Mark Meersman joins us to share his story about what IPC is doing for supply chain, and how he got started on his career with them.
Danny:
Alright, so let's jump into today's Executive Series. I am joined by Mark Meersman, who is the managing partner at IPC Global. Mark, thank you so much for joining me today on the Executive Series.

Mark:
For sure, thanks for having me.

Danny:
Alright, so for those who aren't familiar about IPC global, can you tell us a little bit about who you guys are and what you do?

Mark:
For sure. So we're an enterprise systems integrator, so that we bring multiple systems together, make them talk, integrate, communicate. In particular, our specialty is getting the data back out of those systems so that we can use it to inform the stakeholders of that. In particular, in manufacturing, where we've been proud to do, whether it's the human resources systems, the manufacturing, they call them MRP systems, or ERP systems, we pull data out of all of those systems and make new sense out of it for leadership, as well as, ultimately, people on the ground.

Danny:
Well, data's definitely a big deal, and it's increasingly to be, continuing to be an even bigger deal as we go, and we'll kind of jump into that a little bit later here. But before we get into all that, I want to know a little bit more about you. Tell me, how did you get into, how did you get into data?

Mark:
So, I was classically trained at Price Waterhouse, in their consulting division, and we were putting in big, large enterprise systems around the globe. Fortunately, I got to live in a number of countries along the way, and learned the interoperability of those systems, and what they were ultimately doing for the enterprise. And then, to get, when I started this business, IPC Global, 20 years ago, we had to specialize even further down. So the data is the new gold, and so we're able then to say, "Listen, let's just focus on the data that's being created from these organizations, and making it much more valuable to them."

Danny:
Exactly. You know, that's exciting. So, alright. So you said you started IPC Global about 20 years ago. What was that journey that made you say, "Hey, you know, I'm going to jump from PWC, and I'm going to start my own thing," what was that?

Mark:
So I had a brief stint with a product company. So I was with a software company called Markham, and they make enterprise software, and I was responsible for one of the product lines. And they were closing the Atlanta office, so my options at the time were: move to Boston or move to Tokyo, where they had a joint venture with NEC. And those two options were put on the table. And my wife and I had some roots here in Atlanta, and I said, we talked about it at the time, and I said, "Why don't I step out and do some consulting?" My wife and I had roots here, and she says, "Well, why don't you go back and do consulting?" And so I stepped out and started doing consulting. But what honestly was the kicker– because I was fearful, I've always had work, and firms to work for– is, my father asked me, "What are you afraid of?" I said, "Well, I've got kids. "I've got to provide for my family." He says, "You'll do great, I've got your back." And so I said, "Alright." And so I stepped out, reached out to a few prospective customers, and got those going. And then now, 20 years later, we're nearly 50 colleagues strong. We've honed our expertise, in particular into data and analytics. We picked some industries that we're great at, that being healthcare, education, and manufacturing. And thus, provide that value in a unique way, now.