Meet SNC’s IT Directors: Leaders in Digital Transformation
January 06, 2021
SNC’s IT directors are dedicated to finding the right IT solutions for the company and our employees through collaboration, and enabling IT architecture strategies and data to improve our work. They see the big picture to create a modernized ‘state of mind,’ and thrive on solving business problems together to achieve company goals and growth.
Learn more about SNC’s IT directors below!
What enticed you to join SNC?
Paul G., director of end user services and IT operations: SNC’s mission was very engaging to me. I really liked the idea of being a part of something great.
Merritt G., director of data management and delivery: Even though I no longer practice engineering, I was attracted to the products and programs that SNC is part of and the underlying technology required to make them possible.
George R., director of application delivery services: Two things. 1) I love the mission. I have 15 years of service in aerospace and defense, and can identify with the products SNC develops for our uniformed men and women to protect them and make their jobs easier. 2) I identify with the fact SNC is a privately owned company in a very competitive market.
Tony S., director of enterprise architecture: Several factors led to me to joining SNC. The company produces exciting products while having a solid history with a strong growth strategy, and I grew up in Carson City, Nevada. I’m pleased to come back to my home state after the last few decades in Missouri and Michigan.
Tell us a little bit about your career journey – what got you interested in the work you do?
Paul: I began my career in IT over 20 years ago and have worked across several industries including pharmaceutical, manufacturing, mortgage and electronics manufacturing. Throughout my career I have focused on IT infrastructure and operations, and have always been deeply engaged in building customer-focused solutions across support services, network, server, storage, virtualization, and cloud services.
Merritt: I have always had a love of technology, math and science. I am an engineer by training and worked as a design engineer on customer relationship management and enterprise resource planning deployments, and supported various business functions. Over the last 10 years, I continue to see the immense value of data, and have been fortunate to be able to embrace the speed of change and innovation that’s happened in data and analytics over that time. I continue to see that potential in the work I do at SNC.
George: I started in “technology” in high school when my friend and I wrote a simple program to gather statistics for the head football coach. The logic of the science and math, plus the art and creativity of programming, got me hooked through college and the start of my career. Once in the work force, I found it exciting to move across business areas leveraging that passion to help me succeed. I’ve worked in manufacturing, engineering, program management, R&D and IT to name a few jobs along my career path. In every one of my positions, I used various elements of IT technology to create efficiencies for both myself and my customer set.
Tony: My career started as a C++ developer working on ground-penetrating radar and other monitoring equipment. I enjoyed working on all aspects of IT from pulling together a small network, to building, testing, and running various applications for processing and analyzing data. The common factor is that I like seeing the big picture, bringing it together to solve business problems, and continually learning new things.
What does your position entail and what does a day in the life look like?
Paul: The purpose of end user services & IT operations is to engineer, deliver and support IT infrastructure, and deliver IT support services throughout the enterprise. We do this by identifying SNC’s current and future IT needs, and delivering cost-effective, scalable, and reliable systems that span both on-premise, and cloud computing. The key to our success is a focus on delivering customer needs, and designing and delivering highly available and salable infrastructure.
Merritt: These days, the data management team has its hands full. We support a large legacy data and analytics footprint, and are actively engaged in a number of critical enterprise programs. We are currently doing data and analytics development in support of several key projects across the enterprise, and have been working hard on a project to keep data flowing to the organization.
George: My organization provides services to aid in the delivery of small to large-scale applications providing business value in both on premise and cloud environments. This supports SNC’s Digital Transformation strategy. My team owns the requirements, design and build of application, testing and sustainment, and go-live deployment.
Tony: Enterprise Architecture is all about enabling SNC’s business strategies through plans that align processes, organizations, systems, and technical solutions. This gets into defining architecture principles and standards, pulling together high-level solutions to address a business need, and assessing solutions against the standards.
What is the most meaningful or rewarding part of your work at SNC?
Paul: Being a part of an organization that serves our country. Having served in the military I cannot imagine a more rewarding job, or place to be.
Merritt: I am very impressed by SNC’s commitment to growth and change. Throughout my career I’ve thrived on working on transformative efforts and trying to do new things. I like coming to work at a place that is willing to challenge the status quo.
George: Hands down its working to help the business grow and my people grow. Elements of strategic/financial planning, process improvements, coaching, mentoring are the things that keep me motivated. Learning falls in this category as well.
Tony: I like how SNC is forward-looking, aggressively making the right changes needed to grow the company. I also enjoy working with other associates. They are team-oriented, delivery-focused, working towards common goals, and are a pleasure to work with.
Why is supporting and protecting explorers and heroes important to you?
Paul: I feel it gives me real purpose. Having been in the military, and having my son now serve makes me grateful to be able to give back to those that serve.
Merritt: My grandfather was stationed in Lavenham, England during World War II. As a Captain in the Eighty Army Air Force he flew missions over Europe in his B-24 Liberator, “Buzzin’ Betsy.” Over 50 years later, when I went to work for [another A&D company,] I learned they made the R-1830 Twin Wasp engines that powered the B-24. [That] technology kept him in the air and returned him home. Grampa was proud I’d received my engineering degree and that I’d gone to work for a company that he valued. From that point, he signed every letter and card he sent me “KEEP ‘EM FLYIN”. That meant a lot to me and is one of the reasons I find the work we do at SNC – protecting heroes like my grandfather – important.
George: The women and men doing these incredibly important jobs are on the front lines of our nation’s safety, security and growth. What they do enables us to live our lives to the fullest. I’m proud to be part of a company that supports their activities.
Tony: Our explorers and heroes risk their lives for the betterment of mankind and defense of our country. Their safety is paramount. I am very thankful for the crucial service they provide.
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Interested in joining the Sierra Nevada Corporation team? Apply today at sncorp.com/careers.