David Calderwood has built a career on challenging assumptions. At his very first job at Hewlett Packard, his team retired the dot matrix printer by bringing the very first color inkjet printer to market (We thank you for that, David!). In his successive roles, he helped create new diagnostic tests for livestock, the fastest known white blood cell differential counter, and pharmacy robots that decreased the prevalence of prescription errors.
As Vice President of Hardware Engineering at PrecisionHawk, Calderwood oversees the development of product offerings. In an industry where technology changes daily, Calderwood says staying nimble is paramount. “This market is brand new, only recently legislated into existence. We have the opportunity to set the bar for excellence in product performance, and we’re on our way to accomplishing that.”
Making Innovation Easy
Trained as a mechanical engineer, Calderwood considers himself a systems engineer more than anything. “I want to see how everything comes together, including software, hardware, and mechanical systems. It takes excellence in all areas to bring an ideal product to market.” Calderwood knows a thing or two about doing that. His R&D teams have filed over 80 patent applications across a variety of industries, and he is the inventor on 25 issued patents, with five patents pending. His formula for innovation is simple, “When you give talented people the resources and permission to be creative, it’s amazing what happens.”
Parts Grit and Heart
He decided to make the move to PrecisionHawk after a friend encouraged him to look into the company. “It became apparent that PrecisionHawk was leading an entirely new commercial space. I’ve developed new products, but this was my opportunity to be part of an entirely new industry. The prospect was very exciting.”
He was impressed with the company right out of the gate. “Forging a space in an entirely new market space takes a lot of grit and heart. It was clear to me immediately that this team is willing to do what it takes to lead the industry.”
His favorite thing about working at PrecisionHawk? “The energy level - the attitude and excitement of this place is palpable. Everyone I work with has an entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for what we’re doing,” Calderwood said, “That’s rare to find.”
Join Dave at PrecisionHawk
For professionals who'd like to bring their own entrepreneurial spirit to the team, see our open positions on our careers page.
