Landings

In this episode of Landings, Camille sits down with Nicholette Prill, Lead UX Designer at Viewrail, to talk about what it’s been like to stand up a UX practice inside a fast-moving manufacturing company in the Midwest. Nicholette shares how her background in development, QA, and information architecture led to her transition into UX—and how she’s shaping a flexible, research-informed UX process that serves both customers and internal teams at Viewrail.

Together, they reflect on the unique challenges and opportunities of doing UX work at a physical product company, the challenges and importance of getting stakeholder buy-in, and what it means to design end-to-end digital experiences that span marketing, sales, operations, and customer service. Nicholette also discusses her move from Chicago to St. Joseph, Michigan, and why the region’s creative energy and openness to experimentation make it an inspiring place to live do design work.

Key Topics Covered:

• What User Experience (UX) Design is
• Nicholette’s path from web development and QA testing to UX
• Establishing Viewrail’s flexible 5-stage UX process
• How UX activities reduce risk, improve adoption, and save development time
• Getting buy-in from stakeholders in a fast-moving company
• The future of UX at Viewrail, a leading manufacturer in northern Indiana
• Design and creative culture in the Midwest and what drew Nicholette, born and raised in Chicago, to St. Joseph, MI

Brought to you by:
Season One of Landings is sponsored by the University of Notre Dame’s Industry Labs—partnering with regional companies to realize a shared competitive advantage.

Production assistance by Wayfare Recording

Episode Links:

• Learn more about Viewrail
• Industry Labs at Notre Dame: industrylabs.nd.edu
• Learn more about Landings

In this episode of Landings, Camille Zyniewicz sits down with Kyle Klimek, Chief Digital Officer at Viewrail, to unpack his journey from engineering student to tech executive—and why he left the world of consulting to go deep with one company. Kyle shares about his South Bend roots, how a serendipitous introduction brought him to Viewrail, and what it’s like leading digital transformation at an innovative manufacturing company.

They explore:

• Why Kyle only considered companies where IT reports outside of finance
• The future of IT at Viewrail
• Introducing Agile methodology at Viewrail
• The exciting and practical ways AI is being integrated at Viewrail

Whether you're navigating the shift from consulting to in-house, curious about AI's impact on manufacturing, or just love a good “back to your hometown” story, this conversation will resonate.

Key Topics Discussed:

• Digital transformation in manufacturing
• Custom software vs. off-the-shelf tools
• Theory of Constraints (TOC)
• AI in quoting, blueprint analysis, software development, and UX workflows
• Stabilization of internal systems
• Midwest work culture and leadership values
• Consulting vs. in-house tech leadership

Brought to you by:
Season One of Landings is sponsored by the University of Notre Dame’s Industry Labs—partnering with regional companies to realize a shared competitive advantage.

Production assistance by Wayfare Recording

Episode Links:

• Learn more about Viewrail
• Industry Labs at Notre Dame: industrylabs.nd.edu
• Learn more about Landings

In this episode of Landings, host Camille Zyniewicz sits down with Trami [ge-MEE] Nguyen [WIN], a UX designer from Goshen, Indiana and 2024 graduate of Purdue University, to talk about growing up in a small Midwest city, navigating cultural identity, and launching a UX design career outside a big-city tech hub.

Trami reflects on how her Vietnamese-American upbringing shaped her values and ambition, her pivot from pre-med to UX design, and what it’s been like working at Viewrail—a Northern Indiana manufacturer actively building its UX practice.

Together, Camille and Trami discuss the realities of starting a design career in a small city, the excitement of shaping the future of UX at Viewrail, and their shared appreciation for the close-knit communities of the region they call home.

Key Topics Discussed:

• Growing up in Goshen and navigating Vietnamese-American identity
• Discovering UX design through Pinterest, school binder covers, and Reddit
• Why Trami chose Purdue’s UX Design program—and what made it special
• Her path to landing an internship and full-time role at Viewrail
• The challenges and opportunities of working at a company with low UX maturity
• The need for more UX community in smaller cities—and what that could look like
• Dreams of big-city living vs. the deep connections formed in small-city life
• The empathy and insight gained from growing up beyond tech-saturated spaces

Quote of the Episode:

“I never expected that I’d join a company that didn’t already have UX established… but it’s actually been such a cool learning experience to help build those processes from scratch.”

