PlanetTogether spins around a constellation of fresh talent in a culture of continuous learning. From software engineers and programmers to success consultants and marketers, we’ve taken our 50 years of collective experience, and created a passion for turning schedules into smart tools and manufacturers into superheroes. Here’s a peek into our personas:
Jim Cerra, President and CEO
President of PlanetTogether, world traveler, long-time wrestler, and a new father – Jim thrives on productivity. Every day begins with a question: “How do I make this day better for my clients, my employees, my company?”
Jim’s production scheduling software design leadership resulted in this next-generation APS platform, called Galaxy. Prior to co-founding PlanetTogether, Jim was the APS Product Manager for Epicor Software Corporation and Senior APS Consultant at C-WAY Systems Inc. He holds a Masters of Engineering and a B.S. degree in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering from Cornell University.
Larry Hargis, CFO and Director of Development
A deep and quiet thinker, Larry’s exceptional skill in software architecture, simulation software, and production scheduling algorithms was the original center of gravity for PlanetTogether. Today, Larry drives the development and execution of the company’s long range technology platform strategy.
Larry is an avid runner and fuels his creative vision by running at least five miles a day to stay fit and build stamina for long hours of R&D and financial oversight.
Prior to co-founding PlanetTogether, Larry headed the Advanced Planning & Scheduling (APS) development for Epicor Software Corporation and DataWorks Corporation. Larry holds a B.S. in Mathematics and Computer Science from San Diego State University.
Pete Nelson, Director, Solution Development
Pete’s talent stretches past his public role as our tech-savvy head of sales. He’s a manufacturing expert, former teacher, an electric guitar extraordinaire, and (by some accounts) a YouTube video star.
Pete manages our direct and channel sales from initial contact to close. Known for his APS expertise, he spent years as an implementation consultant for C-WAY Systems, and sales consultant for Logility. Pete has also guest lectured for Cornell Graduate Manufacturing classes and at the national APICS Conference.
While he loves music, stories, and meeting people from all over the world, Pete’s number one forte is helping manufacturers make informed decisions by guiding them through the jungle of scheduling systems.
Scott McMartin, Vice President of Sales & Marketing
Scott brings over 27 years of enterprise software and manufacturing sales and consulting experience to manufacturing and supply chain executives. He is an expert in leveraging constraint- and lean-based manufacturing techniques for business process improvement and profitable market growth.
Scott has always been committed to establishing the operational and financial foundation necessary for manufacturing company managers to satisfy their firms’ customers and capture a dominant share of their target markets; doing so at profit levels exceeding the cost of capital.
Ric Lohman, Vice President of Professional Services
Throughout his 20+ year career, Ric has produced major results in information technology (IT), project management, systems design,
enterprise business systems, finance and development with such major brands as Kaiser Permanente, Morrison & Foerster, Stanford University, and VISA International. A former APICS President of the Santa Barbara Chapter, Ric brings to our team a wealth of frontline experience in manufacturing and software implementation from years on the factory floor producing everything from farm tractors to heart catheters and electronic Defense Department systems. He balances his life with triathlon training, camping, playing Bridge, and home beer brewing. Ric received his Bachelor of Science Degree from Caltech and holds an MBA in international management.
Jos van der Helm, Regional Director, Europe
Strategically based in The Netherlands, Europe, Jos brings over 25 years of enterprise, supply chain, and business intelligence software sales and project management experience to the PlanetTogether solution portfolio. He has a profound understanding of partner and channel management and knows exactly how to build a sound international ecosystem that works for all participants, especially when facing the challenge of starting from scratch. In his spare time Jos writes science fiction novels, which supports him in his day to day business endeavors to really think out of the box, creating innovative solutions for clients, and staying ahead of the competition driven by the realization that time is a very brief moment and that there will be something new the next moment. Through Jos’ leadership and creativity, we look forward to assisting our manufacturing prospects and clients lead the economic recovery in Europe.
Amin Taheri, Galaxy Programmer
Amin brings new meaning to the word “nerd.” While he’s a whiz at computer science, logical thinking and problem solving, he’s in his zone in software design. When not at his computer, he’s camping, hiking or playing the guitar. Amin earned a B.S. in Management Science, a B.A. in Mathematics from U.C. San Diego, and is completing his Master’s in Computer Science at San Diego State University.
John Cameron, Galaxy Systems Engineer
John’s an inveterate globe trotter with a passion for legendary rock concerts. He’s clapped at more than 80 Grateful Dead shows, and proudly curates a personal library of 1,000 live concert albums and CDs. Surprisingly, John’s a left-brain mathematician who thrives on solving client technical problems. He attended U.C. Santa Barbara in Math and Physics.
Kenta Tomura, Galaxy Systems Engineer
By day, Kenta is a numbers master and one of our scheduling rock stars. By night, he is a musical aficianado—writing music, playing several instruments, and even performing at venues throughout San Diego. Kenta earned his B.S. Management Science and B.A. Political Science at U.C. San Diego.
Alex Chiu, Galaxy Systems Architect
Since Alex’s childhood days in Singapore, he’s been a devotee of martial arts, boxing, and his spiritual practice. Alex manages client and partner support and training, and delivers online demonstrations. He holds a B.A. degree in Literature from University of California at San Diego (and writes killer emails).
Vanessa Lee, Accounts Administrator
Vanessa is the behind the scenes, take on random projects, problem solver. Her work revolves around streamlining internal processes, and managing the accounts receivable department. She holds a B.S. Degree in Hotel Administration from Cornell University and the majority of her experience comes from managing high volume restaurants around the country. In her free time, Vanessa is either training for her next marathon, hiking with her dogs, or cooking up healthy dishes.
Cavan, Galaxy Developer
Cavan is one of the behind-the-scenes geniuses that helps with the design and development of Galaxy’s feature rich software. When he’s not in front of the computer, he can be found in the mountains – snowboarding or backpacking, or on the racquetball courts, or tending to his two crazy cats. A true genius, Cavan graduated Magna Cum Laude from Cal State San Marcos with a B.S. in Computer Science.
Carolyn L. Smith, Director of Corporate Communication
Carolyn built an award-winning career in B2B/B2C marketing with 25- years’ of results for Fortune 1000, mid-size and small companies. She ran her own marketing agency, landed on Top 100 Woman-Owned Businesses in LA County; appeared on the ABC series American Inventor as a marketing consultant (her client won); served as Dir.-National Corporate Marketing for KCET Public Television; V.P. Marketing & Sales for Citicorp N.A.; V.P. Corporate Communications for Airbus Industrie. A graduate of U.C. Berkeley with B.A. in Rhetoric, Carolyn adores travel (80 countries to date), collects folk art, loves to write, learn, and read everything in sight.
