Meet a #futureshaper: Jesse Otis

Jesse Otis helps make products that save lives. 

As the architecture leader for fire systems, his team designs fire alarm systems that are used to detect fire events, control evacuations of buildings, and tell the fire department where to go in the case of an emergency.  

Based in Northford, Conn.; here is his #futureshaper story.

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? 

I wanted to be a basketball player.

What gets you excited about going to work every day?  

Making new products and creating new ideas.

If you were a fortune reader, what would you predict as the future of your industry? 

I see reduced dependency on wires, fewer false alarms, greater integration within the building and its occupants, and providing more data points that are accessible in a wider range of options.  

In your eyes, what qualities does a #futureshaper possess?  

Always think of new possibilities and ideas. Blend the problem statements from multiple sources to find ways forward.  

What advice would you give someone who wants to follow in your footsteps? 

Listen to your customers. Understand the problem from their perspective before you try to make a solution for their problems.  

When you are not working, what do you do for fun? 

Raising two day-care age kids. This involves a lot of stories, imagination, wrestling, walks outside, and visits to parks, museums, zoos, and aquariums.  

Learn more about what it is like to be a #futureshaper.