INTERVIEW
A Conversation With Our Founders
A new year is an opportunity for resolutions, resets, and for us at DesTech, reintroductions. In 2023 we plan to be more transparent, recognizable, and communicative – that starts today.
We had a chance to sit down with DesTech’s founders, Sherri Hassard and Fred Strahle to ask them a few quick questions about the company, its name, and the core principles that allow DesTech to deliver elegantly customized solutions.
Where did the idea for the name DesTech come from, and what does it mean?
Sherri: Basically we wanted something to represent the two of us (Fred and Sherri) and our backgrounds. Before we started DesTech, Fred had more of a tech background, and I worked as an analyst and was more into the design of databases and systems. So DesTech represented our two areas of expertise from our backgrounds (Design and Tech).
Over 30+ years, has the understanding and fundamental ideas needed to blend design and technology changed?
Sherri: Well lots of things have changed of course. The company doesn’t look anything like it did when it was just the two of us! We started out as a consulting company, that’s what we thought we’d do and we still have that branch of the business. We always had an eye to potentially having an education centre and we did that several years later. Another reason for choosing DesTech was we wanted a name that could stand the test of time.
Fred: We knew we would always be designing technical solutions.
Sherri: We wanted a name we could grow with, and the company could change but we would still be a technology company designing solutions for people.
In some cases, other companies don’t always allow design and technology to work hand in hand. How does DesTech create cleanly designed solutions to messy tech problems?
Fred: It really depends on leadership. If the leadership understands that you don’t just apply a technology because it’s the latest and greatest thing, you must have a plan. What problems are you trying to solve? What specific business pain are you trying to relieve? What is the solution at a high level, and what technology is best to implement for that solution? You have to design the solution first and figure out what technology is best for your organization for the short-term and the long-term.
Sherri: More and more companies are understanding the importance of designing the technology before you just jump in.
Fred: Sometimes people are solving problems with the latest technology because it looks cool without thinking about maintaining it five years down the line. You have got to think long term. That’s part of designing the right solution, it’s not just “What screens do we need?” or “What reports do we need?” How do we maintain it moving forward? How do we improve on it? Can we enhance it? Have we designed it so that it’s flexible, so that as our needs change we don’t have to rewrite everything, we can gradually enhance it.
Sherri: If you want a properly designed technological solution, that’s what we’re here for.
Fred: We also want to leave our customers in a state where if they choose to train up their staff that they can do that and leave themselves independent and self-sufficient. If they need our assistance in certain areas we can do that too but if they want to be self-sufficient we can make them self-sufficient and train them on all our technology and work with them during the design and build stages.
What’s next for DesTech?
Sherri: We have been working on empowering our senior team to set new direction and to enjoy doing so. Fresh ideas from them, combined with guidance based on the wisdom we hope we have developed over the last 30 years, will lead us into new areas we haven’t even imagined yet.
Fred: We have a large customer base that trusts us to help them integrate changes in the technology they depend on. We’ve adapted to these changes very well over the years and will continue to adapt to the changes to come.
What changes are on their way in 2023? Only time will tell, but DesTech is in good hands and is ready to adapt on the fly as needed.
A huge thank you to Fred Strahle and Sherri Hassard for taking the time to shed some light on the company and its name, and to all of you reading this, working alongside DesTech at the start of what is sure to be an amazing, ground-breaking 2023!
Happy New Year,
The DesTech Team
