40 UNDER 40: Douglas Hill

Douglas HILL

Director of Engineering

Inalign

* Age: 39

* Do you have ideas to attract and keep the youth in the Syracuse area? Expanding internships and business open houses are great ways to get students engaged in the community earlier than at the end of their senior year. Some of the best hires I have made have been the results of internships. We need to reach out to the students early and often and show them that you can make a decent living here and gain valuable experience in Syracuse.

* Where do you see the community and yourself in the next 10 years? Legislative and tax reforms can help unshackle the region and enable it to leverage the tremendous natural and human resources to attract businesses. I will continuously strive to help grow and expand Inalign in Syracuse and other regions and to build a business that can compete on the world stage.

* Who has been the most influential person in your career? I was extremely fortunate to work for Tom Rossiter at Oneida Research Services immediately after leaving college. Mr. Rossiter showed me the workings of entrepreneurial ideas and how it could be developed into an exciting company to work for.

* What is your best career decision? My best career decision to date was to step out of the box and take a risk. When I first joined Inalign it was five people, now we are in excess of 16 and still growing strong. Being on a passionate, vitalized, and committed team makes all the difference.

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