PI in the Sky – Paul Irvine

We’ve all been there, right? You have an applicant for a job, and you are taking up references.  If the applicant has half a brain, then you will be given references that are the best they can summon.  If you do the usual “what can you tell me about Joe?” or even the more searching “How did Joe Engineer interact with the sales team?”, you still won’t get solid answers because those questions are easy to deflect with generic ‘really good’ responses.

Here’s how I get the answers I want… Read more

I can’t believe I never listened to this guy while he was alive! As a guitarist myself, I have a lot of music in the ‘guitar geek’ category… the usual suspects like Al Dimeola, Eric Johnson, Satch and Steve Vai… but I never really got Shawn Lane.  Yikes… what an amazing player… if you have any doubts watch this youtube.

Shawn Lane – Amazing

At who? Accero. Watch out for this one.  I was minding my own business with the wonderful team at Earth Class Mail… you know… changing the world and slaying dragons (wrestling with sweaty Titans as one of my ex-team used to proclaim!)… and along came this rather unique opportunity. Especially for Portland, OR. Accero Solutions is the reincarnation of Cyborg, which was and still is a powerhouse in the Payroll and HR/Benefits administration.  There’s just a wee snag… it’s all in COBOL!  The market potential is real and quantifiable. Accero has the domain expertise and a stellar reputation, along with some very blue chip accounts.  And now under new ownership, it has the backing and strength in management to light up a new future.  Where do I come in? I’m used to the startup environment, and have had some success in putting together new platforms and teams in the web world. What is less obvious in my profile is my extensive background in COBOL on mainframes and minis.  So as VP of Technology Development, it’s time to marry all that together and help make Accero the market leader in payroll, HR, Benefits, and other related spheres. Ease of use, timely access to information, and ease of integration will be hallmarks.  Watch this space…