WHO WE ARE
Founded in 2010, Motivo was inspired by the philosophy of race car engineering teams that often work on custom cars end to end. By applying the same vertically integrated mindset to other domains of innovation engineering, Motivo pioneered the concept of agile for hardware, bringing depth and breadth to every project.
Our team has been carefully selected for extremely diverse skills, a penchant for problem solving, and world-class heart. We do not like the word “impossible.” We begin each day by challenging traditional thinking and pushing boundaries.
OUR LEADERSHIP
Allen Goad
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Allen’s passion for championing growth in complex, high-performance companies has led to 25 years of experience leading high profile public and private organizations in the aerospace, defense, advanced robotics, service, and industrial markets. Allen enjoys time with his family, 4x4 off-roading, riding motorcycles, and building, driving, and racing high performance cars.
Michael Konig
Chief Business Officer (CBO)
Michael brings 20 years of diverse
experience, from engineering to race car
development to fine dining management.
His focus is growing the business model
with a vigilant eye on Motivo's North Star:
client success. Outside of work, you may
find him riding motorcycles, sleuthing car
auctions, or traversing his yard at top
speed in his tractor.
Even Garcia
Fabrication Manager
Even started his career in mobility product development, working on everything from custom electric bikes to suspension systems. As Fabrication Manager, he now mentors our team in advanced machining and rapid prototyping, ensuring complex systems are flawlessly integrated and debugged. His personal interests derive from his work; in his time off, he’s usually tinkering, working on cars, or fishing.
Damon Pipenberg
Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
Damon guides Motivo's product development teams as a senior technical advisor. He is passionate about making development of novel products possible by leveraging the latest technologies. He relishes the outdoors through mountain biking and skiing and personal projects including home audio, CNC machining, and working on an older Subaru.
Manny Ochoa
Electrical & Software Engineering Manager
Manny specializes in systems engineering, robotic automation, and software development. With a strong R&D background, he’s passionate about commercializing emerging technologies and has led teams from concept to prototype. Outside work, he stays current with tech trends, explores small towns, and enjoys coffee and culinary experimentation.
Nehal Shahin
Director of Operational Excellence
Nehal oversees Admin, IT, and Facilities with a focus on efficiency, collaboration, and team experience. Drawing on 20 years of experience across eight industries, she excels at connecting dots and building consensus within multi-stakeholder environments. Nehal’s pleasures include perusing podcasts, experiencing eateries, traversing terrains, harvesting harmonies, and admiring alliteration.
Chris Dunham
Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO)
Chris fosters Motivo’s diverse engineering culture by drawing on over a decade of people-focused leadership. He specializes in organizational structure, recruiting strategy, and HR best practices to support our managers, PhDs, and tinkerers. An avid learner and dreamer, Chris and his wife hope to pass those same inquisitive qualities on to their three young sons.
Julius Klein
Mechanical Engineering Manager
Julius specializes in Mechanism Design, Robotics, and Control Systems, with a research background in nonlinear control and motor learning. He pairs this theoretical expertise with a mastery of CAD/CAM modeling in SolidWorks and a deep understanding of fabrication processes. Outside of engineering, Julius is likely surfing, hiking, mountain biking, or skiing.
Christian Dommell
Product Director
Christian has spent 15+ years helping companies innovate, from designing giant space-based solar arrays to running large R&D projects to partnering with startups at a corporate Venture Capital fund. He brings all of that experience to Motivo to ensure client success. Outside of that, he’s generally sharing his love of STEM, the outdoors, and random pop culture with his kids and the broader community.
OUR CLIENTS LOVE US
BECAUSE WE ARE...
Ridiculously Fast
Our mission is to deliver better products, faster. Motivo is vertically integrated with highly skilled designers, electrical, mechanical and software engineers, and fabricators working together in tightly knit teams under the same roof - resulting in development timelines that are often 3x faster than other product development companies.
Diversely Skilled
Our team has been carefully selected to bring extremely diverse skills to each project, allowing us to bring depth and breadth to each challenge. We brainstorm, architect, design, engineer, wire, code, print, sew, weld, machine, assemble, and test the first prototype and support the transition to full-volume production.
Constantly Creative
We don't like the word "impossible." We begin each day by challenging traditional thinking and pushing the boundaries of what's possible. We look at things differently, embracing the unconventional and bringing creativity to every single phase of the product development cycle.