About
Justin Holman is CEO of Aftermarket Analytics, a web technology company specializing in advanced decision analytics for the Automotive Aftermarket. He also teaches Statistics in the Hasan School of Business at Colorado State University – Pueblo. Previously he worked as Chief Operating Officer at BioMedware where he led research projects for the National Cancer Institute, Managing Consultant at MapInfo where he devised real estate strategies for The Home Depot, Darden Restaurants and other retailers, Vice President of Software Development at LogicTools, now part of IBM’s Supply Chain Application group, and Research Scientist at the US Geological Survey where he analyzed the relationship between climate and wildfire in the Western US. He has been an invited speaker at industry conferences, a contributor to federally funded research grants and academic publications, a marathon finisher, and a college tennis player. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and Mathematics from Claremont McKenna College, a PhD in Geography from the University of Oregon and an Executive Management Certificate from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
Justin lives in sunny Pueblo, Colorado with his wife and 3 children.
Connect with Justin on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook.
15 Comments
[…] About […]
Hi Mr. Holman
I’m so impressed at your research. I’ve never been to Pueblo (born and raised and a lifetime resident of California), but I’ve been researching Pueblo as part of my genealogy research. In 1889, my great-great grandfather moved to Pueblo, where he made a living as a professional gambler and dealer for The Mint Saloon. His daughter (my great-grandma) and her husband (my great-grandpa, who worked as a “property man” for the Earl Theater and before that as a “stage man” for the Grand Opera House) met and married in Pueblo. My grandmother and all her siblings was born in Pueblo in the early 1900s (the home address was 132 S. Mechanic, which doesn’t seem to exist). They lived near my great-grandfather’s father, whose address was 104 S. Mechanic, which also doesn’t exist as far as I can tell. I’m trying to figure out the locations or learn more about where my ancestors lived and worked. For example, what happened to “South Mechanic Avenue”? Any info on The Mint Saloon or Earl Theater? Or any other interesting bits? I’d be so interested to learn more, if you happen to know the answers to these questions. I sincerely thank you.
Hi Maryann,
Thanks for the note. If you haven’t already, you should connect with the Bessemer Historical Society. They have a Records and Genealogy department that may be able to assist you: http://www.steelworks.us/index.php/archives-2/employment-records-and-genealogy/
Best wishes,
Justin
[…] Justin […]
[…] About […]
Hi Dr. Holman,
I’m not sure if you remember me, but I took roughly three of your courses in college. You were one of the best professors I’ve had while I was in Pueblo. I meant to email you/get in contact with you for about a year now. I just wanted to thank you. Thank you for the way that you teach and thank you for caring.
After graduating with a degree in economics and finance, I landed a job in Denver at Promontory Risk Review. We deal with compliance and I am now an anti money laundering analyst.
Your geography course was one of the most helpful courses I have ever taken. I still use what I learned in that class on a daily basis.
I have now been at PRR for over a year and a half. I think all of my professors helped me get to this point, but I think your help was the most impactful.
Thank you for doing what you do.
Missy Braun
Dear Missy,
Thank you so much for these kind words. All teachers hope to have this sort of impact on students and I’m grateful to you for taking the time to let me know. You made my day! 🙂
Best wishes,
Justin
Hi Dr. Holman,
I am a master student at OSU and I am currently collecting CVs to analyze for a course called Professionalization. I major in geography and I am quite interested in your experiences. I am wondering if you could send me you CV, which would help me a lot. I promise not to divulge your personal information or use your CV for other purposes. I would appreciate your help.
Best,
Yuxiao
Sent to your osu.edu email. Best, Justin
Hello Justin. Your post is truly inspiring. I have a question regarding my future career choices and it would be very helpful if you, as a professional, could guide me. I currently hold an MSc in Environmental Change and International Development and during the course of my degree I had a few sessions on GIS that I really enjoyed, which made me think about doing another MSc in Applied GIS that is offered at my university. The link to the course is here : https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/usp/taughtpg/courses/appliedgis . Could you perhaps take a look at the course structure and give me your honest opinion whether this course will enable me to pursue a career in spatial analysis? and whether it is worth it for me to undertake another master’s? All the best 🙂
Hi Michael,
I’m sure the applied GIS master’s is good but I don’t recommend a 2nd Master’s degree. Try to develop the skills on your own. Lots of excellent web resources out there. Better yet, find a job where you can learn and apply the skills you want to develop. Be willing to sacrifice salary for experience/knowledge.
Best wishes,
Justin
Hello Justin,
I am young adult (20s) considering taking a temporary job position just south of Pueblo, I was wondering if you could give me any guidance of a good place to live short term (about a year).
Thanks,
Paige
Hi Paige,
The rental market is relatively tight but you shouldn’t have too much trouble finding a 1-year lease. There are plenty of options on the south end of Pueblo if you want to be close to work. You might also consider Colorado City or Rye, though these smaller towns may feel pretty isolating for a young person. If it were me, I’d try to find a place in the Mesa Junction neighborhood (look at the grid from Abriendo to Adams and Lincoln to Lake). There you’d be more likely to find some other young people, good places to eat/shop and close proximity to downtown/Union/Riverwalk. Hope this helps. Good luck!
Best wishes,
Justin
Hello Justin,
I stumbled upon your articles about GIS and Geography masters programs ratings. I wanted to ask your opinion on the current climate of learning online with most programs switching to online learning. I know that you haven’t written about these programs in a few years, but if you have any insight I would very much appreciate it. I was accepted to UW-Madisons online program, Maryland-College Park, and CSU Long Beach, for GIS. My long term plan after finishing a masters in GIS, is to eventually work on another masters studying transportation planning and urban planning. I am splitting the two degrees so that I don’t saturate my learning by doing the masters in urban planning with a concentration in GIS now.
Best regards,
Itai
Hi Itai,
If it were me, and assuming no major differences in tuition, I would definitely choose Wisconsin. They have a nearly unrivaled history as one of the best departments in the world for geography in general and cartography in particular. I’ve heard pretty good things about CSU Long Beach so if you live in SoCal it might might be a good option too. Maryland is a world class University with an outstanding Geography program so hard to go wrong there and may be good for connecting you to the many, many GIS related careers in the greater DC metro area. Your long term plan sounds ambitious but perhaps overly reliant on graduate training. I think you’d be better off pursuing just one Master’s degree. Assuming each Master’s would take 2 years, I would opt for 2 years as a grad student and 2 years of professional work experience versus 4 years as a grad student. Another option would be to go for a dual/double Master’s which you should be able to complete in 3 years. This would likely require a traditional, residential program where you’d learn a lot more if you have a good thesis advisor. Hope this helps.
Best wishes,
Justin