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Larry Pendergrass, Management Consulting Expert in Portland, United States
Larry Pendergrass

Management Consulting Expert in Portland, United States

Member since April 19, 2022
Larry is an expert in product development and has commercialized 200+ products. With 40 years in high tech, including 20 years as an executive, he specializes in complex combinations of hardware and software. He has leadership and direct experience in all aspects of product development, including engineering, manufacturing, and marketing. Larry's enterprise experience includes HP, Agilent, and Keithley, which was purchased by Tektronix/Danaher. He has an MBA and a master's degree in physics.
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Career Highlights

Education

Case studies

  • Business Process Re-engineering for a Business Unit
    Business Process Re-engineering for a Business Unit
    • New Product Development
    • Product Management
    • Manufacturing
    • Engineering
    • Leadership
    • Change Leadership
    • Leadership Development
    • Project Leadership
    • Team Leadership
    • Software QA
    • Production & Quality
    • Strategy
    • Organizational Behavior (OB)
    • Organizational Design
    • Operations Management
    • Innovation Management
    • Execution
    • Risk Analysis
    • Business Team Owner
    • Metrics
    • Engineering Management
    • Business Process Re-engineering
    • Software Development Management
    • Hardware Development Management
    • Project Portfolio Management (PPM)
    • Business Strategy
    • R&D
    • Operations Improvement
    • Program Management
    • Marketing Management
    • Leadership Strategy
    • P&L Responsibility
    • New Products
    • Business Process Improvement (BPI)
    • Process Improvement
    • Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
    • Project Management
    • Change Management
  • Business Process Re-engineering for New Product Development
    Business Process Re-engineering for New Product Development
    • New Product Development
    • R&D
    • Engineering
    • Acoustics
    • Product Management
    • Leadership
    • Leadership Development
    • Consumer Electronics
    • Organizational Behavior (OB)
    • Innovation Management
    • Project Cycle Time
    • Engineering Management
    • Organizational Design
    • Execution
    • Risk Analysis
    • Metrics
    • Business Process Re-engineering
    • Software Development Management
    • Hardware Development Management
    • Operations Improvement
    • Software QA
    • Production & Quality
    • Change Leadership
    • Project Leadership
    • Team Leadership
    • Program Management
    • Leadership Strategy
    • New Products
    • Business Process Improvement (BPI)
    • Process Improvement
    • Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
    • Project Management
    • Change Management
  • Establishment of Strategy and Project Portfolio Management
    Establishment of Strategy and Project Portfolio Management
    • New Product Development
    • Product Management
    • Manufacturing
    • Leadership
    • Leadership Development
    • Project Leadership
    • Team Leadership
    • Strategy
    • Marketing
    • Metrics
    • Project Portfolio Management (PPM)
    • Business Strategy
    • Operations Improvement
    • Product Strategy
    • Change Leadership
    • Program Management
    • Marketing Management
    • Leadership Strategy
    • New Products
    • Business Process Improvement (BPI)
    • Process Improvement
    • Project Management
    • Change Management

Expertise

  • Business Process Improvement (BPI)
  • Engineering Management
  • Executive Leadership
  • Innovation Management
  • New Product Development
  • Project Cycle Time
  • Project Portfolio Management (PPM)
  • Strategy

Employment

  • Owner

    2021 - PRESENT
    ExecNPD Source, LLC
    • Performed executive management consulting for new product development.
    • Served board members and executives from primarily high-tech companies.
    • Consulted on new product development pipelines: product management, including strategy and project portfolio management; engineering execution; and leadership training and development.
    • Published a book entitled Core Tenets for New Product Development Leaders, available on Amazon.
    Focus areas: New Products, New Product Development, Product Strategy, Product Management, Project Portfolio Management (PPM), Program Management, Strategy, Corporate Planning, Engineering Management, Business Process Improvement (BPI), Management Consulting, Executive Coaching, Operations Improvement, Business Strategy, Innovation Management, Execution, Project Cycle Time, Organizational Design, Organizational Behavior (OB), Emotional Intelligence, Risk Analysis, Appreciative Inquiry, Metrics, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Business Process Re-engineering, Software Development Management, Hardware Development Management, Agile Program Management, Leadership, Change Leadership, Quality Management, Project Leadership, Team Leadership, Cross-functional Team Leadership, Leadership Strategy, Executive Consulting, Executive Presentations, Project Management, Change Management

