Movers & Shakers: Jason Voiovich, Logic PD

A look at the people behind the numbers in area business:

Title: Chief customer officer

Age: 40

Jason Voiovich is guiding clients into the future of connected, smart products and encouraging colleagues to help them get there as newly promoted chief customer officer at Minneapolis product development company Logic PD.

Part of his role, Voiovich said, is that of "chief coaching officer," instilling values and behaviors that help employees make the right decisions as they interact with clients who are in the aerospace, medical device and complex industrial products industries.

"People's jobs are on the line, the success of their product in the market is on the line based on the things we do or don't do," Voiovich said.

Voiovich leads the research, communications, account management and proposals teams. He also leads global marketing, business development and customer-facing initiatives and is responsible for strategic account acquisition, retention and profitability.

Voiovich joined Logic PD from AbleNet, where he was vice president of marketing. He previously founded Ecra Creative Group, leading the Minneapolis-based marketing intelligence and brand development agency for more than a decade. He has a master's in strategic communications from the University of Minnesota. He serves as an adviser to the entrepreneur program at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

Q: Why do clients need to focus on smart, connected products?

A: What we're trying to do is help them see what the world will look like five years from now. Five years from now, [a connected, smart product] will be a ticket to the game. You won't be able to market a product that isn't intelligent in some way. Not every product will have embedded intelligence but a significant chunk will.

Q: What was the significance of adding analytics and research to the company's offerings?

A: It was exciting to add that alongside our core engineering, industrial design services, manufacturing services and product support services, to help our clients make data-driven decisions. It's a combination that doesn't really, practically exist in any other firm like ours.

A: I've had mentors who have helped me understand that ideas are great, but ideas are cheap. Executing those ideas and making that reality happen is hard. I'm attracted to that challenge. That's what I'm drawn to, that process of not only discovery but also the process of making that idea real.