"Ray Williamson has helped us with issues in manufacturing, testing, optical design, assembly, and quality. He has served as technical liaison with customers and vendors, guiding us through challenging problems over the phone without ever seeing the optics in question. Working with our management, opticians and sales staff, he has been very responsive, knowledgeable, and helpful. We will be using his services in the future."
—Mel Kantor, President, Tower Optics
"I regard Ray Williamson as my mentor. I've known him for over 30 years, literally from my first day of professional employment. I've worked with him at two different companies for a total of almost 15 years. I recruited him from Laser Power Optics to VLOC. While he has never been my direct supervisor he has always been available for advice, help, and someone with whom I could toss ideas back and forth. He has some great qualities for an engineer:
He has a great deal of experience and may have worked on or know something about the problem you are having.
If he doesn't know the answer he won't BS you - he will simply say he doesn't know.
If he doesn't know the answer he has excellent physical intuition that enables him to estimate the answer, or to give upper and lower bounds to the answer.
He can go to first principles to derive the answer.
He is not narrowly technically focused. He is very interested in teaching and training and interacting with customers and suppliers. Outside of work he is interested in scuba diving, auto racing, cooking, and music.
If I were in any kind of position here to hire Ray I would without hesitation."
—Douglas Essex, Senior Optical Engineer, Northrop Grumman. Douglas.Essex@ngc.com
In designing a small prototype instrument incorporating a very sensitive balance beam scale, I found myself in need of a non-contact display of the balance pointers. The scale sensitivity dictated that it be mounted in an enclosure to preclude wind currents, and that the image provide for an amplified signal to allow the user to take advantage of the accuracy of the scale. Due to other functionality in the instrument, it was also necessary to send the image to a location convenient to the user. Having no optical experience beyond basic physics, I sought someone with the expertise and experience I did not have and found Ray Williamson Consulting.
Working from basic sketches of the problem and parameters, Ray provided a turn-key solution complete with a dimensioned optical schematic, parts list, and sources for the parts. The parts list included options on some items with a cheaper alternative that would be worth trying. He also provided an explanation for what parts needed adjustability and in what axes, as well as a “how it works” explanation so I was better able to understand how I needed to incorporate his solution into the complete instrument. In short, a total package complete with a bit of education, and all at a very reasonable cost within budget.
The results actually surpassed my expectations, and it ‘worked the first time’. I strongly recommend his work.
—Brand Cole
Ray is a gifted technical problem solver with superlatively excellent social skills.
Ray is a skillful leader, supervisor and mentor.
Ray is as proficient as a master technician in the subtleties of high precision optical fabrication, thin film coating, and optical assembly.
Ray is as proficient as a senior engineer in the theory and analytics of precision optics.
Ray knows the business of optics like a CEO.
Ray designed and implemented the process controls and materiel and process documentation system for Laser Power Optics. This process control system was a principal reason for LPO's economic success between 1985 and 1993.
I had the good fortune to work with Ray on technical projects, when he was a process engineer at Spectra-Physics and later Engineering Manager at LPO, as well as on a more social basis as fellow members of a local chapter of the Optical Society of America.
Ray is both a creative engineer and a man of good character.
—Gene Cross, Optics Engineer, Senior Staff at Lockheed Martin, ATC
Ray has the special gift of being able to make complex issues – elegantly simple
Ray and I have worked together for over half a decade. His energy, enthusiasm for continuous learning and growth – at both the organizational and individual level – and gift of being able to make complex and demanding issues elegantly simple, makes him an extremely potent presence. Top this off with his likeable and highly engaging personality, and a smooth facilitative style of communicating and you have a consultant or coach clients should flock to.
I have always enjoyed working with Ray – his ability to crystallize complex issues into elegantly simple ones – extraordinarily important when trying to solve a problem – or prevent one from occurring in the first place – has amazed me since our very first meeting.
Although we talk about Servant Leadership a great deal – there are in fact too few leaders practicing this style. Ray, fortunately for those he works with – is one of these… Hands on, eminently practical, Ray gets things done – through people who genuinely enjoy working with him.
—Jeffrey S. Edwards, Alchemists Intl. Turning Lead Into Gold™
"I first worked with Ray over forty years ago at Spectra-Physics, then later at Coherent, and have been friends and co-consultants since then. I have always been impressed with Ray's positive approach to understanding problems and his unequaled techniques for resolution and prevention of future recurrences through education and attention-to-detail. He has unparalleled communication skills, in both directions, and is an excellent teacher to students of all levels. His documentation is complete, and easy to read and understand."
—Dan Rippere, retired, former coating manager at Spectra-Physics, Coherent, and CVI
"I've known Ray Williamson for about 35 years. He has worked as a manufacturing engineer for several major optical manufacturers, and is particularly experienced with the manufacture & testing of CO2 laser optics and specialty crystals used for polarization applications, solid state lasers, and telecommunication applications. Ray is extremely intelligent, resourceful, and has the patience and ability to teach what he knows. I find this particularly important to maintaining continuity and corporate knowledge within a manufacturing operation. He is definitely the first person I would call if I needed help solving an optical manufacturing and/or testing issue. In short, I would highly recommend him for anything he says he can do."
—Teddi von Der Ahe Optical Engineer / Sr. Quality Engineer, II-VI Inc.
"I found Ray very responsive and easy to work with, and he had a number of creative ideas to a degree rare in my experience."
—Roger Jungerman, Optical Engineer