Roderick Flores

IT Project Manager

Itinerant Explorer

Years with the company: 6.

What do you do?

I'm part of a group of 12 problem solvers that is developing solutions across platforms and collaborating across offices to create and innovate by coordinating how the 7,000 pieces of hardware and software for the truck comes together.

I secure funding, create proposals for the funding, then figure out what we can do with the funding that we secure. We work with a solution-based, project-focused mindset.

What's your favorite part of working here?

Working with my team. It's the reason I get up every morning; to interact with a like-minded, very smart, respectful group who've grown together as a family. We eat lunch together every day. We hang out at each other's houses. As part of a tight-knit group, you can anticipate what the other person's thinking. We have little stress because we trust one another—we know each other personally and professionally. I want to see these people succeed.

How are you innovating?

Our group operates under an Agile methodology. We create an 80% solution, then get feedback, then make changes. It allows us to quickly pinpoint where problems may be, then to solve them. We developed a "truck in a box". You can't ship an entire truck around the world very easily, so we simulated the electrical system of the Cascadia that can be shipped anywhere so engineers can program it, test it, de-bug it. This saves us a great deal of money and helped us reach our goal faster.

Why would you recommend Daimler Trucks North America?

I would recommend Daimler Trucks North America for anyone who wants to work in an exciting and challenging environment with some of the brightest people around. If you like solving complex problems and making a real impact right away, then Daimler Trucks North America is the place for you.

What do you do outside of work?

When I'm not working, I love exploring different restaurants, traveling, reading, and bombing down hills on my road bike. Otherwise, you'll find me loading up my video equipment in my convertible and taking off to go shoot somewhere off the beaten path.