to create local opportunity, growth, and impact in every country around the world. Learn More
115
“ Keeping up with the ever-increasing security threats while also meeting the new industry compliance standards such as the CMMC, are core challenges when it comes to data security as it changes so fast” — John Jackson,, CIO, Aerojet Rocketdyne
and will be integrated with applications. Our hope is to expand the program once we have proven out the technology and business model.” At an operational level, Avakian also explains the company’s development of a business relationship management team, as well as its healthy transition towards a balanced outsourcing and in-house operations approach. “We started with realigning some of our existing talent as well as recruiting new people with w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
AEROJET ROCKETDYNE
1942
Year founded
$2bn+ Revenue in US dollars
5,000 Number of employees
116
MARCH 2020
117
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AEROJET ROCKETDYNE
“ An innovative worldclass developer and manufacturer of advanced propulsion and energetics systems for customers including the US Department of Defense and NASA” 118
— Alan Avakian, Senior Director of IT, Aerojet Rocketdyne a background in IT and business liaison
our requirements in relation to levels
skills,” comments Avakian, who has
of control, security considerations,
seen huge benefits from establishing
cost model and growth.”
the team. “Our customers love the fact
With these developments, Avakian
that they have an IT representative
has seen “the ability of the company’s
that is aligned to them.” When it comes
IT systems to grow with the busi-
to balancing its outsourcing and in-
ness, enabling faster turnaround of
house operations, Avakian highlights
key enhancements which were not
that “it’s a challenging opportunity as
achievable before without significant
there are benefits and use cases for
investment in time and money.” For
both methods. Our approach is to look
example, Microsoft has been help-
at the IT area and then assess which
ing Aerojet Rocketdyne to “leverage
approach or combination best meets
Microsoft Dynamics for our CRM.
MARCH 2020
119
We will also be using Microsoft’s
– and the company’s propulsion which
Office 365 and Azure for storage later
plays a critical role in SLS’s ability to
this year.”
successfully launch the heaviest, larg-
Reflecting on the company, Avakian
est, and most valuable payloads to deep
sees the company’s biggest strength
space” is an example of one of the com-
being its people and drive towards
pany’s biggest successes to date.
innovation in everything that it does, particularly having seen the company expand its presence to drive innovation. Avakian concludes that the company’s “NASA Space Launch System (SLS) – America’s next-generation heavy-lift rocket, powered by Aerojet Rocketdyne w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
120
Intel Corporation: Setting the stage for the year of security WRITTEN BY
WILL GIRLING PRODUCED BY
CRAIG KILLINGBACK
MARCH 2020
121
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I N T E L C O R P O R AT I O N
William ‘Bill’ Giard, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Cloud and Enterprise Group, at Intel on how Intel’s industryleading approach to security will benefit the wider industry
F
ounded in 1968 in Santa Clara, California, Intel Corporation began with a focus on computer memory. From the very start,
the company prided itself on its agility and breadth of ability, as well as a customer-driven philosophy that ensured its popularity with consumers. When 122
Business Chief last spoke to Intel in August 2019, the company stated that it was moving “from a PC-centric strategy to a data-centric one”. It was a big shift for Intel, which had spent the last 50 years focusing on the former. However, realising that storage, memory, computing and data centres were all part of a larger, more exciting picture, it was determined to make the transition. Almost six months later, we spoke with William ‘Bill’ Giard, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Intel, who talked about his vision for the company in 2020. Part of Intel for over 20 years, having joined almost immediately after completing his studies at Portland State University, Giard has seen the evolution of the business first-hand. “I saw what it was doing in the industry and got really energised about working with computers and electronics,” MARCH 2020
1968
Year founded
$70bn Revenue in US dollars
110,000+ Number of employees
w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
123
I N T E L C O R P O R AT I O N
“ Changing Intel is a big deal, but changing an industry direction is probably what excites me the most” 124
— William ‘Bill’ Giard, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Cloud Enterprise Solutions Group, Intel
he explains. “For me, it was just a logical choice once I graduated.” Starting as an engineer and then working his way up to CTO, Giard says he has gained a lot of valuable experience in enterprise IT, including data management, product life-cycle management and big enterprise systems. “It really opened my eyes to what we’re doing for the wider industry. Changing Intel is a big deal, but changing an industry direction is probably what excites me the most.” Giard believes that embracing digital transformation, understanding system architectures and how to enable business processes is a pivotal strategy for the company. However, his primary focus is on understanding how Intel’s software can be used to enable hardware in such a way that it works seamlessly. “My role as CTO is about combining technical hardware and software implementations with the developments happening in data growth, analytics, infrastructure modernisation and security,” he says. “This is where my passion really lies.” Giard’s strategic vision for Intel is a trifecta of technological developments: hybridcloud solutions, analytics powered
MARCH 2020
AWS re:Invent 2019: William Giard, Intel CLICK TO WATCH
|
17:48
125 by artificial intelligence (AI), and, most
the keystone of Intel’s product devel-
importantly, security.
opment. “It can’t be bolted on after
Security is of paramount impor-
the fact; it’s got to be built in from the
tance to both customers and the tech
start. And enabling that work, where
industry as a whole. With ransom-
we’re trying to perform computing at
ware incidents and insider threats
the edge, I think is critically important
infiltrating even the most hermetic
to our business strategy.”
of organisations, such as the US
Owing to the necessity for latency-
Federal Government, it’s becoming
sensitive applications and the
all too clear that traditional firewalls
emergence of 5G, which is ushering in
and perimeter-based controls can no
the possibility of real-time solutions,
longer adequately protect the digital
‘edge computing’ is a paradigm taking
world. Recognising it as, perhaps, ‘the’
on great precedence in the indus-
central challenge of 2020, Giard has
try. Instead of sending data from a
decided to make security solutions
device to a server where it can then be w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
I N T E L C O R P O R AT I O N
“Security needs to be at the forefront: it’s the number one growth potential in a number of areas” — William ‘Bill’ Giard, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Cloud Enterprise Solutions Group, Intel 126
analysed, the analysis is conducted on
Intel’s efforts to tackle the issue have
the device itself. Common examples
been bolstered by healthy relationships
of edge computing include the bio-
with its digital solution partners, such as
metric readers (fingerprint or facial
Microsoft, Red Hat, IBM and VMware,
recognition hardware) on smart-
which has enabled a productive eco-
phones. “This is where technology is
system in which to develop solutions.
shifting quite rapidly,” Giard explains.
Intel’s more than seven-year part-
“It allows us to meet our customers
nership with Lockheed Martin, one
where they’re addressing their chal-
of the top security providers in the
lenges. Security needs to be at the
world, on a project for the Federal
forefront: it’s the number one growth
Government is a demonstration of
potential in a number of areas, but
its commitment to delivering world-
security professionals will tell you
class security capabilities. After all,
it hasn’t gotten enough attention.”
Giard explains, there’s no better way
MARCH 2020
to develop an awareness of security
up meant a vastly improved level of
than by working with a security com-
protection, which, nonetheless, didn’t
pany. “In the federal arena, security
compromise performance in any way.
is the first conversation you have
Intel Select Solutions for Hardened
instead of the third or fifth. When
Security with Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin asked us to assist
resulted from this partnership. The
them in that effort, it helped us not
company recognised that the problem
just develop our Xeon processors,
lay in security occurring at different
but also to develop our understand-
layers of the computing process: the
ing that integrated security has got
operating system, the application
to work from the moment the system
layer, virtual machines, etc. The tradi-
turns on.” Intel’s collaboration with
tional approaches to protection can
Lockheed made it clear that building
leave customers open to threats in
security from the most nascent level
multiple areas and a more rigorously
E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE
William (Bill) Giard Bill has over 20 years of experience in designing enterprise architectures and developing software solutions to support mission-critical systems across supply-chain, product development, and enterprise infrastructure segments. Prior to joining DPG, he led the software development efforts within Intel IT to modernize the application and computing environment, delivering secure and usable solutions across multiple client computing platforms utilizing cloud technologies to enable new business models.
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127
I N T E L C O R P O R AT I O N
consolidated structure was required. Constituted from Xeon hardware and Security Runtime Environment (SRE) software, the solution is designed to address fundamental challenges experienced by CIOs and CISOs daily, delivering comprehensive protection across the entire computing process. The solution is able to provide an organisation with a new and comprehensive security method that will help it safeguard its most precious 128
asset: data. “Our approach is about enabling data creation, consumption and insights not only across data centres but also the public cloud environment. Our rich portfolio of technologies from Intel Xeon Scalable processors to Intel Ethernet to Intel Optane memory and storage are key to achieving that,” Giard states. In addition, as a leader in the industry, Intel has a long and established history of collaborating with partners of all sizes to optimise software in Intel’s architecture. Customers benefit from a high-performing cloud platform that easily integrates into their MARCH 2020
129
“We take the philosophy that growth and speed of execution helps everyone” — William ‘Bill’ Giard, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Cloud Enterprise Solutions Group, Intel
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I N T E L C O R P O R AT I O N
“In the federal arena, security is the first conversation you have instead of the third or fifth” 130
— William ‘Bill’ Giard, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Cloud Enterprise Solutions Group, Intel existing environments. “We take the philosophy that growth and speed of execution helps everyone,” he says. Reinforcing this point, Mike Gann, Director of Business Development, adds that this is what helps Intel distinguish itself from competitors. “The coolest thing that I’ve seen at Intel is how we partner within that ecosystem to really make an impact. As a company, we want to deliver innovative technology that will change how we all work, play and live. We want to change the world.” MARCH 2020
It’s a noble idea, but one that can’t succeed without a solid, customercentric strategy to back it up. Fortunately, Intel has and always will be about providing an easy, ‘out of the box’ experience for consumers of its products. “Part of our value comes from providing that flexibility. No matter where the data resides, we’re helping customers put it in the right place so that they can take appropriate action. From a security perspective, that means making it easy for them by just incorporating it into the infrastructure, giving them peace of mind,” Intel explains. This arrives at the crux of the matter for Intel: as cyber-attacks get more sophisticated and old defences lose their potency, a comprehensive and fundamental reimagining of the whole concept is required and that is what Intel believes in. “After all,” Giard says, “if you get the foundation right, you can act fast and solve the problem very quickly.”
