I went through 6 different companies and interviews until I found exactly what I was looking for, an opportunity to design products as a co-op student. Radiant provided that and much more. I tell young engineers to look for a job at a small/medium company where they can own all aspects of design, from beginning to end. It’s one thing to say you know how to design for manufacturing, it’s another when you’re teaching manufacturing associates and engineers how to assemble your design, and you’re the first one who gets a call when something doesn’t work. My first managers also set an incredibly high bar for what to expect out of my leaders going forward.

At Radiant I designed and launched various products, including flagship Point-of-Sale Terminal, back office Controllers, and Indoor and Outdoor Ticketing Kiosks for use in unsupervised locations. Responsible for all aspects of product development, from concept through commercialization then onto sustaining and end-of-life. Worked closely with external suppliers and inhouse manufacturing team at nearby final assembly location.

Designed and built system to duplicate real world touch screen wear as a way to validate new technologies and suppliers. Built the structure with my grandfather using reclaimed wood from a Lake Lanier dock (unfortunately don’t have any pictures). The test results were so similar to real world use, from visible wear to functional failures, suppliers began sending their application engineers and technical sales reps to see this new tester. You can imagine their reaction when they met a junior engineer who walked them to a storage closet to see a mix of weathered wood, solenoid, frequency generator, rats nest of wires, and a jumbo pencil eraser banging a consistent rhythm on their latest touch screen prototype.

How were all the products received? NCR bought Radiant for $1.2 billion in 2011… which was 100% due to my work...