Manufacturing has a way of finding people who enjoy solving complex problems, working across disciplines, and seeing tangible results from their efforts. My own path into manufacturing was not a straight line, but it has always been guided by a deep appreciation for technical rigor, risk management, and disciplined execution, qualities that are essential in highly regulated industries.
My first exposure to manufacturing came immediately after graduating from John Brown University, when I accepted an internship with Eagle-Picher’s Specialty Materials Division. I worked in the single-crystal laboratory with Dr. Jroy Richter and his team, where they were growing monocrystalline Germanium (Ge) and Silicon (Si) for semiconductor and other specialty applications. My role involved helping conduct temperature-versus-resistivity studies on the materials produced in the lab. Those results were later used as the basis for Eagle-Picher’s product information materials, which gave me an early and important lesson: solid engineering data does not live in isolation, it directly supports real manufacturing decisions, real customers, and real products.
That experience planted the seed, but it was later in my career, while working at Collins Aerospace, that I fully realized manufacturing and technical project management were where my skills could have the greatest impact. At Collins, I had visibility across the entire product lifecycle, from engineering design, through manufacturing, and into customer support. Seeing how tightly those stages are connected made it clear that strong project management is not just about managing tasks; it is about managing interfaces, compliance requirements, risks, and long-term product performance. In highly regulated industries, small decisions early in development can have enormous downstream consequences, and disciplined program execution is what keeps those consequences from becoming costly surprises.
As my responsibilities grew, I made a deliberate decision to strengthen my process improvement capabilities by pursuing formal Lean training. Collins offered a structured Lean development program through its internal Lean organization, and I took full advantage of it. I completed multiple courses, applied Lean tools within my own team, and led improvement exercises tied to real operational challenges. At each stage, my work was assessed by Lean professionals, and I progressed through increasing levels of certification until I was awarded Lean Master status on March 16, 2016. That experience reinforced something I had already learned in manufacturing: continuous improvement is not theoretical. It must be practiced, measured, and sustained to deliver real results.
Over the years, my career has spanned multiple industries, including power systems for space, telecommunications, and aerospace manufacturing. I have worked not only with original equipment manufacturers but also across the supplier ecosystem, supporting PCBA manufacturers, data collection and management systems, printer suppliers, and flight deck audio system providers. While the products changed, the fundamentals did not. Every successful program required careful risk management, rigorous quality controls, disciplined schedule tracking, and constant attention to cost. Those four elements, risk, quality, schedule, and budget, are inseparable in manufacturing, and project managers must manage them together, not in silos.
One project in particular reinforced for me what effective technical project management looks like in practice. I was seconded to a supplier facility to help recover a product qualification effort that had fallen significantly behind schedule for both hardware and software. What was originally expected to be a two-week support trip turned into a three-month on-site assignment, with travel home only every other weekend. The stakes were high: delays at the supplier level threatened the airframe’s overall qualification and its announced Entry Into Service (EIS) date. Since aircraft sales had already been made based on that timeline, further delays would have had serious commercial consequences.
Once on site, I developed an integrated qualification schedule, identified key technical and programmatic risks, instituted daily stand-up meetings, and provided daily status reporting to leadership. The added structure and transparency quickly brought focus to the work, corrective actions were implemented immediately, and progress became visible across both hardware and software teams. Ultimately, qualification was completed in time to support EIS. That experience reinforced the value of being physically present, establishing clear expectations, and applying disciplined project controls when programs are under pressure.
That same dedication to technical project management in regulated environments is the foundation of Thurman Co. Whether we are helping organizations manage supply chain risk, execute new product introductions, or resolve quality issues on products that have been in production for years, our approach remains the same: apply structured project management, proactive risk mitigation, and continuous improvement principles to protect both schedules and customer outcomes. We specialize in supporting small- to medium-sized organizations that may not have large internal PMO or continuous improvement teams, but still face the same regulatory, quality, and delivery challenges as much larger enterprises.
Manufacturing will always involve complexity, variability, and risk. What determines success is how intentionally those challenges are managed. My journey into manufacturing taught me that disciplined execution, strong cross-functional communication, and a relentless focus on quality are not optional, they are essential. Those lessons continue to guide how I lead projects and how Thurman Co. partners with clients to deliver results that last.
We help businesses manage projects to significantly impact their success and growth. When you’re ready to put your project in the hands of a trusted professional organization, contact us to learn more about working together.