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131
132
SUCCESS ACAD EMY D I S RUP T I NG THE E DUCAT I ON SPACE WRITTEN BY
SEAN GALEA-PACE PRODUCED BY
DENITRA PRICE
MARCH 2020
133
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SUCCESS ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOLS
Vincent Moorehead, Senior Director of Strategic Procurement and Supply Chain at Success Academy Charter Schools, discusses his organisation’s transformation journey in New York City
134
S
Success Academy Charter Schools is the largest and highest-performing free public charter school network in New
York State. It’s the size of the seventh largest school district in the state. Founded in Harlem in 2006 by former New York City Council Member Eva Moskowitz, the organisation now operates 45 schools, enrolling 18,000 students in grades K-12, most of them low-income children of colour, in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. In a city where only one in three children of colour can read or do math at grade level, Success Academy’s scholars have excelled. On the most recent state exams, 99% of Success students passed mathematics and 90% passed English Language Arts. With ambitions to operate 100 schools and enroll 50,000 students over the next decade, Success Academy is driven to innovate in the realm of pedagogy as well as procurement. MARCH 2020
135
2006
Year founded
HQ
New York, NY USA
2,500 Number of employees
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We Can Build It: Success Academy Charter Schools CLICK TO WATCH
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3:48
137 Overseeing the organisation’s procurement arm, Vincent Moorehead, Senior Director of Strategic Procurement and Supply Chain, believes that Success Academy is differentiated by a culture of excellence: “Excellence is ingrained in our culture. Our customers are our scholars and their families,” explains Moorehead. “Our work is extremely high stakes. To us, it’s all about consistently raising the bar for what is possible in public education. We need to always be thinking about how we can deliver a great education to our
“ Our work is extremely high stakes. To us, it’s all about consistently raising the bar for what is possible in public education” — Vincent Moorehead, Senior Director of Strategic Procurement and Supply Chain, Success Academy Charter Schools w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
SUCCESS ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOLS
138
“ If you look at charter schools generally, we are one of the few that has a procurement team” — Vincent Moorehead, Senior Director of Strategic Procurement and Supply Chain, Success Academy Charter Schools MARCH 2020
scholars and how we can use each dollar to make the biggest impact in our classrooms.” Operating efficiencies are critical to Success Academy. With public funding that’s about $5,000 less per student than what district schools spend each year, the network prioritises strong management of its resources. Moorehead has been instrumental in delivering savings. “The role of management is undervalued in public schooling,” says
139
Moskowitz. “Educators everywhere
A graduate from Howard University in
acknowledge the impact of effec-
Washington, D.C, Moorehead worked
tive teachers, but what is less often
for several different companies such
recognised—yet essential to creating
as United Technologies Corporation,
and sustaining excellent schools—is
Kearney, and the FBI before joining
the need for operational excellence.
Success Academy in August 2018.
When the administrative and business
Upon his arrival, the organisation
aspects of schools are well managed,
decided to centralise the entire
teachers and principals are freed up
purchasing area across the board.
to focus entirely on student learning.
“When I first started, we had so many
Vince has been important in helping
conversations about what a central-
us achieve this.”
ised procurement model would look w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
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like,” he says. “If you look at charter
processes, which led to the imple-
schools generally, we are one of the
mentation of Coupa and a centralised
few that has a procurement team. The
approach. He focused on making the
first thing we had to do was map out
programme as streamlined as pos-
an ideal purchasing process for our
sible. “I wanted something that was
network of schools. It was vital that we
very user-friendly because our users
had the right tools, systems, and pro-
are educators, not procurement spe-
cesses in place for our team to be able
cialists. They should be able to focus
to imagine how streamlined this new
on their scholars, not on purchasing
process could be for our school staff.”
orders,” says Moorehead. “I wanted
Subsequently, Moorehead set about updating several outdated and broken
a system in place where they could make requests for classroom supplies 141
E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE
Vincent Moorehead Vincent Moorehead currently leads procurement at Success Academy Charter Schools, the largest and highest-performing free public charter school network in New York City. He leads a team that manages contract negotiations, supply chain, tactical and strategic sourcing in order to secure every thinkable material (from chapter books, furniture, to interactive whiteboards) for 18,000+ students in the NYC area. Vincent’s background is primarily within Supply Chain Management focusing on Operations and Procurement. Prior to joining SACS in 2018, he worked in management consulting at Efficio Consulting and A.T. Kearney, global sourcing at United Technologies, with unique experience in government contracting at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
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SUCCESS ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOLS
“ Educators everywhere acknowledge the impact of effective teachers, but what is less often recognised — yet essential to creating and sustaining excellent schools — is the need for operational excellence” 142
— Eva Moskowitz, Founder and CEO, Success Academy Charter Schools
MARCH 2020
in a way that they’re used to, similar to buying something on Amazon. On the backend, our procurement team still has the control, and we can now see what the needs of each classroom are in real time, as our teachers and school leaders make purchase requests. With this knowledge, we’re better prepared for our next school year. We better anticipate what we’ll need to stock in all of our classrooms based on what our educators request this year.” Having overseen many ERP implementations over the years, Moorehead affirms that this was one of the least troublesome he’s dealt with. “It was one of the smoothest transitions that I’ve ever been through and we implemented the system in just eight months,” he explains. “We phased out the launch and were able to trial the system before implementing it fully across our network. I’m pleased to say that after the initial hurdle of learning a new system, Success Academy staff members regularly stop me in the hallway and tell me how much easier the new platform is to use.” Success Academy places significant value on its partnerships. The network w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
143
Accelerating Digital Transformation Agilant, a Lenovo Gold Partner, is a global digital transformation company providing leading IT services and solutions in the education sector and beyond. We offer strategic design, proven IT technologies, and world-class support backed by more than three decades of industry experience.
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Take a Look Inside a Success Academy School CLICK TO WATCH
|
1:47
145
“ I’m looking for a partner that understands the mission and wants to help us get there” — Vincent Moorehead, Senior Director of Strategic Procurement and Supply Chain, Success Academy Charter Schools
has formed several key strategic relationships, such as with The Advance Group, CrossCountry Consulting, KI, and OpenText. Moorehead believes that any prospective partnership must have the right drive and mentality to succeed from the start. “I’m looking for a partner that understands the mission and wants to help us get there,” says Moorehead. “The suppliers that we currently work with understand the challenges that we go through. However, it’s important that there’s mutual benefit and I’m constantly w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
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KI is proud to have been a partner with Success Academy since their start in 2006.
ki.com/ruckus
thinking about ways we can help make
including working with our internal
our suppliers’ jobs easier. By doing this,
and external technical teams, and was
we can support them not just for the
able to help reduce the change man-
immediate future, but long term too.”
agement impact on the organisation,”
Moorehead affirms that each
he explains. “OpenText has a digital
partnership plays a critical role in
platform that helps us protect our
ensuring Success Academy runs
data — which is critical for us because
efficiently. “CrossCountry Consulting
we’re protecting student privacy. All
was brought on board as our imple-
of our integrations use a partner for
mentation partner to help us roll out
error management and manage data
our new purchasing system, and they
as it flows from system to system.
have been outstanding. The team,
OpenText is at the heart of that and
led by Harpreet Narula, Partner at
has data that flows through it from our
CrossCountry, had in-depth knowl-
Human Resource Information Systems
edge of the purchasing system,
(HRIS) to our financial systems and
managed the entire implementation
to our purchasing platform.”
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147
SUCCESS ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOLS
C O M PA N Y FACT S
• Last summer, Success delivered over 300,000 items per classroom across our 45 schools. • On the most recent state exams, 99% of Success students passed mathematics and 90% passed English Language Arts.
148
• For the 2019-20 academic year, Success Academy schools received more than 17,000 applications for about 4,000 open seats.
MARCH 2020
“KI has helped with providing innovative furniture and has been suggesting and updating products to ensure that our school design is as efficient as possible,” says Moorehead. “The Advance Group is our logistics partner. They deliver and install all the furniture in each classroom. Last summer, Success delivered over 300,000 items per classroom across our 45 schools. The Advance Group truly understands the critical nature of our mission and they are a reliable partner in making sure each of our classrooms is ready for scholars on the first day of school.” With a vision to operate 100 schools in New York City, Moorehead has a clear idea of how to achieve such ambitions. “I’m very optimistic and I believe we will get to 100 schools comfortably. By then, we’ll likely be serving over 50,000 students across New York,” says Moorehead. “That’s the size of the Boston or Atlanta school system.”
