Steve founded MindTribe in 1998 with the realization that building a tightly integrated technology product requires a tightly integrated, multidisciplinary engineering team. He also wanted to create the best work environment possible, in which he and other engineers could thrive. After performing electrical and mechanical engineering work at MindTribe for five years, Steve transitioned his efforts to ensuring MindTribe is always growing stronger as a world-class engineering team and becoming the premier offering in our field. MindTribe has doubled in size over the past two years, and is rapidly expanding in terms of both people and added capability. Prior to MindTribe, Steve cultivated both startup and mechanical engineering experience at Microflow Analytical, a MEMs consulting startup, and later worked as a mechanical engineer at Prograft Medical, Coherent Medical, and Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC). Steve has mechanical engineering degrees from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and Stanford University. In 2001, he was the recipient of the Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo School of Engineering's Outstanding Recent Alum award. In his free time, you might find Steve attemping to ride his mountain bike 100 miles or wrenching on his 1971 Triumph TR6.

Jerry Ryle has been core to MindTribe's engineering team since he joined the firm in 2001. He now serves as MindTribe's director of software engineering, with responsibility for leading our software development process. His uncommon dexterity across different levels of software abstraction - from high level architecture to low-level embedded systems - ensures our solutions make efficient use of board-level resources while simultaneously providing the right architecture to support long-term product strategy and maintenance.

Jerry's extensive knowledge of microprocessors and networking, coupled with his software engineering expertise, often make him the lynchpin for optimizing a product's design. While at MindTribe, he has headed up some of our toughest challenges for everything from automotive and industrial equipment, to medical devices and consumer electronics. Early on, he led the team that imbued an 8-bit processor with a Web server, telnet server, SNMP agent, scheduler, and voice-enabled telephone interface. More recently, he helped nail a media device project by creating a supervisory system abstraction that allowed the client's application software team to easily interact with complex hardware through a high-level interface.

In a profession swamped with jargon, Jerry also has the gift of addressing highly technical topics in plain English, plying a degree of humor that incites conversation among both tech enthusiasts and neophytes. His background includes the computer engineering program at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, as well as a childhood filled with "every chemistry and electronics kit ever made."

For over a decade, Lori has helped companies use product design and engineering as an integral part of their business strategy.

Her earliest role involved business development for IDEO, listening to hundreds of technology companies describe their goals and crafting project proposals to achieve them. In 1999, she created the design specifications for what was to become the Dell 1550 1U server, developed by Foxconn and Acorn on speculation. Lori subsequently joined the industrial design agency NewDealDesign, where she wrote design awards and media pieces to gain recognition for the firm's expertise, including an IDEA Gold Award for the first Palm Zire, as well as ID Annual, CEA, GOOD Design, Japan's G-Mark, and Europe's iF awards. From 2004 through 2006, Lori marketed Siemens-owned designafairs in the US, gaining recognition in BusinessWeek, Innovation, and the cover of ID Magazine before the agency was sold in 2006. Most recently, Lori worked with Cheskin, a design research company, helping to build its technology studio. An active blogger, writer and workshop facilitator, Lori is recognized for her ability to understand and communicate how technology and design are changing our world.

Lori obtained BA/BS from Stanford University in Economics and Mathematical Sciences with distinction. Before discovering product development, she was a management consultant where she built analytical models for energy and natural gas arbitrage, interactive games for teaching how to trade and hedge emissions credits, game theory tools for the Strategic Arms Limitations Talks (SALTII), and portfolio optimization strategies. In her spare time, Lori loves to cook and entertain, a frequent host to the design and engineering community.

With a background as engineer, entrepreneur and product developer, Tom Hsiu brings a wealth of product innovation experience to MindTribe. As Program Manager, Tom guides our teams in defining and carrying out client projects. Prior to MindTribe, Tom cofounded and lead development at Ten Technology, one of the first iPod accessory companies, helping to ignite a multi-billion dollar industry. While at Ten, he worked with MindTribe from the client side, which instilled the pragmatic, invaluable perspective he brings to his role today. Previously, Tom developed educational robotics for NASA and Carnegie Mellon University, and fed his wry side creating sophisticated animatronics for the movie industry. Tom earned BS and MS degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford, while he raced solar-powered cars across two continents.

Dave brings years of technology-based product development to MindTribe as an advisor. Currently a director at IDEO's Palo Alto office, Dave specializes in technology strategy, helping his clients use technologies to advance their business agendas and to provide optimum experiences for their customers. Dave spends most of his time at IDEO managing business relationships with several of IDEO's technology-focused clients. He also advises executives at a number of different technology companies, conducts innovation workshops, and speaks frequently to academic and business groups.

Since joining IDEO in 1988, Dave has worked to help his clients identify the intersection of emerging technologies, unmet user needs, and viable business models. Among the many projects he has contributed to, Dave helped visualize the future of computing for Microsoft, create streaming media players for Philips, adapt new technologies into the workplace for Steelcase, enhance printing for HP, design a new surgical device for Gyrus ENT, and create a new category of appliance controls for Whirlpool.

