Next week I start a new chapter in my career. About a week ago I accepted a position with SolidQ, formerly known as Solid Quality Mentors. SolidQ is a relatively small company with a world-wide presence and are only focused on Microsoft BI technologies. Their mentors are conference headliners, well-known technical authors and Microsoft MVPs. I’ve had associations with SolidQ for several years as I’ve worked along side some of their mentors, taught at the same training centers and spoken at the same conferences. I’m very excited to join a team of professionals that I’ve been watching for several years and share the same passion for BI that I do.
I’m leaving Hitachi Consulting after nearly seven enjoyable years. Hitachi still employs many of the same great people I worked with when I started. Hitachi brought me into their Seattle-based Microsoft BI practice in 2004 where I worked with some really talented BI practitioners and learned a great deal about things like dimensional modeling, data warehouse design and cube design. I had been working with SQL Server Reporting Services and was able to contribute my database background, coding and SSRS skills on team projects where I continued to learn more about building holistic BI solutions. I took over the company’s Microsoft BI training practice and partnership with various training centers to offer the courses we developed and taught. This is where I ran into folks from Solid Quality like Kalen Delaney, Itzik Ben-Gan and Andrew Kelley. I’ve learned much from material written and presented by people like Erik Veerman, Peter Meyers and Brian Knight. My associate, Stacia Misner, had left Hitachi in 2006 for Solid Quality before she formed her own consulting company. I’ve been teaching SSRS classes based on her books for years.
I have good things to say about Hitachi and many of the good people there. The company and I are just moving in different directions. The work SolidQ does is congruent with my skills, interests and passions for Microsoft BI. I’m looking forward to this change.