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149
PURA VIDA BRACELETS
ARTISANAL SUPPLY CHAINS
150
WRITTEN BY
WILLIAM SMITH PRODUCED BY
DENITRA PRICE
MARCH 2020
151
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PURA VIDA BRACELETS
ERIKO BAILEY, VICE PRESIDENT, SUPPLY CHAIN AT PURA VIDA BRACELETS, DISCUSSES HOW AN ETHICAL APPROACH TO THE SUPPLY CHAIN DEFINES THE BRAND
P
ura Vida Bracelets was founded by Griffin Thall and Paul Goodman after a trip to Costa Rica and an encounter with two
artisan bracelet makers by the name of Jorge and Joaquin. After originally requesting 400 bracelets to take back to San Diego, 10 years later the com152
pany is now worth over $100mn dollars. As Eriko Bailey, Vice President, Supply Chain, explains, the artisanal connection has not been lost along the way. “Our artisans have been able to scale with the brand and, today, Jorge and Joaquin are the sole owners of the manufacturer that produces 75% of the products which we offer to the marketplace.” That connection is an important part of the company’s identity and attracts the demographic with which it is most successful. “Where we really hit it off is with that millennial, Gen Z core customer,” she explains. “Being socially and charitably conscious is the life vein of the brand. We’ve also been able to highlight that through things like Instagram and Facebook where we use the social media aspect to really showcase Pura Vida as a lifestyle brand outside of just being a product.” In pursuit of this MARCH 2020
153
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PURA VIDA BRACELETS
“ BEING SOCIALLY AND CHARITABLY CONSCIOUS IS THE LIFE VEIN OF THE BRAND” — Eriko Bailey, Vice President, Supply Chain, Pura Vida 154
and alongside supporting artisans, Pura Vida partners with select charities. “We’re creating products that an end consumer can purchase and know that a portion of that dollar amount is given to charity. As a brand, our biggest focuses right now are mental health issues, animals and anything that has to do with the environment. Those are the three key things that our customers are demanding.” Of course, a focus on sustainability runs far deeper than just burnishing the company’s reputation. As Pura
MARCH 2020
Pura Vida — Live Free CLICK TO WATCH
|
3:16
155 Vida expands the product categories in which it is active, it is ensuring that an ethical approach is built into its operations, and the operations of those with which it works. “We try to stay as authentic as possible to the artisan and charitable messaging that we have,” Bailey explains, “whether that be working with manufacturers that are Fairtrade certified, finding the cotton farmers that are working in organic fields, all the way through to the mills that are producing the fabrics that we’re going to be using.” Bailey has had a personal hand in ensuring w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
PURA VIDA BRACELETS
156
that such intentions are translated into
artisan means, but in essence anything
reality. “I’ve been spearheading our
that’s being made with two hands is
overall sustainability initiative. It started
artisanal. The biggest thing is focus-
with social compliance auditing of the
ing on transparency within all of our
factories of our vendors and manufac-
artisans and vendors. We work with
turing partners, then getting them up
them with regards to capacity planning
to a baseline; ensuring that fair wages
and what our demands are going to
are being extended to individuals at the
be. That helps them to scale up as the
ground level, that these facilities are at
business continues to grow.” In many
code, and that there’s a safe working
other ways, however, dealing with
environment overall.”
artisans is not so different from con-
The reliance on artisanal products
ventional mass production. “Just like
does present its own problems.
regular manufacturing, communication
“Everybody has this idea of what
and transparency are the two biggest
MARCH 2020
157
E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE
Eriko Bailey Eriko Bailey is Pura Vida Bracelets’ Vice President, Supply Chain. An innovative supply chain leader, she has proven success in transforming both forward and reverse supply chain operations to Best-in-Class, while reducing expense and improving customer satisfaction. With over 10 years of supply chain experience, Eriko also possesses a BS in Retail Management / Marketing and a Minor in Entrepreneurial and Emerging Enterprises from Syracuse University and a Professional Designation AA focused in Merchandise Product Development from Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising. w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
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159
things that help production overall,” Bailey says. “You have to provide foresight on those annual plans you are looking to produce and also work with the teams that you have in terms of where they are today and where you need them to get to in six months, or a year from now. That visibility and transparency ignites the possibilities and the production capabilities of any manufacturer, whether they’re artisans or mass producers.” Culture is another important consideration. “Culture’s a big thing for our
“ CREATIVITY AND COLLABORATION ARE THE TWO BIGGEST COMPONENTS TO OUR CULTURE OVERALL” — Eriko Bailey, Vice President, Supply Chain, Pura Vida w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
PURA VIDA BRACELETS
160
MARCH 2020
2010
Year founded
$108mn Revenue in US dollars
35
Number of employees communities, but also in the supply chain as well. This is made up of the people that are working for our brand: the individuals in the team. But then it’s also the wider supply chain. They’re an extension of our team - they may not have Pura Vida in the name, but they are still a part of us.” To a certain extent, that culture has been guided by the relative youth of its workforce. “Within the department specifically, and in the wider team as well as our vendor partners, creativity and collaboration are the two biggest components to our overall culture. I think the beauty of w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
161
PURA VIDA BRACELETS
“ VISIBILITY AND TRANSPARENCY IGNITES THE POSSIBILITIES AND THE PRODUCTION CAPABILITIES OF ANY MANUFACTURER, WHETHER THEY’RE ARTISANS OR MASS PRODUCERS” 162
— Eriko Bailey, Vice President, Supply Chain, Pura Vida working with a company that is very
says. “Now that we’re growing into
young from an employee standpoint -
these additional categories we need
probably 85% millennial to Gen Z - is
to bring all of our vendors into one
the thought process of: ‘I’m going to
centralised database of information.
take this process, but I’m also going
Being able to have a partner plug
to try to improve it.’”
into a software program that can
Processes are also being improved
then provide information in real time
by technological means. “We’re
means we don’t have to wait a full
bringing in a product lifecycle man-
day for the information to come back.”
agement (PLM) system this year from
Pura Vida also relies on partners for
Visual Next, which is going to help
distribution, with different third-party
centralise our design and develop-
logistics (3PL) firms in domestic and
ment processes overall,” Bailey
international markets.
MARCH 2020
163
Those international markets are just
first branded Pura Vida retail store,
one of many focuses for this rapidly
opening in May 2020, with more on
growing business. “We’ve just opened
our radar,” Bailey explains. “We’re fir-
a fulfillment center in Canada to help
ing on all cylinders to ensure that we
facilitate that growth as well as in
have a footprint on multiple levels so
Hong Kong for the APAC region over-
that the customer can really experi-
all,” says Bailey. “We’re very excited
ence the Pura Vida brand.”
about our international growth.” Traditionally both a direct to consumer and B2B brand, Pura Vida is bolstering those relationships while also exploring new methods of reaching customers. “We’re embarking on our w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
164
MARCH 2020
CodeBlue: Leading an industry
WRITTEN BY
AMBER DONOVAN-STEVENS PRODUCED BY
ANDY TURNER
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165
CODEBLUE
Jason Manns, COO of CodeBlue, details the rise of insurtech as CodeBlue leverages science and cutting-edge technology to meet industry challenges
T
echnology is transforming every industry, and insurance is no exception. The landscape is rapidly evolving and with
this, insurance companies are challenged with managing change. The transformation toward digital solutions creates an opportunity to have 166
a better understanding of customer behaviours and to provide immediate customer solutions. When harnessed successfully, these newly acquired technologies improve policyholder satisfaction while reducing costs for insurance carriers. Jason Manns, COO of CodeBlue, has over 25 years’ experience in the personal and commercial lines insurance industry. As a transformational change leader, he has led claims and operations for a number of insurance carriers with a passion for delivering best-in-class performance, while ensuring that the customer experience is at the heart of decisions. As an insurance executive, Manns has seen the insurance industry begin to slowly shift with technological adoption advances and, consequently, sees three of the most significant challenges MARCH 2020
167
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CODEBLUE
“ The insurance industry is paying close attention to the technological advancements of other industries but continues to significantly lag behind in the adoption rate of the innovations that exist today in the marketplace” — Jason Manns, COO, CodeBlue
The second challenge insurance carriers face is the embedded inefficiencies in the claim handling process
168
currently faced by insurance carriers.
from inadequate initial claim damage
The first is the effective management
evaluations. “For example, it is common
of labour and the expenses associ-
for insurance carriers to experience 25%
ated with insurance carrier workforces.
to 40% supplemental claim payments
“This is particularly important because,
due to inaccuracies in the initial
in today’s low unemployment rate
damage evaluation process.” Today,
economy, there are shortages of
technology is available to provide
qualified and technically proficient
real-time digital capture of damages
insurance staff. I expect the virtual
at the policyholder’s initial loss report,
technologies that are now available
reducing supplemental work.
will significantly change traditional
Lastly, policyholder engagement
insurance carrier staffing models,”
presents a new challenge. The expec-
he says.
tations of customers have increased to the point where an Amazon-like standard of service, with same-day turnarounds between orders and deliveries, has become the norm. “This level of service with regards to policyholders seeking immediate same-day property claim inspections
MARCH 2020
Join the CodeBlue Revolution CLICK TO WATCH
|
3:20
169 and contractor on site arrivals is typi-
insurance claims management pro-
cally unheard of across the insurance
vider with full scale customisable
industry,” says Manns. “There is a mas-
solutions. Drawing from his experi-
sive potential for insurance carriers
ences in the insurance carrier industry,
to catch up to what other industries
he focused on immediate policyholder
are doing.”
actions at first contact and the contin-
Early in CodeBlue’s inception,
ued development of proprietary claim
Manns — while working at an insur-
management software with digital
ance carrier — was involved in the
technologies. This included virtual
development of CodeBlue’s proactive
inspections strategies that provided
claims management model, which
solutions for insurance carrier staff
was and continues to be significantly
to view loss damages real-time and
different than all others in the industry.
remotely. “Insurance carrier staff
Today, Manns leads the operations
can now view initial damage inspec-
at CodeBlue, an industry-leading
tions from their office in a few hours w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
Let us grow together. Bamboo is a newly formed insurance organization, backed by some of the largest carriers in the industry, and established on the principles of customer advocacy and transparency. We aren’t looking to reinvent the wheel, but to add some grease that ultimately delivers a smooth and pleasant experience for our Customers.
