40 / 124
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Science in Computer
Science from Penn State University
FIRST INDUSTRY JOB
Application and support developer
at Essent. “It was a great opportu-
nity for me as I was able to inter-
face with distributor customers to
learn the industry and help solve
pain points with automation. Essent
provides a great work environment
(named one of the
PPB
Greatest
Companies to Work For in June).
I’ve been thrilled to stay on board
here for more than 10 years and
work my way up.”
PREVIOUS JOB
“I worked in web development at
PJM Interconnection, which main-
tains the electrical grid for 61 mil-
lion people in 14 states and
Washington, DC. I was able to take
the analysis skills and work ethic I
learned at PJM and carry it over to
Essent to help promotional prod-
ucts companies solve real-world
problems.”
FAVORITE PART OF THE JOB
“The best part of the job is working
with a lot of great people, col-
leagues and customers alike, and
helping solve real-world business
problems whether it’s operations,
accounting or automation. I really
like helping people be successful
whether it’s guiding a colleague
through a project or creating tech-
nology that allows a customer to
do the impossible.”
BIGGEST GOAL FOR 2015
“Professionally, my biggest goal for
2015 is to ensure a successful
launch of the newest Essent prod-
uct, EssentOne. It’s a big project
and I’m taking great care to make
sure it provides great results for the
industry. Personally, my biggest
goal in 2015 is to finish my base-
ment arcade for my kids. We have
about a dozen machines down
there now and have arcade nights
for friends and family.”
PROUDEST ACCOMPLISHMENT
“Besides becoming a
PPB
Rising
Star? It’s tough to name a proudest
accomplishment because I’m proud
of my education, my career, and
my family and kids. Sounds like I’m
playing The Game of Life. If I had
to pick one I’d say my family and
kids, including my wife, two sons,
and my twin daughters—although
there’s a lot left to write in that
chapter.”
BEST ADVICE EVER RECEIVED
“At my first job, when I was fin-
ished with a task, I would quickly
seek out another task, always want-
ing to do more and more. My boss
at the time gave me some very
good kudos and that has stuck with
me: never settle for status quo and
always to be pushing to do more
and more. It makes me a great fit
for Essent, where striving to do
more and more is ingrained in the
culture.”
STATUS IN FIVE YEARS
“Five years from now I want to be
doing the same thing I am doing
right now, creating leading-edge
technology for businesses. And I
definitely want to be doing it for
Essent and the promotional prod-
ucts industry—only I see it happen-
ing at a larger scale: mentoring
more colleagues and helping more
companies do even more seemingly
impossible things.”
Adam Taylor
• Age 35
• Vice president of development, Essent Corporation
• Easton, Pennsylvania
38 •
PPB
• SEPTEMBER 2015
INNOVATE