Dave received a BS in engineering physics and an MS in controls, both from the University of California at Berkeley.

Troy Edwards joins MindTribe as a senior mechanical engineer after a definitive role with Apple's product design team. At Apple, he led the development of the iMac keyboard and co-led the wireless iMac keyboard, products that Apple calls "versatility sculpted in aluminum." He also led the development of five other Apple products that are not yet publicly launched.

Previously, Troy cofounded PowerFlare, a provider of highly-ruggedized safety lights for consumers, transportation, industry, and law enforcement. Instrumental in PowerFlare's product definition, design, manufacture, and business strategy as VP of Product Development, Troy continues to advise the company today. He has held past positions providing MEMs engineering at C Speed Corporation, built part libraries in Pro/Engineer for PTC, and designed test fixtures for GMR head equipment at IBM.

Few can claim Troy's extensive experience with engineering and manufacturing processes. He grew up around injection molding equipment, learning early on to build molds for plastic and rubber parts using mills, lathes, surface grinders, CNC machines, EDM, and welders. His firsthand knowledge makes him extraordinarily adept at addressing engineering needs across a wide variety of materials and processes.He also is well versed in both on-shore and overseas manufacturing, and has direct experience with vendors in China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, and Japan.

Troy has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. When he's not cranking on client projects at MindTribe, he'll be go-karting, reading, or hiking.

As an accomplished software engineer--with a background in mechanical and electrical engineering--Mike is a natural for MindTribe's Integrated Engineering philosophy. He has written firmware for submarines, robots, and automotive applications, as well as GUI-based PC applications. Before MindTribe's discovery of Mike, he had worked on ergonomic and data acquisition systems for Boeing, developed software for processing missile simulation data and a GUI-based database management tool at Northrop Grumman, and collaborated with doctors to design robotic tools for eye surgery at SRI International. In addition to speaking computer languages, Mike does communicate with people, too--in his choice of Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, or French. Mike earned a BS degree from UC Berkeley and an MS from Stanford, both in Mechanical Engineering. When he's not at MindTribe, you might find Mike further toning his talents by tinkering with anything high-tech.

With a mechanical engineering foundation front and center, Lionel's electrical and software experience sets the stage for his Integrated Engineering performances here at MindTribe. Hailing from Caltech in Pasadena, Lionel has shown off his talents with work on an experimental rig for NASA's Microgravity Flight Program, the design of a dynamic suspension device for medical research, and just prior to joining MindTribe, the development of a hardware and software platform to integrate a novel sensor into a floor cleaning robot at Idealab. At MindTribe, Lionel has been shining with both mechanical design and software engineering. When he's outside the theater of engineering, Lionel can be found speaking one of three languages fluently as he travels the globe, or kicking back with friends and family in his home town of San Francisco.

How often do you find an engineer who not only performs rigorous design and analysis, but also possesses the engineering judgment required to get things done on schedule? You've found one with Sam. With BS and MS degrees from Stanford in Mechanical Engineering, Sam not only has tackled some of our toughest engineering challenges, but has also taken a leadership role on client teams to get products to market. Sam couples strong mechanical and manufacturing engineering abilities with his ability to manage a product development effort to reach the light at the end of the tunnel— when a product is ready to ship in thousands of units per month. Sam has recently designed several iPod accessories and managed their manufacture in China, performed finite element analysis for injection molded plastic features on a consumer product to avoid fatigue failures, and has experience getting Bluetooth products to market. Sam also has prior experience with biomedical device design, and although he's probably too modest to admit it, he has been deemed “one of the two best engineers we've had in the past 20 years” by a former employer. In addition to spending time with his friends and playing basketball, Sam also likes to play with embedded systems and PC-based technology.

A proven innovator, Eric MacIntosh regards engineering as the means to creating products that are breakthrough rather than just superficial evolutions. At MindTribe, Eric works as a switch hitter, proficient in both electronics and software development. His versatility across engineering disciplines allows him to grasp the core issues quickly and conceive of original solutions not evident from one discipline alone.

Never one to shy away from the hard problems, Eric is constantly pushing his own limits to help clients realize designs that often exceed expectations. He has created firmware for a range of embedded processors, written Java applications, and designed numerous mixed signal circuits. Most recently, he designed circuit boards and wrote software for a high-profile touch-screen mobile phone and completed the electronics design of a mass-produced video device.

Eric moved to MindTribe after several years at IDEO, where he was a member of the smart products team. Prior to IDEO, he worked in-house as part of Sun's corporate skunk works group. He earned his Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from The University of New Brunswick and his Master's in EE from Stanford University. In addition to his engineering abilities, Eric is a phenomenal wit, an attribute that is deeply appreciated when stress is high or hours get long, and in his spare time, he is an accomplished private pilot, scuba diver and world traveler.