Learn more
LEARN MORE
CODEBLUE
CodeBlue Join the Revolution #2 CLICK TO WATCH
|
1:59
172 after claim notification as opposed
reporting of claims, CodeBlue has
to having to be physically present at
advanced this by providing a 24-hour
the site, removing the additional costs
service, available 365 days a year,
incurred with travel time and fleet
for first notice of loss claim reporting
vehicles,” says Manns. In addition,
with virtual damage inspections and
virtual damage inspection solutions
contractor integrations that provide
reduce vehicle usage, promoting envi-
immediate actions for policyholders.
ronmentally friendly carbon practices
This approach maximises the accu-
and are a strategy that can be used to
racy of initial damage inspections
protect staff against exposure to air-
while driving high levels of policy-
borne viruses and contaminants often
holder engagement. In addition to
found at loss locations.
this, says Manns, “insurance carriers
While it remains an industry stand-
include policy language that stresses
ard to use call centers to interact
the policyholder’s obligation to pre-
with policyholders during the initial
vent additional damages at the time
MARCH 2020
of the loss by taking the needed
as “First Notice Of Loss” claim report-
actions. However, policyholders often
ing, but instead, we call it “First Notice
need greater levels of assistance in
And Response” with immediate actions
the claim process than they typically
for policyholders.” Vault Insurance
receive.” This is where CodeBlue’s
Chief Claims Officer, Peter Piotrowski
combination of technology, staff with
stated, “by partnering with CodeBlue,
property subject matter expertise
we can leverage best-in-class technol-
and contractor network, are lever-
ogy to respond quickly with the right
aged to ensure insurance carriers
resources and skills to policyholders.
and policyholders receive immediate
Together with CodeBlue, customers
actions that translate to science-
will always receive efficient, empa-
based outcomes. Manns explains,
thetic and personalised assistance,
“because of this advanced approach,
leveraged by technology in order
we no longer refer to our process
to deliver the best repair services.
E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE
Jason Manns Jason Manns is the Chief Operations Officer at CodeBlue, an industryleading insurance claims management provider servicing North America. Jason has over 25 years of experience in leading claims and operations at insurance carriers at the executive officer level. At CodeBlue, Jason is responsible for overseeing and scaling company-wide operations, including the continued development of proprietary claim software with digital applications that support virtual damage inspection strategies for insurance carriers. He is passionate about working with personal and commercial lines insurance carriers to provide property claim solutions that assist in making technology transformation easier.
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173
CODEBLUE
D ID YO U K N OW?
The CodeBlue Flood House Experience
174
Facilities That Embody The CodeBlue Culture CodeBlue is headquartered in Springfield, Ohio, USA, with two additional offices in Hudson, Ohio, and Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Much like the company itself, CodeBlue’s headquarters in Springfield, Ohio, is a blend of history and innovation. CodeBlue is located in the historic 1893 Bushnell Building, where the Wright brothers patented their design for the airplane. The building renovations since its erection have achieved Platinum LEED (leadership in energy & environmental design) Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). MARCH 2020
In the CodeBlue flood house, they train and certify (IICRC S500) CodeBlue staff, insurance carrier staff, and contractors to be subject matter experts on the science of drying. The Springfield OH, CodeBlue flood house has been flooded with 1,500 gallons of water over 200 times since being built in 2011. “In this live water damage home environment, we demonstrate and teach the science of drying with participants using industry water and fire mitigation equipment to understand what is possible using today’s technology. Participants witness the ability to dry and restore wet materials such as carpet, hardwood flooring, cabinets, trim, and drywall versus replacing materials. This enables CodeBlue to return policyholders to pre-loss condition in the fastest and least disruptive manner.” CodeBlue has a 2nd flood house used to train and certify staff, built in 2007 in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
175
Classroom teaching session with Ed Jones in the CodeBlue Flood House Vault Insurance and CodeBlue are
smart-connected homes and buildings
united by the same ethos: excellent
that measure the inside environmental
customer service.”
conditions. These emerging technolo-
“The insurance industry is paying
gies provide insurance carriers with
close attention to the technological
missing data points and consumer
advancements of other industries but
behaviors to better predict underwrit-
continues to significantly lag behind
ing risks, loss frequency and all of the
in the adoption rate of the innovations
costs associated, as well as the ability
that exist today in the marketplace,”
to take actions to avoid losses through
Manns notes. “We are seeing innova-
virtual real-time policyholder interac-
tions ranging from automotive loss
tions. The opportunity exists for
avoidance capabilities and self-driv-
insurance leaders to challenge the
ing vehicles, aerial photography
status quo in their organisations,
and the use of drones, to IoT
embrace available technologies, w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
T H O UG HTF UL, SIM PLE, DYNA M IC
Vault is the new standard in personal insurance.
Vault is the new standard in personal insurance. Everything we do from building superior insurance products to interacting with our customers, is just that: personal. Our business is about empowering people to live spirited, passionate, and fulfilled lives, and we’re deeply committed to creating an unrivaled experience for our agents and our customers. Our mission is to create the perfect balance between living life and protecting it, and where the status quo doesn’t cut it, we’re rethinking insurance. Easier to do business with. Insurance should feel intuitive and direct. At Vault we work obsessively to make this a reality. We’re constantly reinventing how the technology we build saves customers time -- from how our bespoke insurance plans are generated to how we’ve redesigned the billing process for a more intuitive, less cumbersome process.
The luxury of support for all. Simply put, Vault is protection done in a new way -- the broadest coverage on the market today, with real humans, prioritizing real lives in the background. Customers will feel supported by Vault before a claim is ever filed. After all, we’re here to make their lives less stressful, not more complex.
The tenacity of a startup with backing you know and trust. Vault is backed by significant financial and operational support from Allied World, a global insurance and reinsurance company. Our team is led by top industry veterans focused on developing a better holistic experience for customers, because we believe you can have it all.
Learn more at vault.insurance or contact us at 844 36 VAULT (82858)
CODEBLUE
178 I N DU ST RY FACT S
According to US Housing Study and Chubb Water Survey, 1 in 12 homes experience a plumbing leak each year with more than 2.5 million US homeowners experiencing water damage (excluding f looding) annually. US$10bn is paid annually by US insurance carriers to repair water damage (excluding f looding) each year.
MARCH 2020
and to become champions for change
For example, insurance carrier staff
to improve existing insurance models.�
can typically drive to inspect five to
To add to this, Manns asserts that
eight claims in a day, yet with the utili-
the fast emergence of startups in the
sation of digital technologies, the
insurtech space supports that there is
same staff member can virtually
evidence of insurance carrier sectors
inspect between 15 to 20 claims
dedicated to financially supporting
a day. This approach maximises the
this evolution. We are seeing insurance
accuracy of initial damage inspec-
carriers use emerging technologies
tions, reduces expenses and delivers
in the claim process to evaluate dam-
high policyholder satisfaction.
ages to the exterior of houses and
Another CodeBlue advantage is
buildings, but often overlook using
its proprietary claim software specific
available technologies in the evaluation
to each property line of business:
of damages to the interior of the home
water and fire mitigation, reconstruc-
or building. This is where CodeBlue has
tion, contents and inventory. These
become an industry leader, differenti-
are digitally connected to photo and
ating itself from its competitors by
video chat technologies that give
having the best-in-class interior vir-
the insurance carrier staff the ability
tual damage inspection solutions.
to confirm the cause of loss, verify w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
179
CODEBLUE
180
MARCH 2020
181
Policyholder Video CLICK TO WATCH
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2:28
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CODEBLUE
182
coverage and evaluate damages in
Information Institute, this averages
real-time at the loss location. At the
out at a cost of US$9,633 per claim.”
same time, personalised assistance
“Here is a pipe break example. The
is provided to the policyholder so that
insurance carrier directs the policy-
immediate action is taken to avoid
holder to report the loss to CodeBlue,”
additional loss damages and to start
says Manns. “Through targeted ques-
the repair process. Manns comments,
tions, CodeBlue identifies loss
“In the world of insurance property
specific details and uses a scientific
claims, one of the most frequent
algorithm in our proprietary database
losses are water-related damages
of 3,100 certified contractors to
caused by broken pipes and leaks.
select the best contractor for the job.
