Committed to Success

Rick Grundy’s story is one that epitomizes Wentworth career success. Grundy chose AVTECH—an international software and hardware developer and manufacturing company head-quartered in New England—for an optional co-op during his sophomore year of college. Today, he is the company’s president. Grundy, Computer Science ’03, has long served as a member of the Wentworth Alumni Association, and he currently chairs the University Advisers, a group dedicated to the welfare of Wentworth and its students. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees. Grundy shares why he is so passionate about his alma mater, where he thinks things are heading, and how others can engage with the university.

Greg Abazorius, Director of Content, Wentworth: The University Advisers structure is still relatively new for Wentworth. What impact have you seen the group make so far and what attracted you to wanting to be its chair?

Rick Grundy, President, AVTECH: While the group is still relatively new, its membership is made up of individuals who have been committed to Wentworth’s success for quite some time. University Advisers include former trustees, alumni, and industry professionals who serve as ambassadors to the university by volunteering their experience, leadership, expertise, and connection to industry partnerships to support Wentworth’s mission. Through the President’s Office, our goal is to foster engagement with groups and departments across Wentworth to assist with the development of programs and projects to support the strategic plan. These efforts are now more important than ever as Wentworth embarks on its bold new plan in the years ahead. I’m incredibly thankful for my Wentworth education and the tools and experience it has provided me. I’m honored to chair the University Advisers to help ensure that kind of positive experience is possible for Wentworth graduates well into the future.

Greg: Thinking about that progression, what kind of advancements have you seen the university make even in the time since you were a student here?

Rick: The last two decades have represented a period of remarkable transformation. When I attended, Wentworth was just starting to make the transition from being primarily a commuter school to residential. There were even lockers in the basement of Wentworth Hall and Beatty Hall! This transition culminated in the opening of 610 Huntington in my final year. Since then, Wentworth has continued to invest in new and upgraded residential facilities, as well as new state-of-the-art labs and new and improved academic buildings. We have seen the launch of many new and exciting academic programs including Biomedical Engineering, Cybersecurity, and many others. Entrepreneurship and innovation were given a creative outlet and support through the Accelerate program, and the development of graduate programs led to Wentworth attaining university status. All of this and much more was accomplished while maintaining the core values and ideology of a Wentworth student—a hands-on learner who gets things done.
 

"Wentworth will no longer be the region's best-kept secret; it instead will be its greatest success story."

Greg: From a sophomore year co-op to president, it’s been quite the journey for you at AVTECH!

Rick: Having grown up on the south coast of Massachusetts, my primary search criteria was to locate a software company in Newport, R.I., thinking that would be a great place to spend the summer. I joined AVTECH at a time of substantial transition and quickly earned the opportunity to tackle large and significant projects. At the conclusion of my sophomore co-op, I continued working at AVTECH part time while back in class, and continued there for both my junior and senior co-ops.

Following graduation, I joined AVTECH full time and had the opportunity to build out an engineering team from the ground up. The products we develop are trusted by some of the largest organizations in the world and in every branch of the military, and they are now installed in 187 countries around the globe. My roles continued to grow from technical services manager to product development manager, engineering manager, director of engineering, VP of engineering, and ultimately president in December of 2015. As president, we have established a subsidiary in Ireland, opened a sales office in Dubai, acquired a standalone manufacturing facility in Pennsylvania, and have seen revenues more than double in less than five years.

I’m incredibly proud of what our team has accomplished over the past 20 years. I’m even more proud that this all started from a Wentworth co-op, and I try to pay that forward each and every semester by collaborating with co-ops and interns from Wentworth and other area schools. In fact, a number of our employees started as Wentworth co-ops also!

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Greg: In terms of engaging or getting involved with Wentworth, what would you recommend?

Rick: There are many ways:

If your organization could use talented employees with a high work ethic and strong, tactical training, the CO-OPS + CAREERS office can help you recruit current students and recent graduates.

The Wentworth Alumni Association (WAA) provides an excellent avenue for alumni to engage and become involved. I am proud to have had the opportunity to serve on the board of directors of the WAA prior to joining the University Advisers.

There are even opportunities to work through the academic and institutional advancement offices to speak to current students in the classroom and to sponsor senior capstone projects. I would welcome anyone interested to connect with me on LinkedIn and I would be happy to discuss how they can become more involved.

Greg: In talking with students or others directly connected to Wentworth during the pandemic, is there a certain resilience or creativity you saw on display?

Rick: There’s a reason Wentworth stands out as a success story in the face of incredible challenges. Its students, staff, and leadership faced the issue head-on and did whatever was necessary to continue on. The entire Wentworth community collectively rolls up their sleeves and works on solutions. For years, this attitude and approach has been one of the best- kept secrets about what makes Wentworth special.

In many ways, the pandemic accelerated industry trends that were already starting to emerge. It has transformed industries and further accelerated the digital integration of legacy businesses. Wentworth’s curriculum is agile, dynamic, and well-suited for the technologies and skills that will be required post-COVID. Wentworth’s high degree of technical competency also allowed the entire Wentworth community to adapt to new work and learning modalities with little disruption. The pandemic truly highlighted the value of the Wentworth approach and the value of a Wentworth education.

Greg: What do you see for Wentworth’s future?

Rick: As a graduate of the Computer Science program, I am especially excited about the recent launch of the Cybersecurity program. This is a dynamic program that will need to constantly evolve to keep pace with new threats and the ever-changing needs of industry. That is really at the heart of what makes Wentworth successful both now and into the future. The programs it develops and the skills it teaches are in high demand in industry, making Wentworth students highly sought after in whatever industry they seek.

Wentworth’s visibility and recognition both in the region and across the country continue to increase. Greater numbers of alumni are getting involved and engaging with various programs within the school. Industry partners are looking to Wentworth not just for co-ops, but also for research grants and product development in partnership with capstone projects. Soon Wentworth will no longer be the region’s best-kept secret; it will instead be its greatest success story.