This feedback was important for us to receive because it highlighted a key difference between how DMC is viewed from within and from outside the organization. When someone hears that DMC has offices across the country, it is reasonable to assume these are sales offices. Many companies start up this way: a central office where the technical work takes place, with satellite sales offices for relationship building and sales generation.

More Than Pins on a Map

As DMC expands to open and grow offices in new geographic regions, it isn’t because they want another dot on the map or a statement of presence in those locales. Rather, the intention is to establish engineering presence in the area – offices that provide a location to do actual engineering work to solve problems, develop systems, serve customers, and help deliver projects.

This distinction makes all the difference. Offices of DMC aren’t just a place where you meet someone and talk about business or make introductions. They are places of active technical development. In DMC regional offices, engineers are actively designing automation systems, writing software, setting up test equipment, creating manufacturing processes, integrating hardware, addressing customer needs, and more.

Chicago

Austin

Boston

Cincinnati

Dallas

Denver

Detroit

Houston

New York

Raleigh

San Diego

Seattle

St. Louis

Tampa

Washington, D.C.

Local Presence Still Matters

Even in an age where virtual collaboration is commonplace, there are times when physical presence cannot be overlooked. Seeing a piece of equipment, touring the manufacturing floor, observing the testing apparatus, reviewing the assembly of a control panel, or sitting down with a customer’s team to troubleshoot an issue may present challenges that cannot be fully understood from a diagram, specification, or teleconference call.

That is where the regional presence provided by DMC becomes useful. For many of our clients, our engineers are just a few hours away from their facilities. We can respond to their needs more quickly, build stronger personal connections, and provide the human touch that is so essential to creating a successful technical solution.

It is particularly important for projects involving actual machinery, equipment, limitations, and operating environments. Often, the most effective solution may not be reached from afar but will require the presence of someone with a direct and personal understanding of what the challenge entails.

That said, the regional nature of DMC’s operations does not preclude clients from choosing engineers from any office outside the nearest one. That is where DMC’s approach truly shines.

OneDMC: Local Connection, National Depth

DMC’s office locations are our engineering teams, but they are not necessarily isolated from one another. We have very much embraced the OneDMC approach, meaning that our regional presence is backed by the complete technical expertise of DMC on a national level.

While a customer might work directly with the engineering teams in a local office, there will always be many more layers of technical knowledge backing that local team. Whether a customer’s project requires test automation knowledge, control systems expertise, LabVIEW programming, embedded development, manufacturing automation, cloud, data systems, or even just complicated multi-disciplinary engineering, DMC can bring in the appropriate experts.

And that is what makes our office model quite different from a standard sales office location approach. It combines the benefits of proximity with access to all the knowledge necessary. Customers don’t need to settle for proximity or specialization; with us, they can have both.

That is one of the reasons why we chose to establish offices rather than just sales offices in certain locations. While other companies may only put sales representatives in convenient locations, our office approach allows us to build engineering teams to serve our clients locally while remaining part of a national organization capable of tackling any problems.

Telling the Story More Clearly

The feedback from our partner was a helpful reminder that how we tell our story matters. We know what DMC’s offices are because we live it every day, but we cannot assume others see it the same way. If someone hears “national footprint” and thinks “sales coverage,” then we have an opportunity to better explain what makes our footprint different.

DMC’s growth has been intentional. We have invested in engineering offices because we believe technical work benefits from both local relationships and national collaboration. We want to be close enough to our customers to show up when it matters, while still being connected enough internally to bring the right expertise to every challenge.

So when we say DMC has offices across the country, we are not just saying we have places to meet. We are saying we have engineers across the country. Engineers who are working on real projects, solving real problems, and building real relationships with customers every day.

That is the reality behind DMC’s national footprint—and it is a story worth telling more clearly.

The post DMC’s National Footprint: Engineering Teams Built Locally, Supporting Clients Nationwide appeared first on DMC, Inc..

Our adventure kicked off at Urban Family Brewing, a welcoming spot with a relaxed atmosphere. Its taps are constantly rotating, so there is always something new to sample. While Urban Family Brewing is known for sours, our favorite pour of the day was the Raccoon-Level Dexterity, a New England IPA. 

Next, we made our way to Wheelie Pop Brewing, a newer addition to Ballard’s brewery scene. Wheelie Pop favors crisp, clean beers like lager and pilsner. However, its Green Sector IPA was the crowd favorite from our team.  

We strolled through the neighborhood until we reached Reuben’s Brews. The family business has been brewing in Ballard since 2015. It offers a wide range of styles and has won many awards for its delicious brews. On this visit, we opted for the summery sour ale Fresh! Watermelon Lime. 

