Featured Leader : Steve Weiker
Blair Carlisle has a knack for hiring industry veterans who have “Been there, Done that”. Today we are talking with their most recent hire Steve Weiker, Director – Compliance and Risk Management. Let’s start with where you are from and how you arrived at Blair Carlisle.
I have lived in Columbus, Ohio since moving here right after graduating from college with a Computer Science Degree. I have owned multiple software development companies and the focus with always “Creating Software for Software Companies”. Due to company acquisitions, I ended up with McKesson because we had a competing product and we were kicking their butt with our Cloud based Revenue Cycle technology. I continued to lead the development team for the next 10 years at McKesson where the focus on security was paramount due to the risk of being a high profile, Fortune 5 target. After leaving McKesson, I was the CTO of two healthcare startups focusing on patient access to their own healthcare records along with secure communication with their medical provider and also high touch telemedicine where a nurse was with the patient utilizing connected medical devices where the provider at the other end of the line could hear the patients heartbeat, see images from the otoscope (Ear/Nose/Throat/Skin camera) in more detail than the instrument themselves would show on their tiny screens.
How long have you been at Blair Carlisle?
I have been with Blair Carlisle for 6 months now.
Tell me about your role as Director – Compliance and Risk Management.
My extensive knowledge in Healthcare Cloud Based SaaS offerings made me a natural fit for Blair Carlisle. I am excited to leverage my experience and pass that knowledge on to Blair Carlisle clients..I will fill the role of a fractional CISO to help organizations ensure HIPAA Compliance, prepare for SOC 2 audits and/or ISO27001 certifications.
What attracted you to Blair Carlisle?
I was introduced to Pete Rife via a mutual acquaintance who knows both of us very well and knew our business and personal values were in complete alignment. Company culture has always been a big focus for me. While I always knew the importance of culture, it wasn’t until spending 10 years with a large company that I realized how important it was to me and my teams. After having multiple conversations with Pete, I knew Blair Carlisle’s emphasis on culture as well as technology and expertise would be a good fit for me. The other aspect is coming to grips with reality that software development is typically a “young persons game” while compliance and managing risks is best accomplished by gray haired folks, or bald in my case!
If you could describe Blair Carlisle in one word, what would it be?
Ethical!
What is the most valuable lesson you’ve learned at Blair Carlisle?
The importance of working WITH your client to help them get where they need to be. Blair Carlisle does an awesome job of first getting to know their customer and their challenges. While there is a process that is followed to ensure success, the process is flexible to make sure it aligns with the client’s resources to ensure success.
What is your favorite part about working at Blair Carlisle?
I have a couple of favorites. One is the ability to work with multiple companies and technologies. Working with one company can often times lead to staleness from a technology perspective. The other favorite is working with a team of people where solving clients problems is more important than co-workers egos.
What surprised you most about working at Blair Carlisle?
The amount of technical depth in so many areas. This is a direct result of Blair Carlisle’s hiring practices where getting the right talent is more important than anything else.
What do you do for fun outside of Blair Carlisle?
Boating, looking at new boats, convincing the Admiral we need a new boat, home improvement projects and most importantly, spending time with family and grandchildren, especially on a boat.
What is your motto/personal mantra?
Always always always do the right thing. If you do the right thing, other areas in life that are important to you will fall into place.
What is something most people don’t know about you?
I own a firetruck.
What’s the best advice you could give someone trying to enter the industry?
Be willing to explore various areas to find the area the clicks the most with you and your personality. Also, contrary to popular belief, don’t spend too much time working on your weaknesses, instead focus on your strengths. At the end of the day, it’s your strengths that will lead to your success.
What’s the most rewarding part about working for Blair Carlisle?
Imparting knowledge that I have gained over the years to quickly benefit others.