  • VP of WiFi Development | Site General Manager

    2018 - 2021
    Keysight Technologies
    • Served as the wifi test systems business owner and site GM, owning the P&L, wifi engineering, product management, and manufacturing. Managed 70 people in five sites in the United States, Canada, and Europe and an $11 million annual budget.
    • Integrated an acquired company with a startup culture into Keysight, bringing the necessary structure and process to make it a successful division. This was a major change management project.
    • Spearheaded a complex re-engineering plan to improve product strategy, planning, and development; manufacturing; and customer focus. This included massive changes in processes, training, tools, equipment, leverage/reuse, and platform management.
    • Replaced the entire management team in engineering, increased communications to the team and sponsors, and nurtured executive-level relationships with key customers.
    • Implemented changes that significantly improved teamwork, morale, shipment quality, assurance of supply, customer-focused design, and cross-functional decision-making while reducing attrition from 20% to 2% per year.
    • Created a NIST traceable manufacturing test process, reduced the backlog by 10x, and improved manufacturing quality by 5x.
    • Revealed design philosophy issues inherent in the architecture and plotted a course toward future improvements, including high leverage/reuse across the entire company. Execution led to 2x revenue growth and gross profit in two years.
    Focus areas: Product Management, Manufacturing, Business Team Owner, R&D, Engineering, Leadership, Leadership Development, Software QA, Production & Quality, Wireless Systems, Radio Frequency (RF), Microwave, Change Leadership, Project Leadership, Team Leadership, P&L Responsibility, Strategy, Organizational Behavior (OB), Innovation Management, Execution, Executive Leadership, New Product Development, Project Cycle Time, Engineering Management, Project Portfolio Management (PPM), Organizational Design, Emotional Intelligence, Marketing, International Commerce, Operations Management, Supply Chain Management (SCM), Risk Analysis, Negotiations, Appreciative Inquiry, Metrics, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Business Process Re-engineering, Software Development Management, Hardware Development Management, Agile Program Management, Business Strategy, Operations Improvement, Product Strategy, Electronics, Quality Management, P&L Management, Program Management, Marketing Management, Cross-functional Team Leadership, Leadership Strategy, Executive Presentations, New Products, Business Process Improvement (BPI), Process Improvement, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Project Management, Change Management

  • EVP of Engineering | CTO

    2016 - 2018
    uBeam Inc. (Now SonicEnergy)
    • Served as an executive team member, officer, EVP of new products, and CTO. Owned research, engineering, and creation and management of the product management department. Managed around 25 people at two sites with a $7 million annual budget.
    • Led significant aspects of this late-stage, pre-sales startup focused on wireless power transfer to cell phones through airborne ultrasound.
    • Performed managerial and technical work, including system and non-linear acoustics modeling, airborne ultrasonic transducers, phased arrays, a vision system, beamforming, firmware, and software.
    • Produced a POC model used for technology validation, public demos, and fundraising of $10 million+. Drove a change in strategy from the initial target market and product to a more practical product-market fit.
    Focus areas: Product Management, R&D, Engineering, Hardware Design, Leadership, Leadership Development, Business Strategy, Product Strategy, Strategy, Acoustics, Consumer Electronics, Project Leadership, Team Leadership, Innovation Management, Execution, Executive Leadership, New Product Development, Engineering Management, Emotional Intelligence, Marketing, International Commerce, Operations Management, Supply Chain Management (SCM), Legal, Risk Analysis, Negotiations, Appreciative Inquiry, Manufacturing, Metrics, Software Development Management, Hardware Development Management, Operations Improvement, Materials Science, Electronics, Quality Management, Change Leadership, Program Management, Marketing Management, Cross-functional Team Leadership, Leadership Strategy, Executive Coaching, Executive Presentations, New Products, Corporate Planning, Process Improvement, Market Research, Project Management, Change Management

