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By Curt Sardeson, February 12, 2019

Mastery – The Sixth Core Value for Open Sky Group

In this article I’d like to continue my discussion of our core values and focus on Mastery. We define this core value as “an expert today or could be in five years, never stops learning, attention to detail and consistency.”

While it would be great to simply hire people who already know everything they need, the reality is that we live in a world of constant change. We are not as concerned about someone already having skills. We are concerned about hiring people who can master new skills as needed. This is why Mastery is a celebrated core value at Open Sky Group and the people who strive to master new things are the most valued.

Mastery and Mentors

Given its importance, we take several steps to encourage this behavior and support it. One very simple thing we do is make sure each new employee is assigned a mentor. The mentor is expected to take a keen interest in helping the new employee become a master at what they do. We expect new employees to utilize their mentor resource and build a good working relationship.

One of our new team members took achieving Mastery very seriously. He took ownership of the mentor relationship and scheduled a weekly meeting with his mentor. This set aside some time for mentor and mentee to focus on the task of sharing knowledge and experiences. This individual began with no knowledge of the JDA WMS and within a year and a half was leading Proof of Concept workshops. For those who know how long it takes to master enterprise software, this was quite an accomplishment.

Mastery and Consistency

We have discovered that when you value Mastery and make it your focus, you tend to see other benefits. For example, the pursuit of helping our people achieve Mastery creates more consistency in our work. This is because you must take the time to identify how you do something if you’re going to teach others. It also encourages our mentors to stop and write down how things are done. Information is then shared with everyone, not just the mentee, which benefits the entire company.

Additionally, our core value of Caring plays a strong role in the success of our mentoring program. While we know it can take time to mentor someone, the mentor is acknowledged and rewarded for taking this time.

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Jeremy Hudson

Vice President of Client Services

Jeremy’s focus is on the products and services clients need to stay competitive. Open Sky Group’s mission is to deliver technology-enabled solutions that allow our customers to achieve more while having the flexibility to adapt to change. Jeremy lives the core values and mission by bringing the best experience possible to our clients. He is an essential member of implementation teams, working alongside clients, and encouraging them to use innovation and best practices instead of customizations for success.

Jason Yantiss

Vice President of Client Services

Jason provides leadership to a variety of teams focused on implementation and integration. With 27+ years of experience holding operational and technical management roles in transportation, billing, and warehousing across a vast array of industry verticals, Jason is adept at driving multiple complex projects, understanding customer needs at all levels of the operation and providing viable solutions. Jason’s resume of 150+ implementation projects include Warehouse, Labor, Transportation, Yard Management and multiple AR/AP Freight Pay and Customer Billing systems. 

Eric McPherson

Vice President of Client Services

Mac works to oversee implementation and integration projects. A former Marine officer and military police officer, he brings over 27 years of supply chain experience, including 11 years at Blue Yonder in both delivery and service sales. Mac is a dedicated, team-oriented professional with a background in business management, professional services, customer service, and supply chain technology. His specialties include sales support, supply chain execution systems, project management, fulfillment operations, distribution operations, and GSA contracts.

Shannon Caflisch

Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing

Shannon is responsible for the strategy and management of all sales, business development, and marketing programs. With over 25 years of sales experience and 15 years focused in the supply chain space, Shannon focuses on building strong relationships with clients and partners and strives to deliver the right software solutions to help conquer supply chain challenges. Shannon believes in learning by listening to understand clients’ goals, struggles, and what is important to their business to build lasting, successful relationships.

Alan Prillaman

Senior Vice President of Client Services

As Senior VP of Client Services, Alan oversees all consulting services and account management at Open Sky Group. Possessing over 30 years of combined industry and consulting experience, Alan leverages his unique background in IT, logistics, quality management systems, manufacturing and distribution operations, and facility and strategic account management to provide clients with creative resolutions to complex challenges. His core philosophy and passion are to deliver tangible value for and establish long-term trusted partnerships with our clients.

Mike Noble

Senior Vice President of Technology

As Senior Vice President of Technology, Mike leads Open Sky Group’s Managed Services, Software Services, Infrastructure Services, and Information Technology teams bringing 35+ years of experience in Supply Chain Execution and Information Technology. Mike and his teams ensure we maintain the highest levels of customer service in a secure and reliable environment, constantly reviewing and evaluating new technologies, their appropriateness and applicability so we can safely and securely transact our own business – and help our clients accomplish the same.

Chad Kramlich

CEO

Joining Open Sky Group in 2015, Chad, served as Chief Revenue Officer for three years prior to his appointment to CEO in 2022. With over 25 years of experience delivering results for high-growth software and consulting organizations, Chad is leveraging his background in building efficient and effective implementation teams, establishing high-impact services operations, achieving revenue growth, and deepening executive-level client relations to help propel Open Sky Group into a very successful future.