Welcome to our “Meet Our Engineers” blog series! At ReadiTech Engineering, we believe that our people are our greatest asset. Each team member brings unique skills, experiences, and personalities that contribute to our success. In this series, we’ll introduce you to the talented engineers who make our company thrive. Get ready to learn more about the faces behind the scenes!

For our very first spotlight, we interviewed Dustin Maier, ReadiTech Engineering’s Principal Engineer!

Read Dustin’s answers below!

Question 1: Can you tell us about your career journey?

“I started 30 years ago in telecommunications. Just coming out of school with a degree in Electrical Engineering, I went to the yellow pages. I went through engineering firms in Bismarck because I wanted to be around family. I got lucky actually when a firm, Finley Engineering, took a chance on me and I have never looked back. I have been challenged and have enjoyed this field.”

Question 2: What inspired you to pursue a career in engineering?

“Engineering was my second choice, I originally wanted to be a doctor, but my dad actually convinced me that a technical field in engineering would be better, and I really do enjoy math. So, I ultimately ended up going into engineering because I accelerate in math.”

Question 3: What are some of the most significant projects you’ve worked on?

“I have worked on many projects over the past 30 years, I have built so many fiber networks, but I think the most significant was when Fiber-To-The-Home first became an option. I got the challenge of creating something that was just in its infancy, so I was involved in designing the actual infrastructure and I got to work with many manufacturers on that. The electronics equipment we had selected was actually still being built in a garage over in Minneapolis. That was the most challenging while being the most fun I have ever had, getting to create something from scratch.”

Question 4: How do you stay up to date with the latest trends and technologies in engineering?

“I am a part of a lot of organizations in the telecommunications industry and we have such a close, tight-knit relationship in our industry even with our competitors. We are not scared to share our information and knowledge with each other because there are not many of us. It is kind of unique that it is such a close community that we sit and share information with each other. Also, the manufacturers are really good about coming to the consultant engineers and saying “Hey guys, we have something new. Check it out, we’d like your opinion.” That is where we get all of our information which is really cool.”

Question 5: What do you enjoy most about your job?

“Honestly, the thing I enjoy most is the people I work with. I got lucky with a great staff so that is the biggest thing. They are what makes my job easier, the technology I understand, but it is about having the support team behind it and being able to do the job. That is huge.”

We hope you enjoyed getting to know Dustin, stay tuned for our next spotlight in February!