  • SVP of Engineering

    2015 - 2016
    Loud Technologies, Inc. (Now LOUD Audio)
    • Served as an executive team member, officer, and SVP of new products, sharing P&L responsibility with the executive team and partnering with the product management team.
    • Managed around 60 people in four sites in the United States, Canada, and China and a $12 million annual budget.
    • Led new product engineering, including digital and analog audio mixers, PA and studio monitor loudspeakers, recording interfaces, and guitar amplifiers.
    • Advised a less experienced product management director on product strategy, roadmaps, and project portfolio management.
    • Completely re-engineered the organization. Devised and initiated a significant change management project to create a world-class product development organization.
    • Transitioned toward modern design and development techniques, including Lean, Agile, and Flow. Increased design outsourcing, rapid prototyping, platform management, and financially and metric-driven actions.
    Focus areas: R&D, Engineering, Acoustics, Audio, Project Portfolio Management (PPM), Product Management, Leadership, Leadership Development, Business Strategy, Product Strategy, Strategy, Consumer Electronics, Change Leadership, Project Leadership, Team Leadership, P&L Responsibility, Organizational Behavior (OB), Innovation Management, Execution, Executive Leadership, New Product Development, Project Cycle Time, Engineering Management, Organizational Design, Emotional Intelligence, Marketing, International Commerce, Operations Management, Supply Chain Management (SCM), Risk Analysis, Negotiations, Appreciative Inquiry, Metrics, Business Process Re-engineering, Software Development Management, Hardware Development Management, Agile Program Management, Operations Improvement, Software QA, Production & Quality, Electronics, Quality Management, P&L Management, Program Management, Marketing Management, Cross-functional Team Leadership, Leadership Strategy, Executive Coaching, Executive Presentations, New Products, Corporate Planning, Business Process Improvement (BPI), Process Improvement, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Project Management, Change Management

  • Principal

    2012 - 2015
    TechZecs, LLC
    • Completed around 40 consulting assignments over three years. Generated new executive-level contracts and executed project-based consulting.
    • Served as one of 15 senior executive consultants, providing consulting services to executives from high-tech companies.
    • Consulted on M&A targets and partnerships, corporate and product strategy assessment and training, product management, project portfolio management, operations and execution improvements, and leadership development.
    Focus areas: Management Consulting, Product Management, R&D, Engineering, Leadership Development, Manufacturing, Operations Improvement, Business Strategy, Product Strategy, Project Portfolio Management (PPM), Strategy, Innovation Management, New Product Development, Executive Leadership, Execution, Project Cycle Time, Engineering Management, Organizational Design, Emotional Intelligence, Operations Management, Risk Analysis, Appreciative Inquiry, Metrics, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Business Process Re-engineering, Software Development Management, Hardware Development Management, Medical Devices, Agile Program Management, Leadership, Production & Quality, Quality Management, Change Leadership, Project Leadership, Team Leadership, P&L Management, Program Management, Marketing Management, Cross-functional Team Leadership, Leadership Strategy, P&L Responsibility, Executive Coaching, Executive Consulting, Executive Presentations, Due Diligence, New Products, Corporate Planning, Business Process Improvement (BPI), Process Improvement, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Market Research, Project Management, Change Management

