Building Trust Into Every System

In this Employee Spotlight Q&A, Todd Oliphant shares how ThermalWorks turns compliance into scalable operational excellence.

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What does compliance mean at ThermalWorks, and how does your role help embed it into day-to-day operations?

Compliance at ThermalWorks is really part of the culture, not something we only think about during audits or inspections. My role is making sure the standards we follow are built into everyday processes, so they become second nature to the teams. A big part of that is working closely with different departments, understanding how they operate, and helping create processes that are both effective and practical for the people using them.

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You sit at the intersection of operations, manufacturing, and quality. How do you ensure consistency across such a wide range of functions?

Every department has different priorities and ways of working, so consistency comes from keeping communication open and making sure expectations are clear across the board. Whether it’s documentation, testing, or handling nonconformances, everyone needs to be aligned to the same standards. Small gaps between teams may not seem important at first, but they usually become bigger issues later if they aren’t addressed early.

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What are the most critical areas where strong compliance directly impacts performance, reliability, or customer trust?

Product safety and certification integrity are probably the biggest ones. Customers trust that our products will perform the way they were designed and certified to perform. If that trust is broken, it affects much more than a single product, it impacts confidence in the company as a whole. Strong compliance helps ensure consistency and reliability and gives customers confidence in what we deliver.

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How do you manage the relationship with Intertek and maintain ETL certifications at the highest standard?

The relationship works best when there’s strong communication and transparency on both sides. We try to stay proactive anytime there’s a change involving components, suppliers, or processes so there are no surprises during reviews or inspections. Keeping documentation organized and maintaining open communication helps the certification process run much smoother and keeps everything in good standing.

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How do you translate complex compliance requirements into something that actually sticks with teams?

Most people I work with are focused on building, testing, or engineering products, not interpreting regulations, so I try to make compliance practical and relatable. Instead of just explaining what the requirement says, I focus on why it matters, how it affects their work, and what can happen if it’s overlooked. When people understand the reasoning behind something, they’re much more likely to remember it and apply it consistently.

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What does it take to prepare ThermalWorks to stand out during audits and customer evaluations?

The biggest thing is staying prepared all the time instead of scrambling right before an audit. If processes are followed consistently, documentation is organized, and employees understand their responsibilities, audits become much more straightforward. Customers and auditors can usually tell the difference between a company that operates in a controlled, organized way and one that’s rushing to pull everything together at the last minute.

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How do you use data and reporting to identify risks and continuously improve processes?

Data helps identify trends before they become major problems. I look closely at things like nonconformances, inspection results, testing data, and customer feedback to spot patterns that may need attention. Sometimes small issues repeated over time point to a larger process concern. Having solid reporting also makes it easier to support improvements internally because the decisions are backed by real information rather than assumptions.

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How does the compliance function evolve as ThermalWorks scales?

As the company grows, compliance has to grow with it in a structured way. The goal is to build systems, documentation, and processes that can support more products, more people, and increase complexity without everything relying on one person. Good compliance should support growth and help the company scale efficiently, not slow it down.

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What does strong cross-functional alignment look like when it comes to compliance?

Strong alignment means teams communicate early and work together before issues become bigger problems. Operations, engineering, manufacturing, and quality all play a role in compliance, so it works best when everyone sees it as a shared responsibility rather than something owned by a single department. When that collaboration is in place, problems are identified faster and solutions come together much more smoothly.

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How does ThermalWorks support you in finding balance outside of such a detail-oriented role?

Compliance work can be demanding because there’s always another project, audit, or deadline to focus on. What I appreciate about ThermalWorks is that the company understands the importance of balance and doesn’t encourage burnout. Being able to step away and recharge helps me stay focused and effective when I’m working.