James Mauler, President and CEO of Cadnetics, was interviewed by the Proprietors of Pittsburgh Podcast. Listen here:
Episode summary
The best and most challenging thing that happened during James Mauler’s professional career was when he was terminated from the company he worked for in the early 1990s. This gave him the motivation he needed to start his own firm, and he launched Cadnetics the very next day. In this episode, Jim candidly discusses the meaning of this pivotal moment in his career and the risk he took in getting a cutting-edge tech company off the ground. He also discusses why he left college in order to pursue a more hands-on approach to his learning and how this paid off for him in the long run.
Episode notes
James Mauler was still early in his career when he decided to leave college and take a more hands-on approach with his education. Instead of completing a five-year degree in architecture, Jim realized that he could achieve his professional and financial goals by putting his drafting skills to work on the job. As an example, when computer-aided design (CAD) software was still in its infancy, he was the first person in his firm to volunteer to learn how to use it. This made him a go-to resource in the company, and it gave him the confidence he needed to know that he was on the right track.
In the early 1990s, Jim was terminated from the company that he was working for at the time. He describes this as a blessing in disguise because it gave him a compelling reason to start his own company the very next day. Jim has been at the helm of Cadnetics for nearly 30 years, and his business has undergone tremendous growth and transformation during that time. The firm, which is headquartered in Pittsburgh, also has a presence in four other major markets throughout the country. Jim is currently realizing his vision of expanding to 10 cities in 10 years, and you can tell from our conversation that he is having a lot of fun in the process.
