🏢 Robo — Meeting Prep & Decision Tool

Engagement type undecided by design — walk in ready to steer either way · robo.us · Wixom, MI
Resolved 2026-06-02 — Company is Robo (robo.us), a connected / specialty-vehicle integration firm in Wixom, MI (the RobCo industrial-robotics framing is ruled out). Contact is Dominique Parolin = "Dom" — one person, Seattle-based, visits Wixom — and he's Robo's CTO & Principal Architect (you're meeting the technical chief, expect depth). Still SAM-FILL: your target numbers (salary / rate) and the meeting date — see Open Items at the bottom.
1 · Company overview — what Robo does

Robo is a vehicle-systems integration firm, not an industrial-robotics company. They connect physical vehicles to digital experiences — exactly the EV/connected-vehicle space Sam comes from.

The one-liner

Robo calls itself "The Integration Partner for the Specialty Vehicle Industry" — branding around "Engineering the Connected Future" and "Stop guessing. Start shipping." Their pitch is a "Third Way": get connected-vehicle features to market fast while the client keeps 100% IP ownership (vs. building it all in-house or buying a locked off-the-shelf platform).

What they actually build

How they engage (their own process)

Four service lines — Product Innovation, System Integration, Embedded Software, Testing & Certification — run through a 3-phase model: Identify → Validate → Launch, often kicked off with a paid 2-day workshop ("Product Identification" or "Product Kickstarter"). Note: this scoped, project-shaped model is friendly to a contract engagement — see §3.

Markets & named work CLIENT SCOPE VERIFIED 2026-06-02

Recent signals

Sources: robo.us · robo.us/our-services · robo.us/our-work · robo.us/contact · LinkedIn /company/we-are-robo · Work Truck Week 2026 · PRNewswire — Winnebago Connect (May 2025) · Winnebago Connect · Robo Retail org chart (The Org) · AutoTech 2026 — Marc Fecker. Verified 2026-06-02: Winnebago/Lincoln/Roush (primary press + Robo case studies), CEO Marc Fecker + CTO Dominique Parolin (multiple profiles + The Org). Still unconfirmed: founding year, and the Polaris/Hyundai client links.

2 · Role fit — Sam → Robo

The headline: Sam is a vehicle-systems engineer who also ships software. That combination is unusually well-matched to a company whose whole value prop is bridging vehicle electrical/CAN to cloud + apps.

Direct hits against Robo's stack

What Robo needsWhat Sam brings
CAN bus architecture, ECU consolidation, harness, vehicle electrical10+ yrs GM HV-battery / EV-systems engineering & calibration — production CAN/EV systems work
Instrumented, connected vehicles (telemetry on a real vehicle)EcoCAR2 — 1st place: literally instrumented / connected-vehicle build & integration
Embedded + calibration disciplineGM calibration background; comfortable at the firmware/hardware boundary
Full-stack software, cloud, mobile/PWA, dataBuilt the Same Solutions PWA solo — auth, data model, offline/service-worker, Firebase, the whole operational stack — using modern AI tooling
Structured product process (Identify→Validate→Launch)GM DFSS Blackbelt + SAFe 5 — disciplined, validated, agile delivery
Breadth across specialty/powersports/RV vehicle typesHands-on across boats, outboards, Jeep HVAC, trailers, automotive — fluent across vehicle classes, not just one OEM lane

Credentials

The differentiator to foreground

Most vehicle engineers stop at the electrical/CAN layer; most software people don't understand the vehicle. Sam does both — and has proof he ships the software half independently (the PWA). For a data/connectivity company selling "full-stack vehicle integration," that's the rare profile. Lead with: "I'm a GM EV/CAN systems engineer who also built and runs a production software stack — I cover the exact bridge you sell."

3 · Dual-path decision framework — decide live

You're deciding in the room, based on what Dom is offering. Know both paths cold so you can steer toward whichever fits what they put on the table.