According to the Insurance
The chosen technology enabled
MARCH 2020
contractor arrives at the loss location within four hours. CodeBlue staff complete a virtual damage inspection video chat with the contractor and policyholder on-site, which provides insurance carrier staff the needed information — such as measurements, materials, and a sketch document — to be able to evaluate the loss damages from their office.” After this, CodeBlue’s certified IICRC staff use the proprietary software with the sci-
“ We’re highly customisable to insurance carriers and provide a suite of property claim solutions and virtual damage inspection strategies that insurance carriers can choose” — Jason Manns, COO, CodeBlue
ence of drying to proactively create
insurance carrier field staff coverage
a water mitigation drying plan with
locations,” he says. “Our success
the on-site contractor to restore wet
is driven by our ability to identify the
materials instead of replacing them.
best virtual inspection solution for
This keeps the focus on returning the
each specific claim, with inspection
policyholder to pre-loss condition
methods including policyholder self-
in the fastest ,most efficient and and
service, contractor dispatch, and the
least disruptive manner possible.
deployment of CodeBlue W2 staff.
To deliver the highest level of detailed
All virtual damage inspections utilise
loss documentation, CodeBlue uses
our proprietary claim software and
a combination of 3D cameras, digital
digital technologies to meet a policy-
applications and video chats to cap-
holder’s specific needs. This assists
ture the loss in a virtual environment,
insurance carriers with the effective
which allows insurance carrier staff
management of labor and the expenses
to tour the site from their computer
associated with large workforces,
or mobile device. “Our virtual damage
while reducing the inefficiencies of
inspection solutions vary and are
supplemental claim payments.”
determined by the type of loss and
Bamboo Insurance founding member w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
183
CODEBLUE
“ Our success is driven by our ability to identify the best virtual inspection solution for each specific claim, with inspection methods including policyholder self-service, contractor dispatch, and the deployment of CodeBlue W2 staff” 184
— Jason Manns, COO, CodeBlue and Chief Advocacy Officer, Stann Rose, explained: “Code Blue’s partnership and technology has enabled Bamboo Insurance the ability to scale operations from a startup into a high
Since no partnership is the same, Manns
growth company by providing imme-
emphasises the importance of listen-
diate information gathering, coverage
ing to partners to understand their
identification and faster claim han-
desired operating model and individ-
dling which has translated to high
ual needs. “We’re highly customisable
policyholder satisfaction.”
to insurance carriers and provide
CodeBlue partners with companies
a suite of property claim solutions and
throughout North America, including
virtual damage inspection strategies
three of the top 10 insurance carriers
that insurance carriers can choose.
in the US, regional insurance carriers
Insurance carriers like to partner with
and insurtech-like startup companies.
established companies with a history
MARCH 2020
2004
Year founded
$63mn Revenue in US dollars
455
Number of employees
of success, while simultaneously
solutions centered on virtual inspec-
providing innovative services with
tion strategies inside the home and
technology at the core. CodeBlue
building, they continue to focus on
has been providing property claim
the next innovation to achieve best
solutions to insurance carriers since
-in-class performance levels for poli-
2004 and is leading the way in making
cyholders and insurance carriers.
technology transformation easier for insurance carriers that choose to embrace innovations.� While Manns and the CodeBlue team provide industry-leading property claim w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
185
186
WRITTEN BY
SHANNON LEWIS PRODUCED BY
SHIRIN SADR
MARCH 2020
187
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RADIUS BANK
Joe Mancini, Chief Information Security Officer at Radius Bank, on how the company made a shift to digital five years ago and what that has meant for its cybersecurity
T
he American digital banking space has historically fallen behind the wider world’s innovations. Radius Bank seeks to correct
that. It specialises in partnering with fintechs to provide industry-leading consumer and commercial offerings. Recently, it was named Best Online 188
Bank by Bankrate.com. Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, the company has provided financial services for customers across the nation since 1987, when it was still called First Trade Union Bank. The business assumed its current name in 2014, a decision that coincided with a major transformation that closed every brick-and-mortar branch except one and evolved it into a digital-first organisation. Joe Mancini has been at Radius since 2016, overseeing information and cybersecurity across every facet of the bank and working closely with business lines, managing external partners, and ensuring appropriate protection on networks and assets. Mancini’s lifelong interest in cybersecurity has resulted in him working everywhere, from frontline protection at banks to interning at a local police department. With a special focus on cybercrime, MARCH 2020
Customer Service Team in Boston, MA
189
1987
Year founded
$100mn Revenue in US dollars
121
Number of employees w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
RADIUS BANK
“ You find a vulnerability; you patch it before it’s exploited. We come at it from a more investigative background” 190
— Joe Mancini, Senior Vice President, Chief Information Security Officer, Radius Bank
SVP, Operation Excellence; SVP, CISO; SVP, Treasurer; SVP, Customer Experience
MARCH 2020
he brings a unique perspective to his role. “My viewpoint tends to be ‘what is the visibility from a malicious actor standpoint, and how can we work from there?’,” Mancini explains. “Often, it tends to be a cat-and-mouse game. You find a vulnerability; you patch it before it’s exploited. We come at it from a more investigative background.” Mancini’s role includes a business enabling approach, seeking opportunities to help Radius grow. His team works closely with the virtual banking team to assess acquisitions and potential
Radius Bank: Why Work at Radius Bank? CLICK TO WATCH
|
0:44
191 partnerships, while also keeping an
products and services to consumers
eye out for emerging technologies
and businesses.” Some partners play a
such as cryptocurrency.
major role in Radius’ risk prevention pro-
By partnering with fintechs, Radius
grammes; Alloy operates heavily within
drastically reduces its time to market
Radius’ fraud prevention space. Together,
and was able to rebuild its entire digital
the two companies rebuilt the model by
platform in a mere four months. “Our
which Radius judges the risk of potential
digital banking strategy is built around
customers, integrating a risk waterfall
fintech driven technology,” Mancini
with seven to eight checkpoints. With
explains. “Push products, gain custom-
the help of partners like Alloy, Radius
ers and create a frictionless experience.
Bank has been able to significantly
The biggest challenge is speed to market
decrease its fraudulent account open-
and flexibility. Aligning with partners
ings. The financial benefits have also
that provide the high-tech platforms
been high, while the technology costs
allows us to offer these industry-leading
of opening a new account decreased. w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
RADIUS BANK
Radius Bank Security Team
192 Trust and shared values are at the core
approach rather than having risk seen
of Radius’ partnerships. “Speed to
as the roadblock.” This allows the
market is critical,” Mancini says, “but
risk team to catch problems before
we also need to understand there is risk
they happen, aligning with business
in the digital space. It’s about finding
partners while ensuring security
the right balance.”
compliance. “Proactively identifying
To ensure the highest standards of
potential risks and vulnerabilities is
cybersecurity, Radius Bank embeds
a critical component to the project
risk management into every stage of
lifecycle.” Mancini continues, “there
development. Banking is already a
is significant pressure to build and
highly regulated industry, but Radius
release products as quickly as pos-
goes further. “The risk team is involved
sible to remain competitive. Radius’
from day one in all these projects and
speed to market is industry leading,
partnerships,” Mancini states. “It’s
but we won’t roll out a product that
about building a business enabling
poses a risk to our customers.”
MARCH 2020
The key to implementing such a new system has been mutual trust between employees and executives. “It all goes back to culture,” notes Mancini. “You can have the best strategy in the world, but if your culture isn’t in line with that, you’re in trouble.” Team building starts from recruitment. Radius seeks out individuals whose values and mentality align with the bank’s, offering in turn a high-benefits, high-energy work environment. In order to attract talent, Radius ensures its offerings are 193 E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE
Joe Mancini Joe Mancini is the Senior Vice President, Chief Information Security Officer at Radius Bank, an industry leading digital first bank, headquartered in Boston, MA. In his role, Joe develops and implements a forward thinking, business enabling approach to information and cybersecurity that supports Radius’ fast-paced, tech driven approach. Prior to his role at Radius, Joe spent 10 years at East Boston Savings Bank. Joe is an experienced banking leader having held roles in fraud prevention, information and cyber security. Joe’s specialties include data security, business continuity and disaster recovery, emerging technologies such as digital currency and blockchain, along with privacy and compliance requirements in the digital world.
w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
The complete identity operating system Alloy helps top banks and fintechs make better decisions using a single API and dashboard to manage KYC/AML, fraud and more.
Approve More Good Customers Increase customer conversion and improve customer experience by increasing autoapproval rates.
Stop Fraud with Better Data Fight onboarding and ongoing fraud in one unified system.
Expertise to Ensure Success Alloy powers top 20 banks and the biggest names in fintech. We ensure you will never get stuck or fall behind.
Learn more
RADIUS BANK CASE STUDY Radius Bank is a forward-thinking community bank offering personal and business products and services. In an effort to become a digital-first, 21st century bank, Radius decided to create the best possible digital experience for its customers by using the best-in-class and most innovative fintech products on the market.
Our partnership with Alloy is transformative and means that we can now scale our digital retail bank ad-infinitum. - Mike Butler | CEO
OVERVIEW
Radius partnered with Alloy (in partnership with another fintech, Mantl) to transform the bank’s online consumer application process. By integrating APIs and data-driven workflow management tools into Radius’s digital banking platform, a superior customer experience was delivered while generating enormous cost savings for the bank.
?
CHALLENGE
With an increasing number of online banking applications, Radius’s onboarding process couldn’t meet customer demands. Applicants abandoned their applications or were denied in manual review resulting in significant back-office costs and huge delays in account opening and funding. Online banking is fraught with fraudulent account openings; a more sophisticated approach was required to combat fraud while letting in good customers.
