About Us

Bruce Tow

Bruce Tow, with extensive, cross-industry IT and systems experience, is one of the world's leading architects and designers of enterprise applications and applications-development technologies, having designed more than 100 such applications and multiple innovative applications-development technologies and associated methodologies. In addition, Mr. Tow is the founder and CEO of Synthesis Institute, a non-profit devoted to advancing the art and science of multi-disciplinary problem-solving.

What People Are Saying

“Bruce has a unique ability to translate a business need into a technical product design. In his distinguished career he has seen virtually every business problem and is able to repurpose designs that have worked well for others into a solution for the problem at hand. I heartily endorse Bruce. Give him your hardest problems.” Gary Kennedy – CEORemedyMD; former CEO, TenFold Corporation; former President, Oracle U.S. "Bruce is a brilliant application architect with deep knowledge of multiple industries and an unmatched ability to rapidly absorb and make sense of complex projects, create innovative and effective approaches to solving them, and personally produce quality products. He is undaunted by any challenge and has the tenacity to wrestle even the most difficult problems to the ground (bringing good spirit and a great sense of humor while so doing)."  Nancy Harvey– former CEO, TenFold Corporation "I have worked with Bruce closely as a colleague while in Oracle where I helped him on the database design of Oracle Financials and he helped me on the definition of the equally successful Computer Aided Engineering System (CASE) that I developed. At that time I was Senior Vice President working for Larry Ellison. Bruce has an excellent mind, is a very good problem solver, thinks strategically and is excellent at pragmatic top down design."  Richard Barker – former Senior Vice President, VERITAS Software (now Symantec); former Senior Vice President, Oracle

“Bruce has an incredible breadth of experience of real-world applications. Whenever we wanted to either test an idea or get input for design work, Bruce provided an inexhaustible supply of real examples and case studies of the things people did or wanted to do. He managed to break most of our designware before it became code - fantastic savings! Coupled with his ability to abstract and synthesize practical design solutions, I have no hesitation in recommending him to anyone with a real-world software application challenge.”Cliff Longman – CTO, Kalido; former CASE architect, Oracle “Bruce is one of those unique individuals with both technical and business acumen, as well as the ability to develop long-lasting professional relationships with customers and colleagues. Bruce is one of the best software architects in the industry. He is an excellent listener with an amazing ability to distill large amounts of complex and detailed information into an easy understood format then solve the problem. Bruce is exciting to work with because he always has new and innovative ways to create solutions for customers that help their business.” Sally White – Vice President, TenFoldCorporation “Bruce's technical knowledge is unparalleled, and his ability to relate to the needs of users is excellent. I would certainly recommend Bruce.” Alden Briscoe – Executive Vice President, Brakeley Briscoe Inc.; former Director, Applications at Oracle

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David Gilliam

Mr. Gilliam has extensive domestic and international experience in IT development, Implementation, Operations, Quality and Audit, across numerous industries and business functions. In the course of his work, he has assisted some of the world's most successful companies attack thorny and often unique business problems utilizing interdisciplinary problem solving techniques. Mr. Gilliam is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and publishes and speaks sporadically.

What people are saying

“I have had the distinct pleasure of working with Dave for several years. He is an exceptional leader. Dave has the innate ability to develop, design, and implement practical solutions with challenging budgets & timelines. As a finance professional, I appreciated Dave’s sense of the big-picture & measured temperament, an uncanny ability to measure important vs. peripheral issues. Dave’s positive energy has always been one of his greatest assets. Above all, Dave has a high level of integrity & a strong work ethic; he is an extremely valuable asset to any organization that works with him.”  M. Still, Pleasanton, California

“I had the opportunity of working with David on several large projects and was impressed by his depth of technical knowledge and ability to lead and motivate cross-cultural teams.  He worked extraordinarily well with my organization and others around the globe setting the standards for and leading key worldwide initiatives. He was formally recognized by our IT Executive for his program management efforts in this regard and I have no hesitation in recommending him.” H. Hayakawa, Tokyo, Japan “I asked David to assist with a few projects which required him to ramp up to speed in a specialized technical area (telecommunications) very quickly. I can recall one short project where he needed to learn a thorny technical standard overnight.  He did and was able to converse intelligently with client technicians the next day. The remarkable thing was that at the end of the project, client management commented on the value-add of David’s contributions and asked if he could be brought back to work on another project.”  S. Sorensen, Indianapolis, Indiana

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Richard Barker

Mr. Barker is available as a part-time consultant offering tailored services to companies in many industries. Mr. Barker’s primary strength is in helping businesses craft strategic direction and plans. He also offers technical direction and skills transfer in database, application, security, system management, methodology and storage. Richard has held executive level roles with VERITAS, OpenVision and Oracle Corporation. He is a best-selling author and has taught extensively in diverse subjects like Strategic Business Analysis and How to Build World Class Products. He is a popular public speaker having presented regularly around the world.

