Virginia Beach & Norfolk, Virginia
I build technology that actually works in the field. Three companies founded. One successful exit. Two active companies generating real revenue. I’m the CEO of SiteTrax.io, Founder of HoistCam, and host of ThoughtLeadership.biz. Our teams turn hard industrial problems into software and hardware that ships. Mentoring the next generation of engineers and founders who want to do the same is the privilege.
Ventures & Companies
Founder & CEO
SiteTrax.io is an AI-as-a-Service OCR platform our team built for the intermodal supply chain. Point any camera at a container or chassis and the platform captures the ID, geolocation, and timestamp in near real-time, then pushes it directly into TMS, WMS, YMS, or ERP systems via open API. It cuts container search time from 45+ minutes to under 10. Built for the yard by people who have been in the yard.
Visit SiteTrax.io →
Founder & Chairman
HoistCam is the wireless crane camera system our team at Netarus designed and built to eliminate dangerous blind spots for crane and heavy equipment operators. It reduces incidents by over 90% and boosts productivity by 20%+. Trusted on 6 continents. I’m proud of what the team has built here. It keeps people safe. That matters more than any spec sheet.
Visit HoistCam.com →
Principal Consultant
When companies need someone who has actually built and shipped the tech they’re trying to adopt, they call me. AI integration, systems engineering, business development, and grant writing ($500K+ awarded). I’ve been in the room as engineer, founder, and executive. I bring the depth and the battle scars to make it useful.
Work With Me →Media & Content
Published articles, podcast conversations, industry panel discussions, and real-time writing on LinkedIn. Practical perspectives on AI, computer vision, supply chain technology, and entrepreneurship from someone whose teams have deployed the products on six continents.
LinkedIn is where Chris writes in real time. Field notes, industry analysis, conference takeaways, and the thinking that happens between podcast episodes and published articles. Unfiltered, practical, and written by someone who has done the work.
Why AI systems fail without structured, real-world data. The gap between what software promises and what actually happens in the yard, on the dock, and at the gate.
Building companies from zero to revenue. What it takes to ship hardware and software into industries that break things. The lessons that only come from doing every job in the company at least once.
Conference takeaways, industry reactions, and the thinking between publications. Real-time commentary from someone who has been in the field, not just in the audience.
Conversations with people who have actually shipped something. AI, supply chain technology, entrepreneurship, and building real products in demanding industries. No hype. No filler.
My Story
I earned my B.S. in Computer Engineering from Virginia Tech with a Minor in Computer Science. That foundation shaped how I think about problems, and more than two decades later I’m still applying that same systems-thinking mindset alongside some genuinely talented people.
It started with HoistCam. I founded Netarus and we designed a ruggedized wireless camera system to give crane and heavy equipment operators live visibility into dangerous blind spots below their loads. What started as a safety product became a multi-million dollar revenue business and a productivity breakthrough the industry didn’t know it needed. The Netarus team has scaled it to deployments on 6 continents. I did not plan for 6 continents. The customers and our team had other ideas.
Then customers started asking not just to see their assets, but to know them: container ID, chassis number, location, timestamp. So our team built SiteTrax.io. Real-time OCR, AI identification, and open API integration that cuts container search time from 45 minutes to under 10. The SiteTrax team is doing impressive work and I’m having a lot of fun being part of it.
Entrepreneurship, for me, has never been about disruption for its own sake. It’s about identifying a real problem, assembling a great team, and building something that actually holds up in the field. I’ve done it three times, including a successful strategic asset sale exit, and the lesson each time is the same: execution beats cleverness, customers beat assumptions, and a great team beats everything. That same philosophy shapes how I mentor early-career engineers and founders. Ut Prosim: “That I May Serve.” The Virginia Tech motto, and the most accurate thing I’ve found to say about why I keep doing this.
What I Actually Do
Twenty-plus years across rugged hardware, edge computing, computer vision, OCR systems, industrial IoT, and B2B technology growth. I have the depth of a systems engineer and the range of a founder who has done every single job in the company at least once. Some of them I did not enjoy. Most of them I learned a lot from.
Products in the Field
The Netarus team built HoistCam to give crane and heavy equipment operators a clear view of every lift. 90%+ incident reduction. 20%+ productivity gain. 6 continents and counting.
The SiteTrax.io team built the platform that turns any camera into an intelligent gate. Point, click, and the container ID, location, and timestamp flow directly into your TMS or YMS in near real-time.
Speaking & Media
I speak at logistics and supply chain conferences on AI, computer vision, and data quality. The goal is always the same: cut through the hype and share practical lessons from the field. Our teams have deployed this technology in real operations. That gives us stories worth telling.
Interested in having me speak? Let’s talk.
In the Field & On Stage
Entrepreneurship & Mentorship
Giving back means showing the next generation that complex problems have practical solutions. And that engineers can be funny. Occasionally.
Each spring I mentor students in the Entrepreneurship & Business Academy at
Kempsville High School. We talk about weaving AI into real business concepts and
shipping products that solve actual problems. I also collaborate with ASTM on
intermodal data standards because open, interoperable technology benefits
the whole industry, not just one company.
The thread running through all of it is service. Showing up, building something real
with a great team, and making things better for the people in the field. That’s
what I’m here for. That’s what every customer deployment, every mentor
session, and every piece of content from ThoughtLeadership.biz is about.
Get In Touch
If you need AI-powered asset tracking for your yard, a speaker who has actually deployed the technology he talks about, or a strategic partner who has built and scaled industrial tech from scratch, I’d love to connect you with the right team. I know the difference between a demo and a deployment. The door is open and I answer my own email.
