TRADITIONAL BIO

Blake graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering. This curriculum exposed him to both business and engineering concepts, and most crucially, the importance of the interconnections between the two. During his college tenure, Blake held an extended internship as an internal process developer for a finance and insurance automotive company where he engaged with stakeholders to develop and implement technology-based solutions for automating and improving their business functionality.

After college, Blake decided to pursue consulting and joined Deloitte Consulting. There he worked with a myriad of clients, helping them implement and maximize technology solutions, which in turn enabled them to adapt to their unique business challenges and opportunities. With a strong understanding of how a business should work, and how technology/engineering should be best applied, Blake is able to help clients identify inefficiencies, ideate on alternative approaches, identify the optimal solutions based on defined criteria, and enact a clear plan to follow through on those solutions.

In addition, Blake had the opportunity to lead the fact-checking team for the book “Work Disrupted” by author Jeff Schwartz, which takes a deep dive into the future of work and how this future was accelerated by COVID-19.

In his spare time, Blake enjoys supporting the local Dallas professional sports teams, as well as his alma mater (the Oklahoma Sooners), exercising, basketball, snow skiing, fishing, cooking, and travelling to find new experiences.

Extraversion, Sensing, Thinking, Perceiving (ESTP)

THOUGHTFUL BIO

Growing up as a middle child is what I credit for forming me into an independent, creative thinker, who is okay with being alone in my thoughts, but also curious about the thoughts of others. I am comfortable with being challenged — in fact, I would dare to say that being presented with a challenge is what brings out the best in me. Being raised with two brothers who were close in age, and that were pretty much involved in the same activities as me, competition is engrained in my DNA. I always wanted to surpass my older brother, while being equally as careful not to let my younger brother surpass me. It was this healthy (and sometimes unhealthy) competition that made me comfortable with meeting any challenge head on, no matter the size. I found that this determination transitioned directly into sports, school, and now into my personal and professional life. I look back fondly on the memories and journey that brought me to where I am today.

I have since had the opportunity to dip my toes into many different businesses and industries, but I started my first venture into the business world in Elementary school with a pet sitting business that I advertised by posting flyers around local community centers. In high school and college, I had my own tutoring business for math, science, and SAT/ACT prep — I found this to be much more fruitful than my minimum wage yogurt shop job. In addition, I found much joy working as a pizza delivery driver — where I optimized my own delivery methods, which realized a nearly 2x increase in my tips. And while in college, I loaded my schedule to give me 1-2 free days during the week, which allowed me time to be a substitute teacher at the local high school in Norman. Simultaneously, I worked a remote internship as an internal process developer for an automotive finance and insurance company. Post-college, I spent a couple of years with Deloitte Consulting where I was exposed to large clients with 1,000+ strong teams, smaller projects where it was just me and a few other consultants, and everything in between. I credit these vastly different experiences for shaping me into the well-rounded consultant that I think of myself as today.

My college degree is in industrial and systems engineering. I believe this major is very much a bridge between the “engineering” and “business” worlds, both of which appealed to me. Eventually, I found that I enjoyed both topics for different reasons, and consulting was an opportunity for me to continue to develop and grow in both spheres. I often find myself relying on the analytical and quantitative engineering principles I learned when thinking about a business situation, and relying on the logical, emotional, personal business principles when thinking about an engineering situation. Summed up: I like to view things through as many lenses and possible to get a holistic understanding of a situation before making any decisions.

My father and mother are both very entrepreneurial people. Having been raised in such a family, I have seen the work and passion that goes into a creating/running a small business, and so those types of businesses hold a special place in my heart. Thought Ensemble has, and continues to cultivate, all the same values that I have grown to appreciate and look for in a company. Everyone at TE is always looking for ways to push the envelope and be better tomorrow than we are today. This mission is applied both internally with all employees and externally with our clients. We are not only allowed to be free, independent thinkers, but encouraged to do so as that is what drives the best results in this company. It is for these reasons that I decided to join the Ensemble!

Blake’s Thoughts