The Long Coffee Trip: From Network Monitoring to Precast—A Journey You Didn’t See Coming

So, I started a new project this week. Yep, after years in network monitoring, data ingestion, and NetFlow/IPFIX (you know, the stuff that makes your head spin), I found myself in a completely different universe. Welcome to the Precast Industry, folks.

I get it—some of you are probably googling "Precast Industry" right now. If you remember me from my days of talking about visibility, monitoring, and everything NetFlow, you'd probably do a double-take hearing that I'm now in the Precast world. And honestly? I wasn’t sure what to make of it either. But there was something about the challenge of stepping into an industry just starting to embrace tech that really caught my attention

I’ll be honest—at first, I was skeptical. But after spending time with the team things started to click. The process of connecting people with technology, helping them understand its value, and simplifying the complex? It’s all still in my wheelhouse, but now I'm doing it in an entirely different context. And, let’s face it, I love tech integration, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s how to make things simple for teams—whether that’s sales, marketing, or engineers. After all, I've been in those roles and I get how it feels.

Then came the self-reflective challenge from my always noodling noodle: “Are you just a one-hit wonder, or can you pull this off again?” Because, of course, my noodle can’t resist chiming in with unsolicited life advice. Yeah, that was a challenge I couldn’t pass up. After all, what’s a guy supposed to do when his always noodling noodle is calling him out?

The real fun kicked off when the CEO casually drops this: “Oh, by the way, the largest industry trade show starts in Indianapolis on Tuesday—how about you come along?” Wait, what? Second day on the job, and I’m already flying to Indianapolis? No pressure, right?

So, How Did I Ramp Up My Knowledge in This New Industry?

Here’s how I tackled the learning curve:

1. Leverage What You Know Obvious? Yes. But still, the foundation I’ve built with my past adventures in enablement is incredibly transferable. The tools may be different, but the goal is the same: help people understand the value of technology and use it to make their processes smoother. That’s my sweet spot.
2. Talk, Ask, Repeat So, I talked. And I asked. And I talked some more. For hours. I spent time with my new coworkers, bombarding them with questions about everything and anything—what’s going on in the Precast industry? Who are the key players? What’s next for the technology? I also got the chance to attend a seminar by Wavelogix about IoT devices used in strength testing. Geek mode: Activated. As you can imagine, I was like a kid in a tech candy store, absorbing everything I could. But what really got me excited? The slow but sure integration of data products into the industry's workflows. It reminded me of my early days in NetFlow—when that light bulb finally went off, and I realized just how much value technology could add to a business.
3. Get to Know the Players in Your Field This is the core of it. On the last day of the trade show, I decided to take photos of all the companies supporting the industry digitally. Some were direct competitors, others had products that could complement ours. In the past, I’d have gotten overwhelmed by all the notes and pictures. Not this time. This time, I used AI to help me process the info. Cue “The Way My Noodle Noodles” moment. I uploaded each picture and told the AI to gather relevant info on those booths—criteria, product offerings, competitors, anything that would give me insight into the space. What did it return? Detailed summaries, competitor profiles, and even info about new trends in the Precast world.

Oh, and I had it produce a little info card—basically a battle card, but let’s call it the VIBE (Valuable Information Based Extraction). It’s game-changing. Instead of sifting through a mountain of notes, I now have everything categorized and analyzed. Just like that, I’ve got a clear map of the industry. Of course, you can always dive deeper, add more detail, or batch process multiple images at once, and I did experiment with those options. For example, I snapped a pic of my notes from the day, uploaded it, and had the AI tag everything correctly—total time-saver. Oh, and I even started a work-specific AI-enhanced Obsidian vault to keep track of everything, but I’ll save that juicy bit for a rainy day. This is just a quick example of how AI can help streamline information and cut through the chaos. Who knew AI could be this hilarious and efficient? My AI-powered VIBE is now officially my new best friend.

Looking Ahead

The future’s looking bright, and I’m excited about what’s next. As I dig deeper into this industry, I’m stoked to keep learning, connecting, and building out a tech-enabled future for the Precast world. It’s an exciting journey, and I’m here for it.

And hey, if you’re into exploring new challenges, simplifying complex ideas, and finding cool ways to connect people with technology, let’s connect. I’d love to chat and swap insights.

#TechIntegration #PrecastIndustry #AIinBusiness #Enablement #LCT2025