high90

Erik Hess

Chief Designer

Erik has a BSFS in Science, Technology and International Affairs from Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service .

He received a commission in the US Navy in 1997 via NROTC and immediately began pilot training, earning his Wings of Gold in 1999. After being selected to fly the F-14 Tomcat, Erik reported to NAS Oceana, Virginia. Since then, he has completed two combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, and is currently serving as Force Landing Signal Officer for the Navy’s Atlantic Fleet. In 2007 and 2008 he waved the first-ever arrestments of the French Rafale and Boeing EA-18G aboard a US Navy aircraft carrier.

As an instructor at the US Navy’s Landing Signal Officer School, Erik helped design and implement a $2 million instructor console and graphics upgrade to the world’s only LSO Trainer. His roles included designing the custom touch-screen user interface and displays for the instructor/operator station, setting program requirements, software engineering, and troubleshooting. He’s most proud of writing the code to determine and display proper lunar light levels for night-time recoveries.

Erik was fortunate to represent the US Navy on the F-35 Lightning II requirements staff. While there, he provided a fleet perspective on pilot vehicle interface designs, particularly the unique dual touchscreen cockpit displays which replace the traditional gauges and multifunction displays on older aircraft. After deep immersion in two complex government acquisition programs, Erik learned a great deal about what to do and what not to do as a customer, broker and contractor.

Bob VanderClay

Chief Technologist

At high90, technology doesn’t support the business, technology is the business. So when you’re building something completely new and different than anything that’s been done before, who do you find to harness your vision?

You go find Bob.

Bob earned a degree in Computer Science at the University of Michigan, and has honed his skills working with a diverse set of clients, including NASA, ETS, BAE, and the US Joint Forces Command. He’s helped dozens of small businesses leverage technology to stay competitive in an unpredictable economic climate. He’s designed and built applications, and he’s lead and taught others to do the same. Bob doesn’t just respond to this fast-paced, constantly evolving industry – he thrives in it.

Even though Bob brings a broad and unique background to bespoke application design, he knows that technology alone isn’t enough. To succeed, it must work hand in hand with good business practices and good people. For Bob, it’s not enough to just create better software, it’s his goal to create better users.

But all this technology stuff is only half the story. Bob brings a passion for creation, a drive to do something new, something better, something greater. Whether it’s optimizing the code to squeak out a little more performance, designing a new user interface to convey huge amounts of data in a clear and concise manner, or taking some time off to just play guitar, Bob craves creation. He craves pushing the envelope. For Bob, “good enough”, isn’t.

As he would say, “Perfection may not be attainable, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.”

This entry was posted on Saturday, July 18th, 2009 at 4:20 pm and is filed under Our Company. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.