During his 25 years at Whitney Blake, Todd Given has learned both the manufacturing and the technical side of the business as an Engineering Manager-and now Program Manager. Here’s how Whitney Blake customers benefit from all of that experience…

  • What exactly does a Program Manager do?

Todd: I look at the overall time frame of a project and then outline the detailed tasks to meet the client’s schedule. Whitney Blake specializes in building unique products that are specific to a particular product or application-they aren’t off the shelf. I evaluate the risks, coordinate tasks, and provide updates to the customer. If I see anything that might impact the performance or the schedule-for example, a delay in delivery of materials-I figure out how to prevent the problem or develop recovery plans to get the project back on track.

  • What are Whitney Blake customers typically looking for?

Todd: Articles such as this one written by Salesforce stress the importance of having good customer service. That means as many things as possible should be done or designed with the customer’s needs and experience in mind. We’re known for the reliability of our products. We focus on performance and reliability as that can be considered part of the customer experience. We can take a legacy Whitney Blake product and tweak it to meet the customer’s requirements. We can take on a request for an entirely new product and meet the customer’s standards for performance and quality. We have the expertise and the reputation.

  • Do customers have any questions in common when they approach Whitney Blake?

Todd: What is the cost and how long will it take? But that’s part of my role: to keep the project moving in an efficient, cost-effective way and still deliver the high performance and extreme reliability that customers need.

  • How do you stay up to date on industry news and trends?

Todd: I read industry trade journals. I go to trade shows like the Wire Processing Expo in Wisconsin. I take promotional materials such as printed booklets, etc. that you can find on this site as well as others. I listen to our vendors and customers. In addition, Whitney Blake focuses on continuing training that allows us to provide the best support possible to our customers. We are encouraged to attend workshops and seminars that enhance our skills and supplement our experience.

  • What gives you personally the most satisfaction as a Program Manager?

Todd: Working with customers. It’s really satisfying when Whitney Blake can help solve a problem that other suppliers have not been able to solve.