Our last stop was Stoup Brewing. Its founders have a background in chemistry and biology, so its beers balance science and art. You’ll find many lagers and IPAs on tap at Stoup Brewing, but we voted for the Wheat the Rich raspberry wheat. 

The Ballard Brewhaha was a fun way to step away from the office and connect as a team. From exploring the historic Ballard neighborhood to sampling its craft breweries, it was great to spend time together outside of the workday. What Seattle neighborhood should we check out next? 

The post Exploring Ballard for DMC Seattle’s 4th Annual Ballard Brewhaha appeared first on DMC, Inc..

Team Huddle 

At DMC, we value having fun and sharing information, so it should come as no surprise that we chose a holiday party activity in the most democratic way possible.

Past favorites included a cooking class where everyone learned to make a component of a meal that we all then enjoyed together, and a glassblowing lesson where everyone in the office took home a handblown ornament.

This year, we all agreed to prioritize good food and a fun activity over a sit-down dinner. We narrowed our choices down to curling or an elevated game night, and game night won the coin toss.

Preparing the Field

To select the perfect venue for this event, we balanced a casual vibe with a space that would allow mingling, conversation, and the flexibility to accommodate various forms of gameplay. We ultimately settled on the Alibi Room, a speakeasy-style bar tucked into Seattle’s Gum Wall (if you know, you know) at Pike Place Market. This spot checked all the boxes with brews on tap, classy cocktails, and a selection of elevated comfort food—think Greek-inspired appetizers, Neapolitan-style pizzas, and fancy mac and cheese.

For games, we opted for some office favorites like One Night Werewolf, classics like Taboo, a mini Hook-and-Ring game, and even a Metagame where party guests won points for sneakily completing conversational challenges throughout the evening, like getting someone to show someone else a picture of their pet or having someone define random objects written on cards. Once a player completed a challenge without getting caught, they could enter their card in a raffle for the chance to win a prize. The field was set.

Game Night ≥ Game Day

The evening kicked off with appetizers as guests trickled in. We kept the bartender busy as the appetizers, salads, and mac and cheese made their appearance. The Hook-and-Ring game saw some action while half a dozen DMCers and their plus-ones played Taboo. The rest of us opted to mingle, drink, and nibble until the main course arrived.

Halftime Show

About halfway through the night, Dan Freve, DMC’s Chief Operating Officer and head of the Seattle office, gave a rousing speech reflecting on the growth of the Seattle office from a small team into one of the company’s largest offices outside of Chicago. He was followed by managers Steven Fuchs and Phil Schaffer, who thanked the team for their contributions throughout the year. We were also able to show one of our new hires how the Seattle office lives by one of DMC’s core values, Have Fun. The evening wound down with the announcement that Meghana Annamaneni had won the Metagame.

Fourth Quarter

The end of our time at the Alibi Room did not mean the end of the night. Many DMCers kept the party going at a local barcade, Jupiter Bar, for a different sort of game: Killer Queen. This strategy arcade game is a DMC tradition, played by up to 10 people on competing teams of 5.

This capped off the night with a bang, much like the annual DMC office holiday party caps off a productive year and gives us a moment to reflect on and celebrate our team’s outstanding work.

Holiday parties are just one of the things that make DMC a special place to work.

The post Seattle’s Holiday Game Night Ends in a “Touchdown” appeared first on DMC, Inc..

A Sweet Sampling

Systems Engineer Wen Deng knew the high-quality bakery’s innovative flavors would be a hit with the adventurous eaters at the Seattle office. She “Made Things Happen,” per DMC’s core values, and arranged a company-sponsored activity fund event. Wen ordered several of the most exciting flavors to arrive after the workday wrapped up.

Analysis and Assessment

As often happens when you “Hire Smart People,” the DMCers who stuck around naturally engaged in a spirited evaluation of the various cakes and “Told it Like it Is.” Here are some of our findings.

• Coming in at the top spot, the mochi were universally enjoyed.
• The pistachio raspberry cake had a great balance of mild sweet pistachio fragrance contrasted with tart raspberry bites.
• The saltiness of the Oreo Basque cheesecake helped bring out the flavor
• The Earl Grey jelly proved polarizing. Some loved it while others thought it was “mid.”
• The sweet meat cakes, featuring pork floss and duck respectively, were worth trying but did not top anyone’s list.

In the interest of “Sharing Information,” hopefully, our findings can help guide you if you’re ever looking for a sweet treat in the Greater Seattle Area.

The post Not Sweet-less in Seattle: A Team Cake Tasting appeared first on DMC, Inc..