SOLUTION
Alloy overhauled the entire KYC/AML process in Radius’s digital banking platform. By combining multiple data sources, fraud scores and authentication tests into a single rules engine, customer onboarding decisions were optimized, transparent and made in seconds. Most powerful of all, Alloy’s solution is customizable. This flexibility enabled Radius to create a risk decision scorecard that can be tested and modified in real time.
RESULT
The strategic partnership has equipped Radius with a best-in-class digital application platform and has transformed it into a recognized digital banking leader. Radius is now efficiently and automatically validating users’ identities and onboarding customers. Where users did have to go through manual review, the wait time was significantly lowered by having one place to review all application data and documents. Furthermore, the transparency of the Alloy platform gives Radius full digital paper trails when audits take place. Together with Alloy, Radius is empowered to capture more value from their online channels, delivering a far superior digital experience to their clients, all while lowering fraud.
50
% fraudulent
95
%
30
account openings
manual review applications
% application to account conversion
alloy.co
RADIUS BANK
196
MARCH 2020
CO MPAN Y FACT S
• Recently, Radius Bank was named Best Online Bank by Bankrate.com • With the help of partners like Alloy, Radius Bank has been able to half its fraudulent account openings
substantial and competitive with the standards of the best tech companies and that employees have flexibility and perks, such as the ability to work from home. “We want to incorporate a fun, hard working experience, while at the same time acknowledging the need for a cross functional, open-minded approach from all of our employees.” Security compliance comes down all the way from the executive team and board of directors. To this regard, Mancini emphasises the importance of leadership setting the example that others should follow. Security is a high priority to modern consumers, but so is a frictionless experience. Ultimately, it comes down w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
197
RADIUS BANK
198
“ Speed to market is critical, but we also need to understand there is risk in the digital space. It’s about finding the right balance” — Joe Mancini, Senior Vice President, Chief Information Security Officer, Radius Bank
to providing customers with the best experience possible in an allencompassing single platform. Part of engaging with new technologies is acknowledging contemporary cybersecurity needs. “Today’s cybersecurity landscape presents a complex array of risks with a growing list of technologydriven tools to help combat those threats,” Mancini says. The biggest risk continues to be the human element. Employees are still the main target of malicious actors. “Phishing attempts aren’t going away anytime soon.”
MARCH 2020
199
Mancini adds, “It’s about educating
emerging technology sphere. It turns
employees and customers about these
towards international waters for inspi-
potential risks.”
ration, absorbing concepts from the
Partnering with fintechs puts Radius
advancing global technology. “We will
Bank at the cutting edge of the industry,
continue to strategically incorporate
meaning it becomes the company that
high-tech driven initiatives,” Mancini
sets the precedent. Mancini states,
concludes. “We are an industry disrup-
“rather than looking at it as a challenge,
tor and are excited for what the future
we welcome the opportunity.” This is
holds for Radius and our customers.”
particularly important moving into the future, as the banking industry evolves and becomes increasingly digital. Over the next five years, Radius Bank intends to continue being a leader within the w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
WRITTEN BY
SHANNON LEWIS PRODUCED BY
SHIRIN SADR 200
Plymouth Rock Assurance: building up from within
DECEMBER 2019
201
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P LY M O U T H R O C K A S S U R A N C E
We speak to Bill Martin, who leads the Home Insurance Group at Plymouth Rock Assurance, about how being willing to take risks for the sake of the customer experience can lead to sustainable growth
P
lymouth Rock Assurance, founded in 1982, is an insurance provider that had historically focused on providing auto
insurance for the Northeastern USA. However, the 202
last two years have seen its Home Insurance Group growing extraordinarily, all thanks to a decision by the company to embrace homeowner’s insurance as a growth strategy. “Our values are helping customers solve their problems.” Bill Martin, who leads the Home Insurance Group at the company, says, “We go a little further than most companies are willing to in order to do a better job.” Martin was brought on to turn home insurance at Plymouth Rock into a self-sustaining business in 2016. “Coming into the home insurance business, we already had established relationships through our auto insurance connections, so we had an embedded advantage. Our independent agents and our distribution partners were already committed and enthusiastic marketers of our products,” he explains, “but it also provided us with MARCH 2019
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1982
Year founded
$1.5bn Revenue in US dollars
2,400 Number of employees
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Plymouth Rock: Celebrating 35 Years CLICK TO WATCH
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1:58
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“ What happens in the background might be very complicated, but for you sitting on the other end of the chatbot, or our website, or the phone, it looks like three small steps” — Bill Martin, Head of the Home Insurance Group, Plymouth Rock Assurance
an opportunity to do something more dramatic and sophisticated than what was being done.” The goal at Plymouth Rock was to streamline the customer experience. Traditionally, acquiring home insurance is a complex process with dozens of lengthy questionnaires full of “gotcha” questions that either hike up the price or justify denying the customer. “We did something similar to what a startup does,” Martin says. “We wiped the slate clean.” This allowed the company to establish a clear goal. “We wanted to start with something very simple: what w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
P LY M O U T H R O C K A S S U R A N C E
was the absolute ideal way for a customer to buy and maintain their home insurance policy?” Martin continues, “Everything we do is built around that specific experience.” Internally, the quest for innovation saw the Home Insurance Group completely remodel its product manager role, following a technology industry model. Historically, product managers in the insurance industry focus primarily on product pricing. Plymouth Rock gave product managers direct oversight for a variety 206
of employees, from data scientists to technology IT professionals, user design experts to business process engineers. The resulting tool is called @Home. While the average competitor takes 20-30 minutes to quote a home insurance policy and find coverage, @Home by Plymouth Rock Assurance can do it in under five minutes. The quote itself takes less than 30 seconds. “The only way we can do that is by doing our homework first,” says Martin. “We try to answer all the questions about the people and the houses that need insurance before they even ask us for a quote. We pre-rate all the homes in our territory and figure out what it MARCH 2019
207
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P LY M O U T H R O C K A S S U R A N C E
T
Plymouth Rock: The future of Home Insurance is landing CLICK TO WATCH
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1:11
208
costs to insure them for a basic cover-
payments. While this isn’t possible for
age package.” Everything delivered at
every customer and every case, data
Plymouth Rock works alongside the
and analytics help the company define
advent of technology. It is a learning
when loss scenarios can be stream-
process, with customer experience
lined like this. Customers can also
at the forefront. “What happens in the
take pictures of their home and submit
background might be very complicated,
them through an app developed by
but for you sitting on the other end
Plymouth Rock when initially seeking
of the chatbot, or our website, or the
a home insurance policy. This removes
phone, it looks like three small steps,”
the need for inspections and allows
Martin says. With Plymouth Rock’s new
policies to be in force more quickly.
tech platform, customers can submit
Plymouth Rock also focuses on the
photographic evidence for simple
importance of partial loss claims such
claims with the potential for instant
as ruined carpets or fire-damaged
MARCH 2020
kitchens. “Most home insurance com-
profitability. While the insurance
panies practically expect you to be
industry grew around 3% last year,
a general contractor, able to know how
the Home Insurance Group grew 57%.
much it’ll cost to rebuild your home
Rapid growth is not the main chal-
two years from now,” Martin says.
lenge; competitors can grow rapidly
“Yet the majority of claims you make
by under-pricing the product. What
aren’t total loss claims.”
sets Plymouth Rock apart from the
The approach taken by Plymouth
many fast-growing insuretechs is how
Rock has had such great success that
it keeps growth in line with profitability.
it has started bleeding into other busi-
Aside from a competitive market, the
ness lines of the company. Plymouth
company has had to face detractors
Rock’s home business has exceeded
who operate traditionally and criticise
internal expectations in terms of
new methodologies. “There’s a lot
both growth trajectory and business
of mischaracterisation in what we’re
E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE
Bill Martin Bill Martin leads the Home Insurance Group at Plymouth Rock and also oversees Plymouth Rock’s reinsurance program. He joined Plymouth Rock in September 2016. Bill has more than 30 years of experience in the property/ casualty insurance industry. He has held senior positions at several companies including Farmers Insurance, Progressive and Travelers. He has been involved in four home and auto start-ups, most of which continue to thrive today. Prior to joining Plymouth Rock, Bill was President of Bankers Insurance in St. Petersburg, Florida. Bill has a B.A. in political science from Stanford University. He is an avid sailor, skier, trombone player and sports fanatic.
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P LY M O U T H R O C K A S S U R A N C E
“ While it takes a little bravery to do something that’s dramatically different, with us, we’re less brave than we are strategic” 210
— Bill Martin, Head of the Home Insurance Group, Plymouth Rock Assurance
doing,” Martin says, “but you make
the industry. But it’s worth it. Plymouth
yourself vulnerable to that whenever
Rock’s quick processes allow agents
you disrupt a market.”
to spend more time talking to custom-
This rapid growth has had its chal-
ers about types of coverage instead of
lenges. Being at the forefront of
price, ultimately selling more and more
innovation means presenting unknown
often. “While it takes a little bravery to
processes to partners that might have
do something that’s dramatically differ-
to change their workflow to accommo-
ent, with us, we’re less brave than we
date new systems. Meanwhile, finding
are strategic.” Martin explains, “We use
in-house talent to perform at the level
a lot of data, advanced modelling, and
needed is an obstacle faced across
process technology behind the scenes.
