Meet David R. Doucette (CCP), Senior Manager of Presales Engineering at TD SYNNEX. He has been an IBM Champion for four years. As an entrepreneur and advocate, he has grown businesses, empowered employees, and continues to give back by championing IBM products and engaging the technology community.
His favorite IBM product is IBM Cognos, since he began working with it in 1995. Over the years, he has been a consistent advocate as the platform has grown and matured. Public speaking is his favorite way to advocate for IBM and its products. He enjoys the opportunity to share his enthusiasm directly with audiences. Speaking allows him to highlight the value IBM technologies can deliver and connect with the community of both current and potential IBM customers. He also enjoys the opportunity to present or speak to an industry analyst or media personnel who is doing a story on one of his areas of expertise. For example, at an IBM conference, he was able to do an interview with Judith Hurwitz.
Whether at IBM THINK, IBM TechXchange, or other IBM gatherings, David views these events as much more than conferences. He describes them as like family reunions; a chance to reconnect with longtime IBMers, customers, and partners.
One of the accomplishments he's most proud of is building his company, Creative Computing, from the ground up. What began as a one-person company grew into a thriving business with more than forty full-time employees before its first acquisition in 2016. Following that milestone, he helped lead the organization through another period of rapid growth, more than doubling its size in two years, which led to a second successful sale in 2018. Even after moving on to new chapters in his career, he takes pride in the fact that many of his former employees remain connected to IBM solutions, either through the acquiring company or in other roles across the IBM ecosystem.
The choice to be an IBM Champion and give back to the IBM Community stems from an appreciation for the role IBM has played in his career. Over the course of twenty-five years, IBM products and services were the centerpiece of his business, enabling him to build a successful company that supported his family and created opportunities for hundreds of employees. Through sharing his experiences and advocating for IBM technologies, he can help others recognize the same potential that shaped his own career.
To those interested in becoming an IBM Champion, David offers this advice: “Work hard, be a lifelong reader and learner, and listen first and then speak when you have something valuable to say. Knowledge is power and people will listen!”
Lightning round: