Meet DCG – Patrick Vogtner

Guide us through your career journey: How did you end up here? 

• The timeline for my career journey is as follows: Science Teacher –> Pasta –> MachineryLink –> Seaboard –> DCG  

 

Easier for me to lay out, this is my job history in a nutshell and the positions I held at the companies I worked for.  

Biology/Geology/Physics Teacher 

Pasta Production 

– Sales/Production Forecasting 

– Sales Program Management 

– Raw Material Procurement 

– Supply and Capacity Planning and Management 

FarmLink/MachineryLink 

– Scheduled logistics of the largest fleet of combines in North America all over the country 

– Implemented ERP with Dynamics technology 

Seaboard – Inventory and Logistics Management and Optimizations 

– Load Scheduling (truck pickups) for 150 shipments/day x 3 locations 

– Managed and scheduled 6 Cold Storage locations for 50 rail export shipments/day 

– Developed systems to create visibility into Internal and External performance 

DCG – Here I am 

What influenced your decision to become part of DCG?  

• My influence began when I was a customer. I always had an interest in learning systems and code. When I was in Supply Chain, in my free time, I often would elicit the help of IT to develop my own solutions and application extensions to my business challenges. I came to realize that creating solutions was my favorite part of my work, so why not do it full-time? 

What is your favorite Microsoft product that we offer and why?   

• My favorite Microsoft product that we offer is Azure Functions. It opens up the whole world of APIs. 

What technology invention made the most impact on your life?

• My cell phone made the biggest impact on my life. It has created an instant connection to people and knowledge anywhere in the world. 

What are 5 things you want to accomplish in 2019? 

• The five things I want to accomplish are:   

1. Become an expert on Azure Functions 
2. Become an expert on MS Field Service 
3. Run 1,000 K (621 miles) 
4. Potty Train my youngest child 
5. Take at least one good vacation with my entire family 

Who is your biggest inspiration? 

• My biggest inspiration is my Dad. He showed me the value of working hard and never doing the bare minimum. Always think about the next guy, it’s something I think about in my career a lot. 

How do you wind down after work?    

• My winding down is just enjoying my kids. They are awesome and love to play, so I love to come home and chase them around. I guess I like to wind back up in a different way? 

What is your most interesting/embarrassing office story?    

• The most embarrassing and interesting story is, one time I had an out of town on-site meeting with a client that has a very formal office setting. The next morning, I realized that I had forgotten to pack my dress pants. Luckily, I woke up early enough… 24-hour Target to the rescue! 

What job would you be terrible at?    

• I would be terrible at being a Historian. I’m a Math guy and reading was never my favorite. 

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?  

• The best piece of advice is ‘Save your money early.’ I cannot stress that enough.  

What’s the weirdest food you’ve ever eaten?  

• The weirdest food I ever ate was Sweetbreads. Weird, yet delicious. 

What’s your most hated household chore, why?  

• The chore I hate the most is putting away the groceries. I just bought food because I don’t have anything to eat, yet I have a full fridge and freezer? 

Choose a movie title for the story of your life.  

• The movie title for my life would be, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.” I married into a Greek family where every in-law lives within 2 miles of me. 

If you had to delete all but 3 apps from your smartphone, which ones would you keep?    

• The 3 apps I would keep would be, the photos, music and chat apps. Everything else you can get through a browser. 

What are some of your pet peeves?  

• Two of my pet peeves are bad grammar and red lights when there’s no traffic the other direction.  

At which store would you like to max-out your credit card?  

• I would like to max-out my credit card at Bag and Baggage. 

What would you most regret not having done by the end of your life?    

• I would regret not travelling more. I have been to 12 countries so far, and still have many places I would love to see. 

Do you have any strange phobias? What are they?  

• Yes, I have a phobia of heights. No thanks! 

Where is your favorite place to travel and why?  

• My favorite place to travel is Italy. I love the thousands of years of culture everywhere you go, and the food is unbelievable. 

If you could eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be? 

• I would eat a ribeye steak at medium rare – so tasty.  

If you had to pick one age to be permanent, which age would you choose?  

• If I could choose one age to be, I would choose 23 because that is when I met my wife. 

What’s your favorite sport to watch and which team do you root for?  

• My favorite sport is baseball. My hometown is Atlanta and I am still an avid Braves and Falcons fan, even after living in Kansas City for the last 12 years! 

If you could meet one person, living or dead, who would it be and why? 

• I would want to meet Fred Rogers. The documentary of his life is a must-see. He was such an amazing person that always had a unique perspective on the world.