Cool Jobs at COLSA Corporation
Roddie, Hardware Engineer
West Coast Operations
Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, Pacific |
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“Seeing something go from a concept to a drawing to a finished product that is used around the world is a cool feeling. Being able to visit these racks on site and see them operating in their intended environment is an added bonus.
“I am often called by customers and our government reps asking me to give advice on connectivity and configuration problems, such as putting a Mini-Rack in the space and frame of an aircraft seat. I like the challenge of doing something that’s never been done before and manufacturing something that has never been built before. This job is full of those challenges.
“I have been blessed with a great management team that allows me the freedom to make decisions based on my experience and knowledge of the system. They also make it very clear to me that they have confidence in my ability to get the job done right. That’s a good feeling. I love that COLSA has sent me to many places to work and gain experience. More than that, I love that I get to meet and work with so many wonderful people worldwide.” -- Roddie
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| Education: A.A., Telecommunications, Associates Technical College
Number of Years at COLSA: 11 yrs
“I am the Supervisor of the group that manufactures the Link-16 Mini-Racks and specialty racks that house and control Link-16 MIDS and JTIDS terminals. I have been privileged to build the first racks of this type. Because of my experience as a user, I have been tasked with coming up with new designs to make the racks smaller, more functional and user friendly. Our Mini Racks are currently being used at various sites around the world, such as Hawaii, Italy, Israel, Bahrain, Puerto Rico, and Canada.
“In addition to my supervisory tasks, I have supported Link-16 operations with the Spanish Navy, Israeli Army, British Navy, British Air Force, Australian Air Force, German Air Force, Italian Army, French Military, Polish Air Force and Japanese Navy. I have been sent to various sites in CONUS and around the globe as a member of the training team tasked with getting sites up to speed on Link-16. I am often asked to travel to sites to do site surveys to help identify the best locations to install Link-16 equipment as well as give advice on any power, RF, configuration, or security issues. I designed a voice break out box that can be used with JTIDS Air or Ship systems, as well as all of the MIDS systems, to provide a secure voice capability to Mini-Rack user.” |
