Today we’d like to introduce you to George Danner.
George, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I spent many years in a consulting role helping companies develop business processes. As a Senior Manager with Andersen Consulting in 1997, I developed data science strategies and metrics for large businesses. It wasn’t a well-known occupation at the time. Personal computing and the internet were just taking off. We’ve come a long way since then.
In 2009, Business Laboratory was born to make sense of the world of data and analytics for businesses. We take complex business problems and solve them with math and the scientific process. It’s very unconventional thinking. A lot of what we do happens in a hypothetical world. You’ve seen on the news, weather reports that talk about “models” when a hurricane is coming and they are trying to predict a path. The models are data sets that give different outcomes as the data is manipulated. That is what we do on a larger scale for logistics, supply chain, manufacturing, banking, oil and gas, field and drilling operations and more!
We are also developing automation processes that use machine learning and NLP or Natural Language Processing. I’m sure you’ve heard of Siri, Alexa, Cortana and Echo. These are all examples of the next level of automation. These applications can turn on and off your household lights, change the temperature, order groceries, help your child with homework and so much more. The same is true for IoT – the Internet of “Things”. You’ve got every device connected to the internet these days. All of this data has promising use. Automation will change everything and there is nothing we can do to stop it. I encourage people to become aware of the possibilities and stay open-minded.
Driverless cars and planes are coming. Fast food restaurants will use robotics to make your favorite burger. Work that may be unsafe or risky to perform would be better served by a robot. Because of data science and the processing speeds of computers, things we thought were unsolvable will be solved.
Our company was recently acquired by Smartbridge, a technology company that creates strategy for business processes and mobilization for what used to be manual processes. Our two companies working together will change the world in new and unexpected ways. We’re predicting the future with real-time data and the future looks bright!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The economics of automation are too compelling to ignore. Our biggest obstacle has been educating the C-Suite with a kind of soothsayer approach. Businesses don’t want to be told, “If you don’t do this, your company will be negatively affected”. Sometimes the truth is hard to hear. We want business to embrace digital transformation positively and confidently. The C-Suite is being asked to take a leap of faith without really knowing how data science works. It creates stumbling blocks for companies. Because it’s unconventional thinking, we have to create unconventional approaches to motivating and implementing a change mind-set. Our answer is to immerse ourselves in our client’s business and be an integral part of the solution. By creating a synergy with a client’s business and employee culture, we are met with less resistance. Employees get to be a part of something bigger than themselves.
Please tell us about Business Laboratory.
We are thought leaders in the emerging Business Intelligence industry. By combining forces with Smartbridge, Business Laboratory delivers simple, yet magical experiences while solving critical business problems. Our goal is to simplify business transformation for clients wherein technology fades into the background and people can get their best work done easily. Smartbridge and Business Laboratory are coming together to empower business users with sophisticated solution models, with easy to use voice-activated interfaces to create superior problem-solving experiences. This greatly enhances productivity.
Smartbridge and Business Laboratory have a powerful combination of talent that can optimize a wide range of business functions to make them run smarter, faster, and cheaper. We provide our clients unparalleled access to business transformation products and services.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Gone are the days of generalizations and lumping industry problems together. No wonder so many company leaders feel marginalized when dealing with cookie cutter technology solutions. One size doesn’t fit most. We’ve learned that every company is unique. We impart an account-based customer approach to everything we do which means we look hard at addressing our clients’ individual wants and needs. Creating amazing web user experiences, solving complex problems and being innovative drive our efforts. We use data to make things better, but never take real people out of the mix. We’re here to create amazing human experiences.
Join us on the journey!
Contact Info:
- Address:2000 W Sam Houston Pkwy S
Ste 200 Houston, Texas 77042 - Website: http://www.smartbridge.com
- Phone:627.8274
- Email:info@smartbridge.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SmartbridgeLLC/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ScienceProfits
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/george-danner/
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