Path A — W-2 employee (work FOR Robo)

  • + Salary, benefits, 401k, stability — closes the 401k-bridge pulls.
  • + Inside a connected-vehicle team; less admin overhead.
  • + Simplest if they're clearly hiring headcount.
  • − Same Solutions LLC becomes secondary / a side concern.
  • − Less control over time; IP/non-compete terms to read.
  • − Caps upside at the salary band.

Path B — Contract via Same Solutions LLC (work WITH Robo)

  • + Keeps the business engine running; Robo becomes an anchor client.
  • + Potentially higher effective rate; bill the value, not the hour.
  • + Sam controls time & can keep other work.
  • + Sam & CeCe are already set up for self-employment tax handling.
  • − Carries own benefits + taxes; income lumpier.
  • − Needs a defined scope/SOW to anchor on.

Quick tradeoff read

DimensionPath A (W-2)Path B (Contract)
StabilityHighLower / self-managed
UpsideCapped at bandHigher if utilized
BenefitsRobo providesSam carries (already set up)
Time controlRobo's scheduleSam's
Same Solutions LLCSecondaryStays primary engine
Best when Dom is offering…a role / a seat on the teama project / a problem to solve

My numbers — know these before you walk in

Path A — target base salary: __________ (floor: ______ · reach: ______) — SAM-FILL
Path B — target rate: $______/hr or $______ / project · minimum acceptable: ______ — SAM-FILL

Rate-of-thumb only (not a number to state): a contract rate near annual-salary ÷ 1,000 roughly replaces a salary once benefits + employer taxes + utilization gaps are covered — your real figure is SAM-FILL. Don't anchor first if you can avoid it; let Dom put the shape on the table, then place your number.

4 · Meeting tells — which way is Dom leaning?

Read the room in the first 10 minutes, then steer. Listen for these.

🧭 HIRE signals → he's thinking employee (Path A)
  • Talks headcount, the team, who you'd report to, org structure.
  • Mentions benefits, onboarding, start date, "join us," full-time.
  • Frames it as a role/seat rather than a deliverable.
Steer: emphasize commitment, availability, culture/team fit, and that you're local to Wixom. Show the EV/CAN depth + the PWA as proof you'll deliver day one.
🧭 CONTRACT signals → room to frame as Same Solutions work (Path B)
  • Talks a specific project, deliverable, or problem to solve; a timeline / scope / milestone.
  • Language like "help us with," "we need someone to build X," statement of work, phase (their own Identify→Validate→Launch model).
  • Uncertain on headcount/budget for a full hire but has a concrete need.
Steer: name the deliverable back to him, propose a scoped first phase, and position Same Solutions LLC as the vehicle — "I can take that on through my company." The PWA proves you ship independently.

If it's ambiguous: ask the engagement-type question directly (§5) once you've heard the need — that single question usually resolves which path is real.

5 · Questions to ask Dom

These work for either path and gather what you need to decide live.

6 · Contact & referral path
WhoDetail
Dominique Parolin ("Dom")CTO & Principal Architect at Robo (Robo Retail, LLC) — confirmed (The Org / ZoomInfo / LinkedIn), in role since Aug 2022. Seattle-based, visits Wixom as needed; one person. This matters: you're meeting the technical chief, not a recruiter — expect a depth conversation, and the engagement decision likely runs through him. Lead with the EV/CAN + ships-software substance.
John LubigNeighbor; his company is InfoServices. May have already submitted Sam to Robo. The warm route in.

Status

7 · Open items / SAM-FILL
Path A target salary (floor / reach) — SAM-FILL
Path B target rate ($/hr or $/project; minimum) — SAM-FILL
Meeting date / time — SAM-FILL once set

Verified 2026-06-02 ✓

Still unconfirmed (kept flagged)

Robo meeting-prep + decision tool · Same Solutions substrate · built 2026-06-02 from company-research-template.html. Sam's private career page (his own data). Company facts cited inline; items marked verify are not yet from a primary source. Target numbers are SAM-FILL — never invented here.