Tell us about yourself and how long you’ve been with Optimal Dynamics.
My name is Ben Marks and I'm the Senior Director of Customer Success. I've been working at Optimal Dynamics for what will be 2 years in November 2023.
Can you summarize your job in one sentence?
I'm responsible for our customers' overall success: implementing, using and adopting our platform.
What inspired you the most to join Optimal Dynamics?
Prior to Optimal Dynamics, I managed dispatchers and networks for a significant portion of my career. I was keenly aware that there were no good technological solutions in the market to assist and support dispatchers. When I learned that Optimal Dynamics was providing that tech, I was super excited to join.
What do you like best about our company culture?
The thing I like most about our company culture is the spirit of togetherness and teamwork. I genuinely believe that every person at Optimal Dynamics is working together, and actively embracing each other, to accomplish our goals. I would extend this to our customers as well, who we collaborate closely with to solve their problems.
What is unique about what we do at Optimal Dynamics?
Similar to what inspired me to join, Optimal Dynamics is providing a technical solution to augment the people in the industry that are making some of the most challenging decisions imaginable. That is what makes us special. Dispatchers are like kickers in football or goalies in hockey and soccer: no one knows who they are until they miss one! Dispatchers are people, and if we keep asking them to make thousands of decisions unassisted, they are going to miss one. At Optimal Dynamics, we help reduce the amount of “kicks” so they can focus on the ones that matter most.
What is your favorite part of your job?
My favorite part of my job is being able to use my experience to help build something new and impactful. The learning curve in the transportation industry is steep, and a lot of talented folks don’t last because of how hard it is to build experience in a pretty unforgiving industry. Being able to use all of my hard earned lessons to, hopefully, make it easier for others to be successful, without all the bruises along the way, makes me very proud of the work we are doing.
What have been your biggest accomplishments on our team, and what was the impact on the product/company?
The project I am most proud of has been our “Dispatcher for a Day” training program. Essentially, I was able to go on site with one of our customers and fully use Optimal Dynamics’ Dispatching module to “run” dispatch for the day. This really drove home how well the product worked, where we could continue to improve, and gave us additional direction on how to move forward with our other customers. And it has now become a standard part of all of our implementations.
How have you grown professionally while on our team?
Learning is always a goal, but that gets harder and harder the longer you stay in one company and environment. I am very happy with my 20+ years at FedEx Ground prior to Optimal Dynamics, but coming here has really allowed me to lean into learning something new everyday. This continued access to learning opportunities has really helped me become more of a well rounded professional.
What do you like to do in your free time?
Being in Montana, my free time revolves around the seasons. During the summer, I hike, camp, and generally play outdoors with my son and my dog. During the winter, I help with my son’s school activities, hit some of the outdoor natural hot springs, and ski once in a while. All of this is around my son’s active swim schedule, of course!
Can you share a hidden talent no one knows about you?
Not necessarily hidden, but I do have a borderline odd relationship with zip codes. I am one of the few who would rather know a place's zip code than the actual name of the city.
What’s the best advice you can give to someone who wants to work at Optimal Dynamics?
For anyone looking to work here, the best piece of advice I can give is this: we are doing things with tech that have never been done before, in an industry that has been a little tech averse in the past. While your prior experience is important, listening and learning to our customers - before you jump in with a solution based on your past experience - is critical to success. Sometimes new tech is bringing new solutions to old problems and we should all be mindful of that.