MARCH 2019
211
It would be difficult for other compa-
concludes, “I think that will set us as
nies to replicate and deliver the results
a market leader. Internally, it will be a
we’re delivering.”
rollercoaster of making mistakes and
According to Martin, the indus-
learning from those. Externally, for the
try is on the cusp of major change.
customer, it will be a lot more enjoyable
“Five years from now, there will be
to buy home insurance.”
a shakeout of people who have good technology but don’t have a sustainable profit margin, leaving only companies that are ‘doing it’ rather than talking about it.” Martin w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
212
WRITTEN BY
DANIEL BRIGHTMORE PRODUCED BY
TOM VENTURO
MARCH 2020
213
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G R E AT S O U T H W E S T E R N C O N S T R U C T I O N
How Great Southwestern Construction is training its teams to offer expertise in EPC project delivery across a range of substation, transmission line and distribution system projects
S
ince 1977, Great Southwestern (GSW) has successfully completed hundreds of substation, transmission line and distribu-
tion system projects throughout the United States. 214
During the 1980s company founder and Vietnam War veteran Robert Martinez established the company’s reputation on a series of power delivery projects, securing government contracts with the Western Area Power Authority and Bonneville Electric while performing a substantial role in the Central Arizona Irrigation Project. Expanding into utilities projects, GSW became an operating subsidiary of MYR Group in 2000. MYR Group provides management expertise, resources and financial backing that has allowed GSW to achieve new levels of performance and the ability to take on larger and more complex projects. This led to GSW’s involvement in MYR Group’s largest single project to date – the 235-mile, 345kV Cross Texas Transmission Line, part of Texas’s US$7bn Competitive Renewable Energy Zone (CREZ). MARCH 2020
1977
Year founded
$1.6bn
MYR Group revenue in US dollars
600+ Number of employees
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G R E AT S O U T H W E S T E R N C O N S T R U C T I O N
“ We want our employees to feel as though they’re part of a large team, in a family where their interests are looked out for, that they’re valued” — Brandon Lark, President, Great Southwestern Construction
“The acquisition by MYR helped out a lot because it added the capital resources needed to grow, supporting the ability to buy equipment and bond projects with capital backing,” recalls President Brandon Lark. “Shared resources throughout the group gave us the opportunity to grow rapidly from being a project focused organisation that bounced around the country focusing on single projects all won through competitive hard bid, to an organisation that is now regionally
216
focused with long-term MSA agreements in multiple different regions across the US.” Lark explains GSW is focusing on overall market saturation from a regional aspect and keeping crews local to an area. “In the past our crews would travel nationwide, so this helps with our recruitment and our employee development.”
RECRUITMENT & TRAINING Since 2005, GSW has focused on increasing the pace of its EPC (Engineer-Procure-Construct) delivery method. “We’ve prioritised developing project management skills and capabilities throughout our organisation,” MARCH 2020
Great Southwestern Construction, Inc CLICK TO WATCH
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4:10
217 confirms Lark. “We have an in-house
foundation of GSW and the organisa-
development programme to develop
tion’s expectations. Employees receive
solid project managers across the
industry training through MYR Group
board. This has paid dividends in our
going through the OSHA (ET&D) best
ability to communicate in a timely and
practice course to ensure safety is
effective way with our clients. We
paramount across all of GSW’s sites.
really like to have a very transparent
The continuous improvement of its
approach and, in order to do that, you
employees is important for GSW.
have to have a solid means and meth-
“Our employees have the opportunity
ods of communication through project
to take three paid Department of
management practices.”
Labor Bureau-accredited appren-
Training is a key part of the pro-
ticeship programmes,” adds Lark.
cess at GSW where new hires will go
GSW’s Transmission Lineman and
through a week-long orientation to give
Distribution Lineman Apprenticeship
them a grounding in the values and the
Programmes are provided through w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
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“ When we’re working towards turnkey delivery methods with our clients we want to have sub-contractors, vendors and staff that are working with us repeatedly rather than going out for the lowest bid on every project” — Brandon Lark, President, Great Southwestern Construction
“Despite the fact we’ve grown tremendously since the 1980s, we’ve tried to maintain a family feeling, we do that through our people first focus,” says Lark. “We want our employees to feel as though they’re part of a large team, in a family where their interests are looked out for, that they’re valued. We do that by ensuring everybody has a voice and understands it’s not only a right, but an expectation, that if they have questions they get the support
T&D Power Skills, and are geared to
they need. We’re committed to helping
instruct electric utility line workers
them improve their skill set to move
with up-to-date, safety-related work
forward and grow as employees from
practices and technical skills related
one day to the next.” Lark believes this
to the installation, maintenance and
approach has helped GSW develop its
removal of transmission and dis-
reputation as a solid organisation to
tribution systems. The company’s
work for. “The transmission distribu-
Substation Technician Certification
tion industry is a relatively small one,
Program is provided through the
word is spreading and people are
Northwest Lineman’s College
seeking us out.”
(NLC) Power Delivery Program, is most commonly used as the curriculum
TURNKEY SOLUTIONS
component of apprenticeship leading
GSW’s clients are increasingly looking
to journeyman certification, and is ideal
at outsourcing for the kind of special-
for adoption or endorsement by utility
ised expertise unavailable elsewhere
company associations and state-wide
or over-committed in-house. “We must
organisations. A third course focuses
be prepared to deliver turnkey solu-
on distribution alignment.
tions to answer their call,” pledges Lark. w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
219
G R E AT S O U T H W E S T E R N C O N S T R U C T I O N
Great Southwestern Construction: Apprenticeship Program CLICK TO WATCH
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3:10
220 Delivering these turnkey solutions often
that are working with us repeatedly
comes in the form of EPC agreements,
rather than going out for the lowest bid
prevalent on more complex projects.
on every project. The best way to show
EPC agreements allow owners to share
steady improvement over time with a cli-
more risk and lower overall costs by
ent is by having a complete team that’s
transferring a project’s engineering
all in and understands their key drivers.”
design, procurement of equipment and
GSW’s in-house construction capa-
materials, and construction activities to
bilities secure the turnkey approach,
a single contractor.
offering the opportunity for early stage
To achieve this, Lark explains that
constructability analysis and the chance
GSW takes an approach of partner-
to optimise value and enhance efficiency
ships across the board. “When we’re
to deliver the best overall design. By
working towards turnkey delivery
directly managing all stakeholders GSW
methods with our clients we want to
enhances communication to minimise
have subcontractors, vendors and staff
impact on project schedules.
MARCH 2020
E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE
Brandon Lark From Superintendent then Project Manager to Vice President and now President, Brandon Lark’s breadth of experience at Great Southwestern has given him a raft of hands on expertise engaging with all facets of the organisation from the ground up. “It’s given me an invaluable perspective on being able to understand the challenges and the lifestyle that our folks lead out in the field,” confirms Lark. “I understand the problems they face day in and day out, and I’m always keen to get their input on how we can improve. Our senior leadership team are here to help ensure they have what they need to succeed every day they go to work.” “My hope is that the young folks out there considering their careers and looking into the trades can see from my career path that you don’t necessarily have to jump into a four-year degree and go down that path right off the board. Actually, you really can move into a trade and take that route and it’s by no means closing a door to the future opportunities that you thought maybe your college degree would offer you; there are other ways of doing that and still achieving the highest level of success within an organisation.”
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221
G R E AT S O U T H W E S T E R N C O N S T R U C T I O N
SUPPORTING SUSTAINABILITY As an industry-leading provider of electrical construction services, GSW delivers optimal value while ensuring sustainability that depends on its ability to prioritise economic, social, cultural, ethical and environmental considerations generated throughout day-to-day operations. “When we look at how Great Southwestern promotes sustainability and energy efficiency, it’s through supporting renewable energy projects,”
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223 confirms Lark. “We seek out and
of a 34.5kV underground collection
partner with renewable energy devel-
system and a new 138kV substation
opers to help bring solar and wind
including two 138kV breakers, eight
energy projects to market. We come
34.5KV breakers, all related steel, bus,
into play to get their green energy
conduits, grounding, foundations, cable
projects connected to the grid. We’ll
trench, control building and site work.
work on the high voltage side, and
“We’re seeing a huge drive on the
the interconnection with the host util-
energy delivery front,” says Lark,
ity.” Driven by client expectations and
highlighting the chance for GSW to
specifications, GSW has constructed
capitalise on its expertise. “There’s a
substations, transmission lines and
big push to move away from coal and
collector systems for solar and wind
towards more renewable, sustainable
farms throughout the US. The Magic
energy. With that, there’s a lot of differ-
Valley wind farm in Texas (completed in
ent complexities that come into it. One
2013) was an EPC project consisting of
of the areas we really want to focus
the construction of 258,000 circuit feet
on is that these renewable projects w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
G R E AT S O U T H W E S T E R N C O N S T R U C T I O N
Great Southwestern Strengths Cohesive Crews that Remain Together from Project to Project A crew works best together only when given the opportunity and time to do so. This continuity results in better performance, greater efficiency and increased safety – all factors that contribute to the success of your project.
