BY JESSICA RIDGWAY
How the president of BlueVolt spends his free time.
BY JESSICA RIDGWAY
Doug Gastich became president and general manager of BlueVolt in April 2014. Founded in 2002, the company offers online training solutions to companies in the utility and building trades sectors. Gastich, 39, has more than 15 years of experience with service and agency companies, software product companies and digital educational platforms. He lives in Lake Oswego with his wife, Kari, their 6-year-old son, Torin, and 3-year-old identical twin daughters, Myra and Brynn.
On the road
“My hobbies kind of change over time, but the one that’s stuck with me the longest is cycling. In fact, I’d say any kind of two-wheeled endeavor is fun. My wife and I used to be pretty big motorcyclists, and I used to race bikes in college. My kids all expressed an early interest [in cycling]. Maybe that was partly due to my enthusiasm — but all three of my kids learned how to ride a bike, pedaling and all, when they were 2.”
Full throttle
“When my wife and I found out we were first pregnant, we got on our motorcycles and rode to Alaska. We just said, ‘You know what, this is it, this is our time,’ and we took part of the summer off and went up through British Columbia and into Alaska. That’s kind of how we approach life — life is an adventure. We have as much fun raising kids as we did on that trip to Alaska, but that was a true adventure and one that’s stuck with me.”
Lifelong learner
“I think of myself as a bit of a challenger, respectfully, but still a challenger to what’s considered normal and the expected status quo — not necessarily in a revolutionary way, but in an evolutionary way. I like to constantly be learning. My primary motivation for almost anything I do is one of discovery — figuring out how it all works, figuring out how something gets done or how it comes together.”
Teaching tools
“When you’re trying to teach with a computer and using content to do the education component, you’re not going to necessarily know how the learner learns. So how do you connect with that learner? How do you find a way to engage them? That’s as important in K-12 as it is in the corporate space. Arguably, it’s even more important in the corporate space, because oftentimes that’s the only modality you have.”
Future ambitions
“In about 10 years’ time, I’d love to be sitting at the seat here as president of BlueVolt. I’d like BlueVolt to be a very different company by then in terms of its size and its scope and reach, but I’d like to have been part of some dramatic growth and really brought us to the forefront of the industry as a group that can show companies how to develop themselves by developing their people through education.”