Brought to you by:
Season One of Landings is sponsored by the University of Notre Dame’s Industry Labs—partnering with regional companies to realize a shared competitive advantage.

Production assistance by Wayfare Recording

Episode Links:

• Learn more about Viewrail
• Industry Labs at Notre Dame: industrylabs.nd.edu
• Learn more about Landings

Camille Zyniewicz sits down with her colleague Caleb Morris, President of Viewrail, for a deep dive into the company’s history and rapid growth, the operational reinventions behind it, and the personal journey that brought him back to lead the family business.

Caleb reflects on how Viewrail evolved from a 55-person team in 2017 when he started out there, to nearly 400 employees and $100M+ in sales just five years later. That pace of growth, he says, required them to “reinvent the company every six months.”

They unpack the tension between innovation and efficiency, what it means to build resilience in a fast-growing company, and how Viewrail’s in-house approach—from manufacturing to marketing and IT—has shaped its culture.

You’ll hear how the company is exploring shifts from inbound-only sales to a boots-on-the-ground territory approach, how AI is being explored across departments, and what traits define a great Viewrail employee. Caleb also offers a personal reflection on growing up and  staying in Northern Indiana, the strength of local community, and how hometown roots can shape a global business.

Topics Covered:

• Reinventing company processes during periods of hypergrowth
• Building a resilient manufacturing ecosystem
• Balancing innovation vs. efficiency as a company matures
• The shift from inbound sales to localized territory teams
• AI use at Viewrail
• Hiring for grit, character, and adaptability
• The advantages of building a national brand from Goshen, Indiana
  
  

Listen to hear:

• Why Viewrail over-invested in marketing before it was common in their industry
• How doing things in-house created both agility and new challenges
• The “1% better every day” mindset driving process innovation
• What it’s like to grow up around a business and eventually leading it

Brought to you by:
Season One of Landings is sponsored by the University of Notre Dame’s Industry Labs—partnering with regional companies to realize a shared competitive advantage.

Production assistance by Wayfare Recording

Episode Links:

• Learn more about Viewrail
• Industry Labs at Notre Dame: industrylabs.nd.edu
• Learn more about Landings

Welcome to the very first episode of Landings! Camille Zyniewicz sits down with her colleague and friend Zachary Nelson, Chief Marketing Officer at Viewrail, for a deep dive into the winding career path, creative energy, and people-first culture that fuel his work—and Viewrail’s rapid growth.

Zac shares how he went from making backyard miniDV films and a video game called “Cardio Cat” to leading marketing at one of the most design-forward home product companies in the U.S. – headquartered in Goshen, Indiana. He opens up about what makes Viewrail a magnet for creatively driven talent, the real day-to-day life of a CMO, and why the team swears by duct-tape processes and $10K “small bets.”

In this episode, you’ll hear:
- Why Zac believes great marketing starts with making things for one person.
- What makes Viewrail’s company culture unique—and sometimes chaotic, but invigorating.
- The “Viewrail sabbatical” and what it says about employee engagement.
- How small creative ideas stack into big marketing wins.
- Why South Bend and the surrounding region might be the best-kept secret for creative individuals.
- If you've ever felt stuck in a job where your ideas don’t land—or you’re looking for a team that actually values innovation and iteration—this episode will give you an inside look at what it’s like to work at a company where process comes second and people come first.

Brought to you by:
Season One of Landings is sponsored by the University of Notre Dame’s Industry Labs—partnering with regional companies to realize a shared competitive advantage.

Production assistance by Wayfare Recording

Episode Links:

• Learn more about Viewrail
• Industry Labs at Notre Dame: industrylabs.nd.edu
• Learn more about Landings