Core Values on Display

Entering the classic escape room, the DMC crew was transported back in time to Seattle’s famous 1960s World Fair. We were confronted with locked doors, secret messages, and uncracked codes. With 60 minutes on the clock, we sprang into action, demonstrating several of DMC’s core values in the process.

Share Information

With two adjacent rooms to comb through, we needed to divide and conquer. People revealed different pieces of the puzzle, but the sequence of their application wasn’t always immediately clear. It was only through information sharing across the group that we were able to apply the relevant clues and advance.

Have Fun

We enjoyed an entertaining, teamwork-fueled evening! The welcome party was a wonderful opportunity to get to know Meghana and introduce her to the lively team culture.

Hire Smart People

The breadth of our team’s intelligence was on full display as the crew tackled the different mind-bending aspects of the room. Using deduction, logic, and good old-fashioned trial and error, we were able to put pieces in place, crack codes, and unlock doors. We ultimately escaped, setting the timeline right in the process. The staff were impressed that we finished the expert-level room with 20 minutes to spare, but it came as no surprise to the DMC crew.

The escape room evening was the perfect way to welcome Meghana while highlighting what makes DMC an incredible organization to be a part of.

The post Escape Room Welcome Party at DMC Seattle appeared first on DMC, Inc..

A Mind-Bending Experience 

The museum is located a short walk away from DMC’s Seattle office, so we planned to visit it on a weeknight after work. We kicked off the evening by ordering dinner at the office to fuel up before our adventure. Then, a group of eight of us, including some of our guests, set out to explore the museum. 

Our eyes couldn’t believe what we saw after arriving at the Museum of Illusions. There was a variety of optical illusions to interact with and pose for fun photos.  Some rooms made you feel like you were shrinking or growing while others played tricks on your eyes. Our team had a blast together trying to figure out how the illusions worked and snapping silly photos of each other. 

One of the highlights of the outing was a tunnel at the end of the museum. It had a spinning circular wall that created a dizzying effect, making it tough to maintain your balance. People struggled to walk through it, with some of us nearly stumbling over as we tried to keep our footing through our laughter. 

This Magic Moment 

After regaining our balance, having our minds blown, and taking way too many pictures, we all made our way home. Our magical evening at the Museum of Illusions was the perfect way to embody DMC’s core value of “Have Fun.” It was great to enjoy the museum’s whimsy as a team and literally see things from a different perspective. 

The post A Magical Evening at the Museum of Illusions in Seattle appeared first on DMC, Inc..

The LEGO Enthusiasts 

LEGO bricks are more than just toys; they are tools for creativity, problem-solving, and team building. Many DMC employees have been avid LEGO builders since childhood, and this passion has only grown in both the skill necessary to complete the project, and the price of the sets involved. The intricate designs and endless possibilities that LEGO offers align perfectly with the skills and temperament required for engineering and project management. 

The NASA BOLE Project 

Just like LEGO’s, many DMC employees have followed NASA’s space program since childhood and were thrilled to work with NASA. The NASA BOLE project is a critical initiative aimed at extending the life of the Space Launch System (SLS) boosters. This project requires cutting-edge engineering, meticulous planning, and innovative problem-solving. DMC employees working on BOLE are at the forefront of aerospace technology, ensuring that NASA’s missions continue to reach new heights. Learn more about DMC’s work on the NASA BOLE project. 

The Monthly Activity Fund 

DMC’s monthly activity fund is designed to promote employee team building. Employees can use this fund to organize activities that bring them joy and foster connections with their colleagues. A few examples of Monthly Activity Nights include sports events, Top Golf games, and cooking classes. However, a perennial favorite of DMC employees is LEGO night!  

Our LEGO enthusiasts have creatively utilized the monthly activity fund to support their passion. They have organized LEGO-building workshops, competitions, and even collaborative projects where employees work together to build large-scale models. These activities have not only been fun but have also strengthened teamwork, creativity, and problem-solving skills.  

A Unique Synergy 

The combination of LEGO building, the NASA BOLE project, and the monthly activity funds for the St. Louis and Seattle offices have created a unique synergy at DMC. Employees are encouraged to bring their whole selves to work, blending their personal interests with their professional responsibilities. 

At DMC, we believe that fostering a culture where employees can pursue their passions alongside their professional goals leads to a more engaged, motivated, and innovative workforce. The combination of LEGO, the NASA BOLE project, and the monthly activity fund is just one example of how we are building dreams, one day or brick at a time. 

The post Building Dreams: DMC Employees Combine Passion for LEGO, NASA BOLE Project, and Monthly Activity Fund appeared first on DMC, Inc..

Boston

The Boston office had a board game night!

Boston also hosted DMSkeast 2024!

