Wade Wessels is Director of Connected Solutions and IoT at Donaldson Company, Inc. a multibillion-dollar filtration company serving industrial and transportation markets in 164 countries. Wessels leads a cross-functional team that develops new solutions and business models based on Internet of Things (IoT) technology. His group recently launched the company’s first connected maintenance solution for industrial filtration applications. With degrees in engineering and business entrepreneurship, Wessels has more than 15 years of experience leading new initiatives at Donaldson and Honeywell, in positions ranging from engineering management to marketing and new business development. His work has focused on IoT, sensing, electronics, and green diesel, using new technologies to reinvent legacy product portfolios or start new corporate ventures. Over his career, Wessels has served OE and after-market customers in sectors as diverse as heavy-duty vehicles, aerospace , defense, and industrial capital equipment, and has collaborated with U.S. and foreign governments on green technology initiatives. Wessels has been a featured speaker at many conferences, recently Industrial IoT Talk in 2018. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Iowa State University and an MBA in Entrepreneurship and International Business from the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Business.
The Pop in Your Job:
My drive comes from an entrepreneurial propensity. I enjoy developing new businesses, methods or technology to solve customer problems. Everyday is unique, fast-paced and fully of learning which keeps my personal energy up. It is an amazing time in industry where this change is happening at an unprecedented rate. I feel really fortunate to play a role in this greater industrial shift."