Driving Scalable Innovation

Jack Young, a product manager at Trimble, is known in the industry for solving real-world problems in the field with cutting-edge technology. For his innovation, Young was a perfect fit on Roads & Bridges’ Top 25 Under 40.

“Jack is an innovative and highly motivated product manager at Trimble who has demonstrated exceptional leadership early in his career. He has played a key role in launching several new, cutting-edge machine control products making an impact in today’s construction industry,” said Eric Crim, product manager for machine control systems at Trimble. “Jack’s dedication, willingness to take calculated risks and ability to see opportunity where others do not make him stand out as an emerging leader with a strong track record of delivering meaningful results.”

Young did not take the traditional route into the industry — a path that informs his perspective towards construction technology — earning a degree in construction management from Colorado State University.

His expertise in construction technology began at a Hawaii internship where he played a leading role in their adoption of drone photogrammetry into solar farm earthmoving projects.

Young’s success in Trimble’s competitive rotational development program, where he honed his understanding of machine control, geospatial testing, technical support and vertical construction tools, led the company to create a product management role tailored to him.

Within a year, he was overseeing the entire compact machine portfolio department, where his hands-on knowledge of the construction management side of the industry has made him more effective in the role.  

“Jack has had a significant influence through his hands-on approach and forward-thinking mindset. Within his team and the broader organization, he pushes boundaries and challenges conventional thinking, helping Trimble bring innovative solutions to market faster and more effectively,” Crim said. “His work contributes directly to improving construction efficiency, accuracy, and productivity on a global scale. Jack’s energy and commitment inspire those around him to think bigger and embrace innovation.”

Young is deeply devoted to creating practical products that are within reach for firms of all sizes. He is known to spend time in the field with contractors to ensure the inclusion of their perspectives when developing products, as he sees technological solutions as processes that should improve workflows and outcomes industry wide.

“My advice is to get your boots dirty and stay curious,” Young said. “Even as a product manager in the high-tech space, my most valuable insights haven't come from an office. They’ve come from sitting in the cab of a machine and talking to contractors in the field.”

His dedication to democratizing construction technology does not end there, as the launch of Trimble Siteworks Machine Guidance made strides in leveling the playing field. The program’s use of repurposed survey GNSS receivers broke down cost and accessibility barriers, making way for the program’s use to firms of all sizes. The program’s innovative features have been widely recognized across the industry, receiving a variety of awards.

“What began as a ‘backyard science experiment’ repurposing survey GNSS receivers into cost-effective machine control, evolved into an award-winning solution that has fundamentally changed the industry’s accessibility,” Young said. “Coming from a Construction Management background rather than a traditional engineering path, I am particularly proud of how this project democratized technology. For too long, advanced machine control was reserved for mega-projects and massive fleets.”

He sees the gap in the technology available to large and small contractors as the biggest challenge plaguing the industry, as small contractors don’t have the means to allow them to compete effectively in the market.

“Closing the digital divide is the defining challenge of our industry right now,” Young said.  “We’re seeing these amazing tools hit the market, but there’s a real risk of a gap forming between large, tech-heavy contractors and the smaller contractors who form our backbone.”

He advocates for scalable innovation that makes technological solutions more impactful in all aspects of a job site that improve efficiency in the workplace and learn from humans to lead innovation.

“In the next five years, our goal should be scalable innovation. We need to take things like high-precision machine control out of the 'luxury' category and make them intuitive for every operator on site,” he said. “By using tech to augment, not replace, human skill, we make the job safer and way more attractive to a new generation of builders who want to see their work through a digital lens.”