Director of Engineering
Chris is a proven leader with over 22 years of experience in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations and Quality. Over the past 11 years, he has held Engineering leadership roles with Tandberg Data Corporation, Pure Energy Solutions, Inc. and Stratom Inc. As an individual contributor, Chris has had lead roles in engineering design, manufacturing and quality. He has developed products for a wide range of industries including consumer safety, medical device, consumer recreation, computer electronics, military robotics and lighting. This broad range of functional and industry experience has helped him leverage best practices and have a strong understanding of successful product lifecycle management. Chris received his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering with a Minor in Computer Science from the Colorado School of Mines in 1994.
There are a handful of Sielo projects that I am very proud to have been a part of. Most these projects were revolutionary in the way they addressed the design challenges of retrofitting an existing fixture or space. Solving problems is what engineering is all about but creating solutions that significantly improve the space around us is something to be proud of.
Right now, if I had to choose one project, it would be the Downlight Retrofit family. A few years ago, during one of the first large department store installations, I was on site to observe and learn from the electricians that were doing the work and to collect feedback from the store staff. When the electricians first got started, it was taking about 10 minutes per fixture but quickly dropped to about half that amount of time. They were very complimentary on the ease of installation. This was very satisfying to hear, as that was one of our design goals. The store staff loved the appearance and the fact that they wouldn’t have to be getting up on an eight foot ladder any longer to switch out burned out bulbs after hours. What I didn’t fully realize was how big of a difference the lighting would have on the feel of the store. As the three electricians completed the left, middle and right sections, it was very easy to see, firsthand, the transformation. The color temperature of the lights were the same but the contrast between completed versus uncompleted was remarkable. The store just came to life. It went from old and dingy to new and inviting. I just didn’t think that the quality of light was going to have such a dramatic effect on the space.
I am passionate about working at Sielo for a couple of reasons. First, the company empowers their people and provides them the opportunity to make a difference. That is extremely important to me. I also believe in the products that we are creating and the value they provide to our customers.