A Day at GE Appliances

Why did 45 IMLPs from four different businesses get together at the headquarters of GE Appliances in Louisville, Kentucky?

a. To learn more about GE Appliances through business overviews from both GE Appliances’ CIO and VP of Technology

b. To tour Appliance Park’s newly opened LEED certified data center

c. To see GE’s onsite dishwasher manufacturing line in action

d. To hear about GE’s Home Energy Managementinitiative

e. To reunite with friends made in Bootcamp

f. To be racehorse jockeys at Louisville’s Churchill Downs in this past weekend’s Breeder’s Cup

g. All of the above, except choice f

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Closing Out 3rd Rotation: Final Days in Texas

   Boot Shopping in Houston 

I only have a few weeks left in Houston.

So, I find (in my experience from moving every 6 months), it's appropriate to not only "close out" one's rotation, but also the overall living experience.

For me, this is my first time in Houston (and Texas overall) and I realized that there was something missing.

Cowboy boots.

I know, I know. But, everyone here wears cowboy boots (and hats, and belts) and so I asked myself, "when is there a better time to buy a pair of cowboy boots? I am in Texas!"

So, I took the plunge. I headed to a true country western store, met a real cowboy named Buck, and tested out every style, height, and color of boots on the shelf.

The outcome? A pair of boots that are made in Texas (see photo on the left).

Now I'll always have a great story to tell when people ask about my boots, and it will include memories of my 6 months in Texas!

IMLPs visit GE Surgical Facility & Hit the Slopes

Healthcare IMLPs Pose on the SlopesA group of IMLPs recently visited the GE Healthcare Surgery facility in Salt Lake City, Utah.  We took a tour of the manufacturing floor featuring the C-arm product and learned about the unique business.

While we were in the area, we also were able to enjoy the beautiful surroundings.  We took a tour of Park City where the Sundance film festival was being held and we skied at a few of the resorts in the area.

It always amazes me to see how GE reaches so many places across the United States and the world.

Rotation Spotlight: Randy Askin

For my current rotation, I am working as a project manager in Aviation Systems, a sub-business of GE Aviation. While GE used to produce mainly aircraft engines, the acquisition of Systems allows us to offer products that go outside of the engine also, like avionics and flight control systems.

My assignment for the next six months is to implement a product data management tool for one of our sites on the east coast. A PDM tool allows the business to track the entire development lifecycle of its products, organize part drawings, track revisions and changes, and help keep our engineers [mostly] sane.

At the same time that I'm preparing to roll out this software to a new site, we're also upgrading the version of this PDM tool at our other sites that are already using it. I'm helping with that effort as well, especially with testing and training, to make sure that the upgrade is successful before my implementation is supposed to happen.

One of my favorite parts of this rotation so far has been the opportunity to travel. While I'm normally stationed at Aviation headquarters in Cincinnati, I spent the first two weeks of my rotation in Michigan meeting the rest of my team, and I just booked a trip to New Jersey for the first week of November. Definitely racking up the frequent flyer miles!

Step 1: Take an Awkward Passport Photo

Why is it that passport photos always have to make you look so awkward?

So, for you readers out there, I have a special treat- my own personal awkward photo.

You're probably wondering why I took this photo, or why it's up here. Good Questions.

One major aspect of the IMLP program is training- we spend a month in Danbury, CT for "junior bootcamp" and then, a year later, we travel to Shanghai, China for "senior bootcamp." Junior Bootcamp focuses on project management, business/IT finance, presentation skills, basic coding and leadership skills all in the context of a business "case" problem.

Senior bootcamp is the continuation of this "case" - where you focus on different aspects of technology, but also focus on leadership skills.

As a 2nd rotation IMLP, I'm preparing to travel to Shanghai for this exciting training event with my peers from across the globe. But, the first step is sending in your paperwork (and awkward photo).

Don't worry though- I'll be updating the blog with cool photos and stories once I'm there!