  • EVP of New Products | CTO

    2003 - 2012
    Keithley Instruments (Purchased by Tektronix/Danaher)
    • Served as an executive team member, officer, EVP of products, and CTO. Shared P&L responsibility with the executive team and partnered with the product management team. Managed 200+ people in the US, China, and India and a $37 million annual budget.
    • Increased revenue by 35%, gross margins by 10 pts, and revenue from new products to 35%.
    • Created new capabilities in RF wireless, ultrafast pulse, and CV, adding $30 million in annual incremental revenue.
    • Launched two new-to-company product categories (an RF vector signal analyzer and source) within two years of the first hires, delivering $10 million in first-year revenue. The products were recognized for leadership and received numerous awards.
    • Significantly reduced project cost and cycle time by introducing forward-looking platform management; rapid prototyping; and Lean, Agile, and Flow methods.
    • Improved schedule accuracy by more than 3x, reduced cycle time by more than 30%, and increased the number of product releases by 5x for platforms and 10x for extensions.
    • Improved the quality of products 2-4x while eliminating manufacturing burn-in.
    • Completed pre-offer research for 65 potential acquisitions with annual revenue ranging from $10 million to $700 million.
    • Improved EAR compliance and established an ITAR-compliant product development process, reducing annual revenue at risk by $10 million.
    • Nurtured relationships with key customer executives, contributing to $10 million per year in salvaged contracts.
    Focus areas: New Product Development, R&D, Engineering, Software QA, Leadership, Leadership Development, Business Strategy, Product Strategy, Product Management, Quality Management, Wireless Systems, Radio Frequency (RF), Microwave, Change Leadership, Project Leadership, Team Leadership, P&L Responsibility, Strategy, Organizational Behavior (OB), Innovation Management, Execution, Executive Leadership, Project Cycle Time, Engineering Management, Organizational Design, Emotional Intelligence, Marketing, International Commerce, Operations Management, Legal, Risk Analysis, Negotiations, Manufacturing, Metrics, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Business Process Re-engineering, Software Development Management, Hardware Development Management, Agile Program Management, Operations Improvement, Production & Quality, Electronics, P&L Management, Program Management, Marketing Management, Cross-functional Team Leadership, Leadership Strategy, Executive Presentations, New Products, Corporate Planning, Business Process Improvement (BPI), Process Improvement, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Due Diligence, Project Management, Change Management

  • Engineering, Science, and Management Roles

    1981 - 2003
    Agilent Technologies (Previously Part of HP)
    • Progressed through design engineering, physics, product management, team lead, and management positions up to director level.
    • Led or contributed to breakthroughs in a wide range of industry solutions: medical imaging, semiconductors and other discrete devices, materials research and crystal growth, test and measurement, and wireless communications.
    • Played a pivotal role in innovations and advances in diverse technologies: electronics, photonics and optics, acoustics, magnetics, DSP, RF and microwave, and embedded and application software.
    Focus areas: Medical Devices, Materials Science, Physics, Optics, Acoustics, Magnetics, Crystal Growth, Wireless Systems, Photonics, Microwave, Radio Frequency (RF), Simulations, Project Leadership, Team Leadership, Execution, New Product Development, Innovation Management, Project Cycle Time, Engineering Management, International Commerce, Operations Management, Risk Analysis, Solid State Physics, Quantum Electronics, Manufacturing, Business Team Owner, Metrics, Software Development Management, Hardware Development Management, Business Strategy, R&D, Engineering, Hardware Design, Software Design, Operations Improvement, Product Strategy, Leadership, Software QA, Production & Quality, Electronics, Quality Management, Change Leadership, Program Management, Marketing Management, New Products, Process Improvement, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Education

  • Master's Degree in Business Administration (MBA)
    2007 - 2009
    Case Western Reserve University - Cleveland, OH, USA
  • Master's Degree in Physics
    1978 - 1981
    University of California - Davis, CA, USA
  • Bachelor's Degree in Physics
    1975 - 1978
    California State University - San Diego, CA

Certifications

  • Leadership Development Program
    SEPTEMBER 2006 - PRESENT
    Eckerd College
  • Strategic Marketing Management
    AUGUST 2006 - PRESENT
    Stanford Graduate School of Business
  • Management of High-Tech Companies
    AUGUST 2005 - PRESENT
    AeA/Stanford Executive Education

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