Brian Lindgren

Brian Lindgren is well-suited to the position of STC treasurer because of his extensive background in business ventures and technical communications. Having worked as a technical editor, writer, artist, and website developer, he understands different facets of technical communications, and has synthesized these through various career reinventions. A former business owner, Brian developed business plans, developed and managed budgets, and was directly responsible for the financial impact of his decisions and initiatives. He listens to others’ views but is also capable of “thinking outside the box” to lead discussions regarding the prudent use of funds.

For 30+ years, Brian has touched on many different aspects of technical communication and has championed the profession by stressing that technical communication transcends just writing. As an undergrad Brian initially majored in Technical Architecture and then Fine Arts before his extracurricular work for the college newspaper drove him toward a career in publishing. Upon graduating in 1983 he worked on an array of tasks from typesetting/paste-up to print layout and design to advanced typographic design. For larger manuscripts, Brian also assisted with proofreading and grammatical edits.

In 1987 Brian landed his first official editing position with a monthly technical print industry journal that synthesized technical art and editing and included managing publication schedules and printing competitions that engendered a deeper understanding of processes that would pay dividends years later during the STC Technical Competitions. He remained a technical editor until 1994, at which time he refocused on technical writing.

In 1995 Brian developed a business case to convince the company for which he was working to embark on a technical publications venture. In 1996 he purchased that division of the company and stood up his own corporation, which he ran until 1998. Within his own company, in addition to the day-to-day business operations, he developed a niche market for short runs of compact discs, an untapped market in 1996. Upon phasing out his business in 1998, he turned back to technical writing with a U.S. Government contractor, and remained a technical writer until 2005. Starting in 2005, he parlayed his technical writing skills to become a proposal manager, formulating responses to help his company win Government contracts. He gradually evolved that to his current role as business development director.

Brian is a strong promoter of STC, encouraging colleagues, coworkers, and students to join. Brian was named an Associate Fellow of STC in 2008, and he was a candidate for STC Treasurer in the 2009 elections. In 2010 he was Competitions Manager for STC's International Technical Communications Competition and was Co-Manager in 2008, 2009, and 2012 (having been a judge in 1999, 2005, and 2007); in 2011 he he received his Fellow recognition and was also a candidate for Director at Large. Since 2011 he has been a member of the STC Associate Fellows nominating committee.

For many years, Brian has been an active participant in volunteer and trade organizations, often in leadership roles. He served three terms as president of the Charleston, SC Chapter of the Armed Forces Communication and Electronics Association (AFCEA), from 2009-2012. Like STC, AFCEA is a nonprofit organization with an international base and regional chapters. Under Brian’s leadership the chapter won “Model Chapter of the Year” for two consecutive years (the chapter had never before attained that recognition). As president, Brian was responsive to the community through managing and planning events throughout the year, interacting with related organizations, and making public presentations. As with STC, chapters must be in step with the overall organization’s policies, and as a nonprofit we are mindful of our fiscal responsibilities and maintaining an adequate local membership to sustain corporate support. In addition, my past experience as an STC chapter president is a more direct correlation to the STC style of leadership.

Brian remains on the AFCEA board as Membership Chairman. In addition, in 2012 he was elected to the board of directors of the Charleston Defense Contractors Association (CDCA) where he serves as chairman of the Small Business and Industry Outreach Initiative committee.

Brian’s involvement in volunteer organizations that serve the needs of trade associations and/or special interest groups directly relates to STC; he is intimately familiar with nonprofit volunteer organizations and aware of the related fiscal responsibility. As a businessman, he understands the costs of doing business, but as a technical communicator, he understands what is truly essential to advance our profession. Moreover, his role on various boards has given him the real-world experience of discussing issues with individuals of divergent views. He understands that not every situation is black-and-white and he welcomes the opportunity to analyze the different shades of gray, using logic and, if compromises are necessary, striving for true win-win negotiation to help navigate the group toward decisions that truly serve STC constituents’ best interests.

 

Candidate Statement:

I am a good candidate for STC Treasurer because I understand the STC and I understand the complexities of business in the fiscally lean 21st Century. I have been a member of STC since 1990, and a Fellow since 2011, and have seen STC's peaks and valleys over the years. I would like to help drive STC forward by helping to refocus a few areas to make the society more economically viable. As a business developer for a Government contractor I helped refocus my company's capabilities to win multimillion dollar contracts as the contracting world shifted from single-award contracts to much more cost-competitive multiple-award contracts. My technical communications skills played a big part in that success and I would like to invert the equation and use my business skills to help STC.

As a businessman, I understand the costs and nuances of doing business, but as a technical communicator, I understand what is truly essential to advance our profession. I can capably synthesize these areas to be fiscally responsible to STC. I understand that not every situation is black-and-white and welcome the opportunity to analyze the different shades of gray, using logic and, if compromises are necessary, striving for true win-win negotiation to help navigate the group toward decisions that truly serve our constituents’ best interests.

 

Other Links:

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/brianlindgren

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/GuitarSolo

Link to Candidate Questionnaire (.doc)