Chicago

Chicago DMCers went to Puttery!

Dallas

Dallas DMCers went to Bowlero!

Denver

The Denver office went to the Colorado Rockies’ Opening Day!

San Diego

The San Diego office went to Beeside Balcony during Restaurant Week!

St. Louis

The St. Louis office went to a Blues game!

Seattle

The Seattle office had Hacky/Crafty Tuesday, where they got food, played games, and worked on personal projects!

Washington, DC

The DC office played Pickleball!

The post Fun at DMC – Volume 22 appeared first on DMC, Inc..

To make sure there were events for everyone to engage in, this YOE followed a choose your own adventure style, and there were many adventures to choose from.

Before the YOE

“The Seattle office people were good at finding fun stuff for us to do after work before everyone had showed up for the YOE,” Aaron Shoemaker, DMCer from Chicago who arrived early before the YOE. “We went to a taproom with a food hall on it, we watched the sunset out on the shore at one point, and it was just a really fun week.”

The Monday evening before the YOE included a picnic dinner in the park with the Seattle office for those who already arrived in Seattle.

“On Monday night we went to Lincoln park, a local park, and we had dinner, brought some beverages, and just watched the ferries,” Elizabeth Goodnight, DMCer from Seattle who helped plan the YOE, said. “I think it’s fun just sitting on the water in the sound watching the ferries go by. It’s one of my favorite spots, so we got to take anybody who was around to a little more of a casual night just hanging out and being friends.”

While the office was busy Tuesday with more DMCers arriving in Seattle (including me), we went to dinner at a restaurant in Pike Place Market also on the water. This was a bit more of a classic Seattle tourist staple.

On Wednesday we hit another classic Seattle tourist staple after work and went to Flatstick to play duffle board – a local game that is a mix between mini golf and shuffleboard.

Thursday – Let the YOE Begin

While working in the office on Thursday, Caroline Corbois from Houston and Michael Sidler from Seattle say they got to see the Blue Angels fly over as they were practicing for the weekend.

“We watched the Blue Angels performing over the office essentially from the lookout area at the top of the building and just around the Seattle area,” Michael said. “And we got to play pool with all of the Chicago people who came in.”

After some pool, the first group of DMCers headed to the cabins we were staying at in Cle Elum. We spent the night snacking on pizza, playing games, saying hi to people we haven’t seen in a while, and meeting DMCers we hadn’t met before.

Friday

Friday was when the choose your own adventures began. One group went on a moderate hike to Peoh Point in the morning – including myself.

“We did a hike at Peoh Point, and that was fun,” Brian Sanderson, DMCer from Chicago, said. “We reached that peak where a couple of people went up and a couple of others did not. I think hiking is the one thing that is missing in Chicago. That’s why I was happy that Seattle was more of a hiking focus rather than walking around a city.”

Another group went rock climbing all day – a highlight for many people on this YOE.

“I used to be a climbing instructor, so it was really fun to get back out there,” Caroline said. “John and Kevin did a phenomenal job of planning a trip that was accessible for all skill levels. It was a super remote crag – no other climbers except two people at the very end. It was really nice to meet them and talk about local climbing. We were there for 9 hours.”

As hiking is not very easy to do around our other DMC offices, many DMCers say they enjoyed traveling and doing it at a YOE.

“It was a lot of fun! I’ve done a reasonable amount of bouldering in the past and have only been outdoor climbing once before,” Nick Leisle, from San Diego, said. “It was a good chance to get back out there and climb a bit more. I also got to do belaying, which is something I’ve done a little bit before in the past, but I got to learn a little bit more about it this time around. I really can’t complain about spending an entire day outside around the side of a mountain. The place we went climbing was very beautiful. We had a very clear view of Mount Rainier. Just being out there with great weather, lying in a hammock, and hanging out with the homies is a good way to spend the day – can’t complain about that.”

Many DMCers reminisce about climbing as their favorite part of the YOE.

“I think my favorite moment was the first climb of the day just looking out from the top of the rock face, turning around, and seeing Mount Rainier in the distance,” Michael, said. “That was a lot of fun.”

A small group also checked out a beach in Cle Elum Friday afternoon!

After all of the climbing and the beach, we had a cookout for dinner where Phil Schaffer made the best burger I’ve ever had – and some hot dogs. Elizabeth brought up a bunch of berries from her property and convinced us to eat blackberry crumble, which did not take much convincing at all.

Saturday

Saturday morning was another choose your own adventure day with one group leaving at 4am to hike Colchuck Lake.

