Building Bridges Between Vision and Reality
Here's the thing about transformation: it never happens in spreadsheets or slide decks. It happens when someone rolls up their sleeves at 2 AM to untangle a decade-old integration nightmare, or when a team finally sees their scattered data streams converge into something beautiful and actionable.
I'm Stephen Szermer, and I've spent my career in those messy, exhilarating moments where technology meets human need.
The Work That Matters
Right now, I'm wearing several hats (and loving the variety):
McAllister Towing
At McAllister Towing, I'm proving that 160-year-old maritime companies can innovate as boldly as any startup. We're not just cutting costs by 30%—we're reimagining how tugboats, crews, and data can work together in ways that would have seemed like science fiction just five years ago. Think of it as teaching an old sea dog some very new tricks.
Stage Zero Health
At Stage Zero Health, we're tackling something deeply personal: transforming cancer detection from a fear-based numbers game into an empowering narrative about health. Because your relationship with your health shouldn't feel like reading a credit report.
GDG Providence
With GDG Providence, I'm building something I wished existed when I first arrived here—a vibrant community where artists, designers, and technologists collide in productive chaos. 500+ members later, we're proving that Rhode Island can be a tech hub with soul.
The Pattern Behind the Projects
You might notice a thread running through everything I do: I'm drawn to the intersection points. Where legacy meets innovation. Where data meets story. Where enterprise scale meets human experience.
My approach comes from an unusual journey—from BCG's strategy rooms to GE Digital's industrial platforms, from CVS Health's massive healthcare systems to small tugboats navigating Providence harbor. Each stop taught me that the best solutions don't impose change; they reveal possibilities that were always there, waiting to be discovered.
Beyond the Frameworks
Yes, I can architect your API strategy, implement your RAG system, and optimize your RPA workflows. But what really drives me is something simpler: the moment when a crew member who's been filing reports manually for 20 years watches their first automated compliance dashboard update in real-time. The smile when a small business owner realizes AI isn't replacing them—it's amplifying them.
I believe in:
The Invitation
Whether you're wrestling with legacy systems that seem held together by prayer and Excel macros, exploring how AI might transform your industry, or simply curious about what happens when you apply design thinking to tugboat operations—let's talk.
I'm particularly interested in conversations about:
- Making enterprise software feel less like enterprise software
- Building bridges between "the way we've always done it" and "what's now possible"
- Creating technology strategies that your CFO and your frontline workers both love
- The unexpected lessons from teaching machines to understand maritime operations
Find me building things:
Find me in Providence:
460 Harris Ave, Providence, RI 02909P.S. - Yes, I really did write a paper on "Hypothesis Driven Development: maintaining sanity during the creative development process." And yes, sanity is still a work in progress.