Introducing Layne Lewis, President, Willowview Consulting.
Describe the business/organization you work for
Founded in 2003 by Mrs. Layne Lewis, Willowview has worked hard to earn the trust of clients ranging from privately held large corporations to small technology start-up companies and large government agencies. Our team works with our clients to develop
innovative strategies and tactics to achieve success.
Our team offers “edge to app” engineering and product development services from ideation to deployment. We currently provide engineering solutions and program management to commercial companies in the United States and around the world. Our staff brings a wealth of experience from both the government and commercial arenas to
fully understand product definition, development, and acquisition processes.
We are highly skilled at solving technical problems efficiently through our “Just Enough” engineering methodology and an agile engineering approach – together with rapid prototyping – we’ll get the right solution into customer’s hands quickly and at
lower cost.
Our staff has a diverse background and education. Our team includes previous Special Operations Forces Operators; Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical and Systems Engineers; Computer Science and Information Systems experts, as well as Data Scientists and
Programmers.
What inspired you to start your own business, or why did you decide to work for this specific
organization?
From a young age, I was fascinated by aerospace engineering and the vast frontiers of space. After graduating college with a degree in the field, my dream came true when I landed a role at Booz Allen Hamilton supporting NASA's Space Station Program.For the next nine years, I gained invaluable experience working as a systems engineer on some of NASA's most high-profile missions. I was based out of offices in Reston, VA, Houston, TX, and Huntsville, AL - getting up close to various NASA centers' operations and gaining diverse technical expertise. When tragedy struck and I lost my father in 1993, it prompted deep reflection on my priorities. By that point married with two young sons, I realized I wanted a career path allowing greater personal relevance. We moved to Idaho in 1995 so I could join Hewlett-Packard, hoping for a better work-life fit. However, at HP I found myself performing repetitive tasks that failed to fulfill my entrepreneurial spirit. Determined to work at my own pace, I pursued an MBA with HP's sponsorship. I co-founded her first company in 2002 and rediscovered the gratification of pushing boundaries through innovation - igniting my drive as a businesswoman committed to enabling progress both professionally and personally for others. I have become a serial entrepreneur, starting 7 companies - clearly, it's in my blood!
What sets this business apart from others in the industry?
Our ability to work with very diverse customers - those who understand the technologies being evaluated, and those who do not - to distill very hard tech and complex issues into manageable projects, and to deliver rapid prototypes of solutions is a formidable task, and one that we excel at. For both government and commercial clients, we are trusted with a hard problem set, a budget and a timeline - and we do not fail to deliver.
What challenges have you faced as a business owner or employee, and how did you overcome them?
Ha! SO many! 2020 and COVID was an absolute joy (said no one ever!). One of our clients called me and told me he was going to stop paying me and I needed to still do the work for him but I could use the "government paycheck protection funds". What - what? that taught me a lot - how to manage through intense fear and stress, how to hold to my ethical lines, and how to work more effectively as a team. I remember bringing all of the employees into the conversations during that year, where we had to make some very hard decisions, and realizing that we were all in this together so we could all add value to the discussions-I did not have to do it all alone as the CEO. It made all of the difference, and we evolved as an even stronger team on the other side!
What advice would you give to someone looking to join your industry?
Come on, let's go! Working to solve hard problems is the most fun job ever!! I love my job and encourage anyone who is interested to shadow an engineer for a day!
Connect with Layne on LinkedIn HERE
Check out Willowview Consulting on their website HERE