What people are saying

“Richard is a gifted leader able to allow his team to catch the wave and excel. His understanding of business consulting in an IT context leading to the development of simple and clear methods is a foundation I still rely on today. I have many happy memories of working with Richard as year after year we doubled the size of Oracle UK, and recommend him without reservation.” Sandy Thomson, Senior Consultant, Oracle UK Ltd

“The IT industry and Oracle have changed much since Richard moved on. However the Development & Consultancy work Richard was responsible for at Oracle UK is remembered fondly by our customers and partners and is often quoted - some 15 years after he moved on.” RobinMurgatroyd, Sales Consultant, Oracle UK

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Dan Tow

Since joining Oracle in 1989, Dan has worked on performance and tuning. Through experience with solving generalized performance issues, he evolved his primary expertise in finding and fixing TopSQL, the highest-performance-impact SQL, where the best opportunities for tuning business applications usually lie. Dan primarily works as an independent consultant, under the banner www.singingsql.com. Since starting SingingSQL, he wrote SQL Tuning, a 336-page book published by O’Reilly (see Resources).

What people are saying

“Dan is an Extremely Inspirational and passionate worker, who meticulously focuses on detail, yet doesn't miss the big picture and gets the work done seamlessly.” Fahd Mirza, Senior Oracle Database Administrator, Advanced Engineering Research Organization

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Demetris P. Hadjilambris For the past twenty years Demetris has been actively engaged in Strategic Consulting, Program Management, Governance and Process Improvement activities, meeting the challenges of inflationary costs and uncertain demand, in the healthcare, biopharmaceutical and retail areas, especially nowadays that more than ever businesses must utilize technology to achieve success, increase efficiencies and generate positive outcomes and timely returns on investment. Demetris has broad industry experience, and he brings scientific training, disciplined analysis, and creative vision to business problems.  His in-depth experience originates from his active involvement in business operations and systems architecture, with numerous critical implementations. He has wide experience in negotiating and managing strategic collaborations and implementing solutions, and new products. His disciplined problem-solving approach, his sound judgment, his bottom-line focus, and his determination to produce successful outcomes make a difference between acceptable results and excellent results. Demetris is recognized as a team builder and a leader, which has the ability to come into any situation, get to the core of the issues, and devise and implement effective solutions that create competitive advantage. What People Are Saying “Demetris did a great job at Longs. He completed large complex projects on time and within budget. He solved complicated problems by leveraging his staff and by utilizing his creative problem solving skills. Demetris is a bright guy.” Michael Laddon, SVP, CIO, Longs Drugs “I had the pleasure of working with Demetris for almost 4 years at Longs Drugs. He was an innovative and extremely skilled Director, who was successful leading too many large complex projects to mention. A very creative thinker, who was a joy to work with. I would recommend him hightly to any company lucky enough to have the opportunity to use his vast skills!” Ed Puskas, Vice President of IT, Longs Drugs “Demetris would be a great asset to any company looking for dynamic and resourceful leadership in the systems arena. He has made a significant difference at Longs Drugs as the architect of innovative enterprise pharmacy systems that have brought important value to critical areas of the business, including finance, pharmacy and e-pharmacy. I have worked with Demetris on several projects and have been impressed with his creativity, strategic thinking and high ethical standards. His impressive background in technology, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, together with his scientific training, analytical abilities and creative vision, enable him to help companies leverage technology and achieve significant and timely returns on investment. He would bring significant value to any company that could use strong leadership and innovative thinking in design, development and implementation of systems that support healthcare transactions, research, development and manufacturing activities.” Susan Thorner, Senior Corporate Counsel, Longs Drugs “Demetris is a very skilled strategic thinker and problem solver. He is a strong communicator, getting his ideas across succinctly. He displays innovative and creative approaches to work issues and develops concepts on improving work processes. He is successful in building strong work teams that can execute highly technical and complex projects. Demetris has been instrumental in leading and developing various pharmacy systems such as Central Filling Operations for Kaiser Permanente in both Livermore and Downey, CA and electronic prescriptions. He was the Lead, providing strategic direction in the acquisition and integration of the Webvan platform when Kaiser Permanente Pharmacy Operations purchased the Webvan warehouse, as well as leading the technical assessment team during the acquisition. All projects Demetris has overseen and managed, have brought about significant financial benefits to the organization.” Hope Pergantis, Manager of Pharmacy Training, Kaiser Permanente “Demetris provided outstanding technology vision and leadership to Longs Drugs in a very dynamic and fast paced environment. He was able to help drive the key technology decisions to enable the business vision and objectives of Longs Drugs. He has excellent communication and organizational skills. He will be a terrific asset for any organization and also he has unique skills and experience that will help any company right away. Yan Reznik, QA Manager Pharmacy Systems, Longs Drugs