224
A Project-Based Focus on Every Job Our leadership and project management teams are skilled in all aspects of project controls and reporting systems required to efficiently and successfully execute projects on-time and on-budget. We have extensive experience in design-build and Engineer-Procure-Construct (EPC) methods of project delivery, and can also provide an array of pre-construction services. Our Attract, Train, Retain & Grow Philosophy
MARCH 2020
We attract and retain good people because we offer attractive recruitment packages and provide a firm foundation for professional growth within the organisation. Industry-Leading Apprenticeship, Training, Orientation and Safety Programs Our apprenticeship programs are accredited by the Department of Labor’s Office of Apprenticeship. Great Southwestern dedicates significant time and effort to ensure our training, orientation and safety programs provide employees with the latest, most comprehensive and accurate information possible. Extensive Resources As part of MYR Group, Great Southwestern possesses the technical, financial and managerial resources to install multiple projects of virtually any size and type.
generally drive much tighter timeframes and therefore a higher degree of need for solid project management. We’ve got to be much more flexible, be able to think out of the box and accelerate projects to a pace that are outside of normal utility delivery. We really see an opportunity to be the bridge between the developer and the interconnecting utilities to help make that happen.”
GROWTH MINDSET “We’ve experienced steady and sustainable growth,” says Lark proudly. “Through that growth, we’ve been able to offer opportunities for our employees to grow too and improve their positions within the organisation. We’re in a growth mindset, which allows our teams to set high goals and ultimately go and achieve them.” Lark believes that this mindset, coupled with GSW’s commitment to safety and the value that individual employees can bring, has contributed to the company taking an industry-leading role to become best in class. “We’ve got a solid team of very dedicated leaders across the organisation and to me that’s a huge success.” w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
225
G R E AT S O U T H W E S T E R N C O N S T R U C T I O N
“ We seek out and partner with renewable energy developers to help bring solar and wind energy projects to market. We come into play to get their green energy projects connected to the grid” — Brandon Lark, President, Great Southwestern Construction
2020 VISION “Projects like the Cross Texas 226 Transmission Line are huge undertakings and show the industry what we’re capable of,” says Lark. “When you look at where we’re at today, we’re excited about utilising those capabilities to develop long-term relationships with the likes of Oncor Electrics in Texas. “We’re one of their primary contractors and we have several hundred employees on their system supporting them day in and day out. It’s alliances like these that we’re looking forward to forging across the US.” Looking to the future, Lark believes the EPC model is going to be crucial in bridging the gap to ensure deliverable timeframes are met across a range of MARCH 2020
projects, especially renewable energy. “This not only helps from a developer perspective, so they’re successful in making sure that the timelines are met; but also when dealing with the interconnecting utility and ensuring all the studies and standards of construction are also met.” “We’re reaching a point where a lot of utilities don’t have the same in-house capabilities that they used to have, due to recruitment issues and staff retiring. They’re looking at the EPC model as a method of augmenting their project delivery for their own capital projects. That’s the other area where we’re looking to fill the needs across the board, and a lot of that is ensuring that we’re bringing on that expertise in-house to meet client expectations. We’re aiming to balance the needs of both sides of the fence and I think we are in a very good position to be able to do that moving forward.”
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228
DC BLOX: SERVING LOCALLY, CONNECTING GLOBALLY WRITTEN BY
WILLIAM SMITH PRODUCED BY
TOM VENTURO
MARCH 2020
229
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DC BLOX
JEFF UPHUES, CEO OF DC BLOX, DISCUSSES THE COMPANY’S GROWTH IN UNDERSERVED MARKETS AND HOW IT EMBEDS ITS TIER 3 DATA CENTRES INTO THE LOCAL COMMUNITY
D
C BLOX was established in 2014 to provide data centres to markets with a distinct, but unfulfilled, need for them.
“I’ve been the CEO of DC BLOX for about three years now,” says Jeff Uphues. “I originally joined as 230
a supervisory board member and then was asked by the board of directors to come into the role and lead the company in its expansion, placing these data centres in underserved yet growing markets throughout the Southeastern United States.” Fulfilling this vision has required a focus on a few core fundamentals. “There’s three things that we do and stay focused on,” he says. “One is providing in-market colocation, meaning the housing in a safe, secure environment of servers as well as other technology infrastructure. We provide robust connectivity across our platforms with connections to other cloud service providers, connections to the internet, connections to other major markets. Then we provide cloud services ourselves. Not all data is created equal, and it’s critical to be able to store it close to where it’s actually being consumed.” MARCH 2020
231
2014
Year founded
HQ
Atlanta, Georgia USA
35
Number of employees w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
DC BLOX
“ WE HAVE ONE VISION WHICH IS TO SERVE LOCALLY AND CONNECT GLOBALLY” 232
— Jeff Uphues, CEO, DC BLOX
MARCH 2020
There are currently four such locations of consumption catered to by DC BLOX, with data centres in Chattanooga, Tennessee; Huntsville and Birmingham, Alabama; and Atlanta, Georgia. All are growing markets, as Uphues explains. “We see a significant migration of population and businesses in the US from northern cities down into the Southeast. What’s driving them there is the cost of living or quality of life and just good weather.” What these diverse cities share, apart
DC Blox: Connected datacenters for digital business CLICK TO WATCH
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1:47
233 from a relative geographic proximity, is a burgeoning technology scene. “Many of these markets are not known as technology hubs, but they see the benefits of the growth and they need the core infrastructure such as the data centres and network services which we provide. Generally, our target markets are below the radar of some of the major national markets where you find a lot of competitors, so they really embrace us.” DC BLOX’s data centres are all built to Tier 3 standard, signifying a high level of reliability. That’s achieved firstly w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
DC BLOX
234 with quality infrastructure. “Our data
connectivity, it’s a question of how we
centres have to be highly resilient in
build these facilities to be Tier 3-rated.
terms of network architecture and the
It comes down to being concurrently
type of equipment that we use. We use
maintainable, meaning that if any one
premium products, driven by premium
system in the building fails, there is a
service level agreements. We build
backup system that can take over. It’s
our own private network across the
part of the design, it’s in the materials
Southeastern US and then we connect
and the type of vendors that we use.
that back into exchanges and public
It’s in the architecture for how we con-
cloud providers. We really look at that
nect them together.”
connectivity and the uptime of our
The pace of DC BLOX’s growth has
facilities as the core value that we bring
been steady, having launched a data
to our markets.” Achieving DC BLOX’s
centre each year since 2017. That’s
high standards also requires a high
not engendered any complacency,
standard of construction. ”Beyond the
however, with the organisation looking
MARCH 2020
to accelerate its growth. “We’ve spent a lot of time looking at where we can expand and how we can grow even faster. There are 16 markets we’ve identified, and we’ve lined up roughly the next five to six locations. We’re picking up our pace to put in at least two to three data centres per year.” The choice of a new location is only arrived at after significant investigation, however, as Uphues explains. “To help us determine the size and scope of the facility we’re looking to build, we look 235 E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE
Jeff Uphues Jeff leads DC BLOX as a proven C-Level executive with deep expertise in data centre infrastructure, hybrid cloud services and the operation of communication networks. He is responsible for setting and leading the company’s strategy in driving the growth and profitability of best-in-class infrastructure for digital services. Prior to DC BLOX, Jeff held numerous C-suite leadership positions in sales, marketing and operations for Liquid Web, Cbeyond, Bandwidth, ACSI Network Technologies and MCI. Jeff graduated from the Harvard Business School, Rice University’s Jones School of Business Executive Education program and completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Texas at Arlington.
w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com
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“ IT’S CRITICAL TO BE ABLE TO STORE [DATA] CLOSE TO WHERE IT’S ACTUALLY BEING CONSUMED” — Jeff Uphues, CEO, DC BLOX
at the size of the market, the amount of fiber, the number of businesses headquartered there. Then we look at markets that are underserved but growing. What does the competitive landscape look like? How well would we be received with our vision of serving locally and connecting globally? And then, finally, we work with state and local governments and corporate leaders to confirm the need for and the advantages of what we do. Each market takes us about a year and a half to really get to understand it.”
DC Blox holds Birmingham grand opening CLICK TO WATCH
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DC BLOX
238
“ WE LOOK AT MARKETS THAT ARE UNDERSERVED BUT GROWING” — Jeff Uphues, CEO, DC BLOX
MARCH 2020
239
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DC BLOX
240
It’s not just its technological capabili-
we’re serving the community and
ties that have led to DC BLOX’s growth.
understanding their challenges and
The company also prides itself on its
their needs. We’re a part of the fabric
integration with the local community.
of the community when we come in as
“The one thing that I know sets us
well as contributing to the technology
apart, because I hear it all the time, is
environment.”
our community focus,” Uphues empha-
For the industry as a whole, Uphues
sises. “When we come into a market,
anticipates the importance of edge
we have one vision which is to serve
computing, where facilities are built
locally and connect globally. That
close to where they’re needed, to only
means we’re serving local businesses,
increase. “For us, the edge is where
we’re serving with our time through
the application meets the network.
volunteering, we’re serving nonprofits,
Trends like 5G, IoT and gaming mean
MARCH 2020
241
we need to push compute closer to
business. It’s a great time to be doing
consumers. That’s going to require
this across underserved markets. We
more local and regional data centres to
can become a strong partner for the
handle all the data and best connect it
community, both in our ability to serve
to the network.” As for DC BLOX itself,
locally and connect globally as DC
the focus has been on edge markets
BLOX continues to expand across the
and the goal is to increase the pace.
Southeast United States.”
“We know that gets harder and harder as you get bigger,” Uphues says, “but we’re a company that is doubling revenue every single year and doubling the size of our footprint of where we go. It’s a great time to be in the data centre w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com