Leadership

Dr. Ted Blackmon is an inventor and serial entrepreneur with expertise in the field of Advanced Work Packaging (AWP). His list of start-up innovations in AWP is unparalleled, having invented the foundational software and work processes in the late 1990s leveraging NASA technology that he developed to plan the daily activities for the Sojourner rover, the first robotic vehicle to land on Mars.

Dr. Blackmon holds a PhD in mechanical engineering from UC Berkeley, with a minor in neurology. He worked at Stark's Lab, where many pioneering developments in AI and VR/AR were born. His passion for sustainability in capital projects, which he developed during his days working with NASA and before the Internet was popularized, inspired him to join the industry. Dr. Blackmon's technology transfer efforts at NASA led to the creation of a robotic imaging system using AI and VR to help stabilize the Chernobyl disaster in 1999. 

Before the term "AWP" was coined, Dr. Blackmon was pioneering the combination of agile and lean work processes through Virtual Construction Models and BIM in construction trailers and engineering offices. Over 30 years of direct construction field experience have resulted in WorkPacks, Dr. Blackmon's most recent start-up in AWP. In stealth development for over eight years, WorkPacks has been brought to market with the mission of scaling AWP in the capital projects industry in a cost-effective fashion.

In 2014, Ted founded JOVIAN, a venture studio focused on sustainability startups. JOVIAN's mission is to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs to help save the planet using NASA technology, by transforming the capital projects industry in support of sustainability and empowering a circular economy.

Ted received the CETI Award from FIATECH in 2014 for his outstanding research in the construction industry over the past 10 years. He was honored as a recipient of the Penn State Alumni Achievement Award in 2005. Ted received his BS in Mechanical Engineering from Penn State in 1992 as the Student Marshall, graduating at the top of his class. Through his work with WorkPacks and his contributions to industry organizations like CII, Ted continues to promote his vision and share his practical experience and expertise to enable a more efficient and sustainable capital projects industry.