Rich Diers

The world doesn’t just need companies that build technology; it needs companies that can find a purpose for the technology they build. That’s why Rich Diers comes to work every day.

Rich believes in “falling in love” with customers’ problems—watching what they do, how they do it, and where they struggle—and then using the insights he collects to create software that helps solve those problems in new and unique ways.

As chief innovation officer, Rich combines his love for technology with his desire to help people by determining the most meaningful ways human services agencies can apply emerging tools and innovative practices to make the biggest impact on the community. He’s their “champion of change”—encouraging everyone at Northwoods to think more creatively about how they can grow as an organization in a way that benefits their customers.

As he explained what he does to his son one day, his son summarized it best: Rich’s job is to create really awesome technology to help the people who help the people who need help.