Eric Pertnoy worked for many different types of technology and engineering firms before deciding it was time to start his own. Eric Pertnoy pieced together all that he learned from the people he worked for – both good and bad – and built a successful product engineering firm. He remembers a question from one of his first managers, “Are you curious?” At the time, Eric Pertnoy was not sure what that really meant. As he began to delve into product engineering, he realized that without curiosity he would not survive.

In order to understand his clients, Eric Pertnoy needs to be curious about what it is that they do and what they want to accomplish. He needs to understand the strengths and weaknesses so that he can craft a good product for the client. Eric Pertnoy has worked with clients in so many different fields. From restaurants to small accounting firms to schools to retail shops, Eric Pertnoy has learned about them all. Sometimes his brain is flooded with all the different needs of his varied clients. Somehow, Eric Pertnoy is always able to get to the crux of what is needed after extensively interviewing and getting to the heart of his clients.

“When I first met Eric Pertnoy, he sat down with me and asked me about a thousand questions about my business!” says a local restaurateur who wanted Eric Pertnoy to design a special system for his waitstaff to process orders. The owner scratched his head while he told Eric Pertnoy that orders kept getting confused with his current computer software. Eric Pertnoy gives his full attention to his clients and they feel it immediately. The same business owner said, “After we put together our first software template, my staff loved the new system. Customers were happier, food came out faster, and my profits increased instantly!”

Eric Pertnoy always credits his success to all those he learned from along his professional journey. However, he does always return to the manager who really made him understand that basis of product engineering – curiosity.