With breadth well beyond his roots as a mechanical engineer, Geoff Nichols cuts across engineering disciplines to help MindTribe clients understand the alternatives critical to their product's development. He has brought this expertise to bear on projects ranging from automotive solutions, industrial test equipment, and cashless payment systems to several high-volume consumer electronic devices.

Geoff's multidisciplinary perspective grew directly out of his interest in mechanical design: he cultivated expertise in electrical and software engineering as a means of controlling the physical -- an extension to the mechanical function rather than separable concerns. This perspective gives him the innate ability to envision how engineering choices early in the development process will impact the ultimate product through to production.

Prior to joining MindTribe, Geoff performed a mix of both design and analysis at Bently Pressurized Bearing, working with the renowned manufacturing machinery expert Don Bently. Beyond the traditional mechanical design challenges like vibration and fatigue life issues, Geoff wrote fluid flow analysis software to optimize performance of hydrostatic bearings.

Geoff received his degree in mechanical engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, where he is known for winning "Robo Rodentia," a highly competitive and wildly popular annual robotics contest. Geoff's other passions include food, reading, mountain biking, mountaineering, and skiing.

David Palchak brings a solid electrical engineering background to the MindTribe team. He is fluent in areas such as system architecture, embedded systems -- from 8-bit micros to high-speed FPGA, motor control, RF design, digital protocols, and power management. At MindTribe, David has architected and designed systems for automotive and consumer electronics projects, from evaluating components such as displays, batteries and processors, to laying out boards and managing the development and testing of progressive validation units. He has designed several power supply and charging systems for programs, including tightly integrated media players and communication devices. David has also designed and built experiential prototypes for the conceptual stages of client user experience design. His UX prototypes have helped clients understand how to integrate everything from LEDs and sensors to charging schemes and wireless capabilities to evoke a specific user experience. These projects have spanned in-dash hardware and software for audio-visual controls in cars, lighting effects in an in-home entertainment device, and the charging experience for a wireless device for a specific demographic and use environment.

Prior to MindTribe, David honed his knowledge of signal processing algorithms and FPGA development working on high speed, next generation multi-antenna (MIMO) wireless systems. He created Zigbee-enabled remote control systems for energy management, and coded firmware for controlling pattern stitching for an automated sewing machine.

David attended the University of Utah, where he earned a double major in Electrical and Computer Engineering, and subsequently an MS in Electrical Engineering. He is an avid runner, soccer player, and backcountry skier.

Adam brings a solid foundation in both physics and engineering to MindTribe. His engineering versatility is evidenced by a review of his former posts. As an individual consultant, Adam worked to redesign a four degree-of-freedom robotic sled for NASA, developed a novel medical device prototype for an anesthesiologist at Stanford Hospital, and specified wireless technologies to be used for haptic research at Stanford. Adam later co-taught a graduate level embedded systems design course at Stanford while working as an electrical and mechanical engineer at Kumetrix, a medical device start-up. At Kumetrix, Adam was instrumental in developing the electronics at the heart of a painless glucose monitoring system. Here at MindTribe, Adam has developed an RF remote control system for a car-based consumer product, and has designed the electronics for a Bluetooth headset. Adam earned a BS in Physics with a minor in Mathematics at Wittenberg University in Ohio, and an MS in Mechanical Engineering with an emphasis in embedded systems at Stanford University. When Adam isn't here at MindTribe, stop by your local coffee house—you might find him jamming with his band, or practicing drums in the soundproof practice room he built at home. And yes, ask the neighbors. It really is soundproof.

Carly came to MindTribe to pursue her passion for firmware and software development. Her depth of experience and ability to see issues from both the software and mechanical aspects has made her an invaluable resource on a range of projects. At MindTribe, she has developed firmware to drive consumer electronics, embedded a Web server in a scientific instrument, created test applications for a medical device, and most recently, integrated an HTTP server and a command line interface in power management equipment. With an extensive background in product engineering as part of large, global corporations, Carly understands the challenges that corporations face when trying to innovate. She previously worked as part of Volkswagen's Electronics Research Lab, exploring emerging technologies, such as speech recognition, to demonstrate their potential application in automobiles. Prior to VW, she gained first-hand knowledge of the impact of her engineering work at KLA-Tencor when she moved to Bavaria to provide on-site support for highly complex wafer inspection systems. Her past experience also includes process engineering work on magnetic drive heads at IBM. Because new product development inherently tests the limits of technology, capabilities, and schedules, Carly's calm, positive approach has proven to be a welcome asset for instilling balance amidst occasional chaos. She maintains her own balance through painting, from pastels to oils, and by conducting major home improvement projects. She obtained her education at Stanford, earning BS degrees in both Mechanical Engineering and Product Design, and an MS in Mechanical Engineering with an emphasis on Smart Product Design.