“Saturday morning, we got up really early, had three or four cars of people drive up to the Enhancements, and we hiked up to Colchuck Lake,” Michael said. “It was a slightly rainy day, so it fits in with what Seattle is normally like in the non-summer months. It was nice because it took away the heat, and it was a nice, shaded hike up to the lake.”

With Colchuck Lake being one of the most well-known and visited locations to go hiking in the state, there were a ton of people there, according to Michael.

“There are absolutely incredible views,” Michael said. “Some people went and did some swimming in the lake when they got to the top, we enjoyed our trail mix and other snacks that we brought with us, took some pictures, and then headed back down.”

For those who did not want to wake up early but had an itch to hike, they headed to Lake Ingalls.

“I went to Lake Ingalls with Kevin Hsu, Rachel Hughes, John Williams, Nick Leisle, Milos Popovic,” Caroline said. “Kevin and I made it a trail run, which was really fun because then we had time to run all the way around the lake.”

While Caroline and Kevin ran around the lake, everyone else in the group hiked Lake Ingalls, according to Caroline.

“The Lake Ingalls hike was beautiful,” Rachel said. “Being from Chicago, you do not get a lot of mountains, much less lakes in mountains. To be outdoors in that kind of scenery for that long is awesome.”

While the early birds hiked, another group of us went on a third adventure to explore the cute little town of Leavenworth, a Bavarian-styled village in the Cascade Mountains.

“Leavenworth was fun. They have really committed to the bit out there,” Aaron said. “It’s all a very German looking town. Even McDonalds, Starbucks, and Napa Auto Parts are all [written in] bohemian script. We went and did a beer tasting at a local brewery, and then we went to München Haus and got bratwurst, sauerkraut, and more beer – it was a good time.”

Following the trip to Leavenworth, a group of DMCers headed to the state park to play Bocci Ball and Uno, eat lunch, and taste wine!

We did the wine tasting in our new DMC Seattle mugs, which was the SWAG gifted at this YOE.

Elizabeth was our Sommelier and presented us with Washington’s local wines to taste. Wine tasting is a Washington staple, according to Elizabeth, and she even gave a second wine tasting back at the cabins for those who went on the long hike and missed it.

Sunday

As we left Cle Elum and headed back to Seattle, the choose your own adventures continued. One car of DMCers stopped at a local coffee shop for breakfast in the town of Roslyn, Washington that we drove through. Another car stopped at Roslyn’s local farmers market and bought eight pounds of fruit to split on the rest of the drive home. A third group, who hadn’t had the chance to go before, went to see Leavenworth.

“Kevin Hsu, John Williams, Ryan Druffel, and I went to see the Blue Angels,” Caroline said. “We got sushi after, and then we flew home.”

Why YOEs?

YOEs are an essential part of DMC’s great company culture and allow all the offices to come together and fulfill some of our Core Values – Have Fun and Share Information.

“Why I care so much about YOEs is because we are really big on sharing information, working in a collaborative team, relying on the people around you, and asking for help when needed,” Elizabeth said. “For me, that’s difficult if I don’t know someone – especially for a newer member of the team. [Asking questions] is just so much easier to do if you know somebody as a person, if you’ve gone on a hike, or if they like your dog. I’ve always been a person who attends other YOEs, but it’s fun to be able to return the favor a little bit, pay it forward, and plan one to keep that community aspect going. You’re not just asking someone technical questions. It’s more personal, and I like that a lot.”

While we had the opportunity to personally meet Elizabeth’s dog, I am not the only one who agrees that this YOE allowed us to grow more personal connections.

“I really like going on YOEs because, I feel like, every time I go, I get to connect with a coworker that I don’t normally see on a daily basis,” Aaron said. “Even people that I work with in the Chicago office that I see every day, you don’t get to see them in a non-work context until you get out on a YOE or something. It’s fun to connect and make friends.”

As a newer DMCer, Brian says this YOE proved to him what DMC’s company culture is like.

“I joined DMC in part because of their great culture,” Brian said. “I wanted to meet a bunch of people and immerse myself to see if it was worth it, and it definitely was. It’s cool that we’re at a place that promotes things like this, puts their money where their mouth is in terms of the great culture that they have, and [has] just a bunch of friendly people who made enough of a first impression on me that I will travel across the country to go hang out with them.”

Without a doubt, the second Seattle YOE was a fun, impactful, and memorable event!

“I think it was a great success and everyone had a fun time,” Michael said. “I can’t wait for when we do it next time.”

Learn more about DMC’s company culture and check out our open positions!

The post Seattle YOE 2023: SeaYOEttle appeared first on DMC, Inc..

Explore our open positions!

The post DMC’s Fall 2023 Career Fair Schedule – West appeared first on DMC, Inc..