A Tech Solutions Consultant for Service Express (Previously iTech Solutions Group), IBM Champion for Power, IBM Fresh Face, founder of the “Midrange Meetup” in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on the steering committee for YIP’s (Young i Professionals), and on the board for SEMIUG (South East Michigan IBM i User Group). I spend most my professional time working with clients running on IBM Power Systems and especially IBM i. With a background and passion for lean manufacturing my mind is wired to seek the most efficient means toward producing a desired result. IBM Power Systems think the same way, and they can, due to IBM owning the whole solution stack. We believe in extreme efficiency, not sprawling server farms that require Band-Aids, duct-tape and lots of attention. Efficiency within the walls of the data center can and is driving competitive advantage across all industries. I believe it’s my duty to share my knowledge and experiences with companies, so they can make an educated decision prior to purchasing that next x86 data center brick. I also speak at conferences and local user group meetings, attend industry conferences/events, and deliver opinions, ideas, and lessons learned through social media and authoring articles.

My latest work as the Friendly Techie, includes assisting IBM i with the design and testing with IBM i 7.6 as both Beta Tester and Redbook Author, and as assistant in the design and testing of the new IBM i Migrate While Active tool and the AI based RPG Code Assistant.

I have worked in the IBM Business Partner world for over thirty years now and despite IBM's best attempts I still love them ;-) My career started as an RPG developer but for the last twenty years I have specialised in System Design, installation and management. In 2008 I founded my own company (Rowton) and now I and my team spend my time supporting clients or designing new IT solutions using a combination of Power servers, Intel and storage with a little extra cloud magic where it's needed.

When I'm not looking after my own clients, I help run the UK's largest IBM i User Group the i-UG and also serve on the Common Europe Advisory Council (CEAC) to help IBM shape the future of IBM i. In 2019, IBM made me an IBM Champion in recognition of the work I have done to help and evangelise the IBM i platform, Happy Days :-)

I have a love of teaching IBM i and have spent over a decade volunteering to teach at IBM i events around the world, in more recent times I have been creating my online webinars. I am a firm believer that the more I teach, the more I learn.

Vern has worked on IBM midrange systems for over 30 years, beginning with the System/38 and AS/400. At present he is a Senior Software Engineer for the Pest Elimination division at Ecolab. He also serves on the COMMON Americas Advisory Council (CAAC) and SET and is one of the SMEs for Db2.  He is degreed in both music and mathematics, which gives him a distinct approach to the art and science of programming. In his spare time he has participated in various musical pursuits, such as playing trumpet in a community band, singing in a pretty-good a capella choral group, working with local musical theater productions, and most recently playing keyboard in the Zuhrah Shrine Flames big band and accordion in a weekly jazz workshop - quite a stretch!

Jesse Gorzinski works for the IBM i development lab in Rochester, MN. He is the Business Architect of open source technologies. Jesse, who was doing RPG programming at the age of 18, is an expert on application development on IBM i, as well as system access and modernization. His hobbies include playing with his dog, replacing complex applications with 5-line Python programs, and advocating for the use of new technologies on IBM i!Prior to his 2006 employment at IBM, Jesse worked with the AS/400 as an I/T administrator for an IBM customer in the finance/mortgage industry, where he specialized in data backup/recovery, process optimization, and information integrity. He has a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science as well as a Master of Business Administration degree

Natalie is an IBM i Series Subject Matter Expert and Cal State Northridge MBA (with an emphasis in Information Systems, Department Honors and Certificate of Excellence) with 15+ years of experience in high availability, multi-site environments. Broad technical, business, and financial acumen complemented by expert problem solving, communication, organizational, and leadership skills. Based on background and professional career also holds a strong understanding for multi-cultural and international environments. Technical decision maker and cross-functional liaison, adept at transforming business requirements into value-added technical solutions with executable action plans that translate into financial results. Quick learner and self-starter, readily adapting to new projects, processes, teams, and technologies. Her passions are learning, traveling, foods, and facilitating organizational growth.

Steve has spent several years in IBM with positions spanning basic research to product development, product offering and marketing. He is the product offering manager for IBM Power Systems with responsibility for PowerHA for AIX, PowerHA for IBM i and the CBU.

Tim Mullenbach is a Senior Software Engineer at IBM Rochester.  He spent his first 20+ IBM years with the IBM i Sockets and System TLS development team prior to transitioning to the IBM i Security Business Architect role in 2018.  

Tim Mullenbach is a Senior Software Engineer at IBM Rochester.  He spent his first 20+ IBM years with the IBM i Sockets and System TLS development team prior to transitioning to the IBM i Security Business Architect role in 2018.