Gary Binstock and Steve Woodrough and have spent a combined 60 plus years solving the hardest problems in logistics and innovation. Now, they’re solving them with us.
Cloud 9 is proud to introduce two new additions to our team: Steve Woodrough and Gary Binstock, joining as Strategic Advisors. Together, they bring more than 60 years of combined experience in engineering, innovation, and supply chain leadership — and we couldn’t be more excited to have their expertise guiding us forward.
Steve’s career began with a strong technical foundation — a BS in Physics from the University of North Georgia and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech — before earning a US Army commission and completing the Ordnance Corps Officer Basic Course in Aberdeen, Maryland. From there, in 1988, he joined UPS R&D in Danbury, Connecticut, launching a 37-year career that would put him at the forefront of logistics innovation. His early UPS years placed him on a team working alongside engineers from Unimation, one of the pioneers of industrial robotics, where they developed a prototype robot capable of grasping and stacking packages inside a trailer — technology the industry is only now bringing to scale with automated in-trailer robotics. That early foundation carried through the rest of his career, as he went on to help lead the design, development, and deployment of automated parcel sorting equipment, oversee operational maintenance management, manage large-scale construction and infrastructure projects, and ensure environmental and regulatory compliance across operations. His hands-on innovation is reflected in the several patents he holds related to transportation logistics and parcel sortation equipment.
That decades-long view has shaped a clear-eyed perspective on automation. “This stuff is hard,” Steve says. “If it could have been built, scaled, deployed, and maintained, it would have already been done.” He compares large companies to ships with tiny rudders — enormous momentum, but difficult to redirect quickly, especially when leadership wants a sure thing that shows fast, measurable results without risking reputation on unproven solutions. It’s a mindset that shapes how Steve approaches every new engagement. “My definition of a consultant is a person paid twice as much to tell you what the people who make half as much already know,” he says. His method starts with taking the time to actually “go look” — understanding the existing process, paying close attention to the second-order and intangible details, and interviewing and observing not just first shift, but second and third as well. “Things are rarely as straightforward and as simple as they may first appear.” For companies scaling their parcel or supply chain operations, Steve’s advice is equally direct –
“Don’t let good enough be the enemy of perfection, and it’s likely going to take longer and be more expensive than initially planned. Hold folks accountable for a result, but look for a way to say yes.” – Steve Woodrough
Gary brings a complementary wealth of experience in innovation, engineering, and supply chain leadership, including his tenure as Senior Director of Innovation, Engineering and Sustainability Technology at Colgate-Palmolive, where he led global accelerator partnerships and drove new product and manufacturing advancements. From launching Colgate’s first connected product to scouting emerging technology across supply chains, Gary has spent his career bridging the physical and digital worlds — the same challenge our organization is built to solve. Earlier in his career, he built and led Colgate’s global supply chain innovation efforts and co-founded the company’s Project Management Office, developing the methodology still used across the organization today.
Gary’s perspective on technology adoption is grounded in the same hard-won practicality as Steve’s. On the temptation to treat AI as a plug-and-play fix, he’s direct: “Purchasing and deploying AI, and in particular ‘off the shelf’ systems, will likely not result in the operational results expected. It is critical to consider the underlying integrity and reliability of the data from which the models are trained and developed.
“Employees can make or break a successful system. They need to trust the reliability of the results and see real value, or it will likely be rejected.” –Gary Binstock
When advising on a new challenge, Gary starts by asking the fundamentals: “What exactly are we trying to improve, and what metrics can we measure to determine the real business impact of any potential technology solution? What are the fundamental root causes of the problem we are trying to solve, and are there adequate resources to both implement and maintain any potential solutions?” And on scaling supply chain operations, he points to a common failure point: “It will be critical to have standardized processes that can be scaled without adding more complexity…Frequently, smaller businesses rely on a handful of experienced people to deal with issues and exceptions, and this will break down quickly as the supply chain grows – before scaling, it is important to have consistent metrics and clear visibility across the supply chain.”
Since retiring from UPS in 2025, Steve has stayed connected to engineering and mentorship, attending classes and mentoring students at Georgia Tech. Outside of work, he enjoys golf and building and flying model aircraft. Gary, meanwhile, continues to advise startups and venture-backed companies across sustainability, IoT, and manufacturing through his own consultancy — work that has sharpened the same instinct for bridging emerging technology with real operational results. We’re thrilled to have both Steve’s and Gary’s decades of experience, hands-on leadership, and hard-earned perspective guiding our strategy, and we can’t wait to see the impact they’ll make with our team.