Derek is the newest member of our ScanCAD team!
Please explain your background — where you’re from, what you’ve done and what brings you to ScanCAD.
Well, first off, my name is Derek Trask. I am a Colorado native and I have spent most of my life living in beautiful Conifer, Colorado. I attended the Colorado School of Mines after grade school, obtaining the degree of Mechanical Engineer in 2009. I grew up doing a lot of outdoor activities living in the Rocky Mountains; hiking, riding dirt bikes, skiing and kayaking just to name a few. When I was little, while riding a ski lift, I noticed the intense mechanical nature of the lift and decided that I wanted to be part of designing that kind of product someday. So, when I graduated college, I applied to work for Leitner Poma of America in Grand Junction, CO and to my delight, I was hired as an R&D engineer. My first “for real” project is in operation today at Vail Resort and I am very proud of that. After a couple of years of ski lift design, I decided to move back home to the Conifer area. And that is where I have been ever since.
Since then, I have worked in several different technical and non-technical industries. Including telecom tower reinforcement design, retail and technical sales and project management. In 2014, I became a father to one very special little boy who is the light of my world.
I came to ScanCAD for many reasons. I feel that the products the company sells have incredible and untapped potential. The PCB industry is immense, to say the least. They are products used often on a minute-to-minute basis in every day modern life. I believe strongly that reverse engineering of legacy and modern PCB is of significant importance to the future. The ability to create electronics with the same form, fit and function of legacy products eliminates the costs of making new master assemblies to serve the same purpose as the old one(s). This, I believe, is a huge break for our environment. Conifer, where ScanCAD headquarters is located, is so pristine and beautiful; keeping it that way is one of my top priorities and goals. I believe strongly that ScanCAD contributes to that goal, I’m proud to be part of their family.
Through the interview process, I was elated to meet Bill and Travis Loving. I found them to be extremely diligent while also promoting family, offering flexibility and a high level of professionalism. All of this gives me tremendous confidence in ScanCAD and the ScanCAD family. I feel fortunate to be part of the team.
Please share what you’re most passionate about.
My greatest passion has been being part of my child’s development and life. Promoting his wellbeing, teaching him new things. Watching his successes and failures are of paramount importance to me. I really enjoy being a dad and my son is truly the best thing that has ever happened to me.
Outside of my family, the clean environment I am so lucky to live in is extremely important to me. I really enjoy gardening, plants, wildlife and walking through the woods taking in sights and smells. I love the Rocky Mountains; there truly is no other place I’ve ever witnessed with such serenity. There is nothing better than closing my eyes and listening to the quiet wilderness that surrounds us here in Conifer and knowing that I am extremely fortunate to be who and where I am.
I also enjoy learning technical things. The greater the complexity, the more enticing. I would say I most enjoy learning about complex mechanical and organic systems. Such as avionics, animals, plants and farming, as well as new and old technologies.
Tell us what you hope to bring to ScanCAD and our international team.
My goal with ScanCAD and the international team is to bring excellent service and knowledge to better our planet for the sake of my son’s future. ScanCAD has so much to offer to that end. ScanCAD can significantly change the outlook of modern society simply by offering utility from legacy devices instead of having them placed in a landfill. My goal is to help develop the business and our customers so that we can reduce the need for carbon gas output on planet earth, even if it is as simple as reverse engineering a computer component to alleviate the need for an entire new computer or module.
Furthermore, given my design and creative background, I hope to bring a fresh perspective on CAD products and hopefully find new and interesting ways to use ScanCAD technology. I believe there is untapped potential in this company in terms of quality control for products not even related to PCB using Raster data and I hope to have a significant contribution in developing that part of the business. After all, high quality parts make high-quality assemblies and high-quality assemblies have greater and longer utility than poor quality craftsmanship. And that conforms to my highest goal of being a good father and making the world the best place I can for my family. It’s win-win.
What’s one random fact about yourself that you would like to share?
I got my first job when I was 11 years old raising and caring for horses. And I had that job into my 2nd year of college. I think anything to do with farming / ranching is super interesting.