Premier Labs Spotlight: Meet Joel

Joel Reed, President of Premier Labs, has spent his career at the crossroads of consulting, startups, and executive leadership — shaping the future of Pittsburgh’s robotics and technology ecosystem. He began his career at Ernst & Young, where he developed a foundation in process design and organizational strategy before transitioning into the startup world during the early days of Silicon Valley’s tech boom. From there, he helped launch and scale multiple technology ventures—guiding companies through growth, acquisition, and commercialization. 

His later work with Pittsburgh’s Innovation Works and leadership roles at robotics firms like Seegrid and IAM Robotics positioned him at the forefront of industrial innovation, connecting entrepreneurial thinking with practical, market-driven execution. 

And in true startup fashion, Joel’s introduction to Premier Labs began with an elevator pitch — literally. After wrapping up a meeting, one of the founders joined him for the ride down and described the vision for a new venture studio. “By the time we hit the street, I knew exactly what they were trying to do,” Joel recalled. “It really brought together everything I’d experienced in my career up to that point.” 

Building Premier Labs: Vision Meets Discipline 

That elevator ride didn’t just introduce Joel to Premier Labs — it connected decades of lessons into a shared vision for building companies differently. The concept of a venture studio mirrored his own belief that innovation works best when it’s customer-driven, validated and structured. 

For Premier Labs, innovation isn’t about chasing trends — it’s about solving meaningful industrial challenges. Every concept at Labs is evaluated through the lens of how it can improve efficiency, performance or safety for manufacturers. 

From his years working with early-stage companies, Joel had seen firsthand either not knowing the presumed customer well enough or the challenge of introducing technology that didn’t truly solve the right problem. “You can’t assume you know the solution,” he explained. “You have to embed yourself with your customer, understand their pain points, and build from there.” This seems to be a common thread with well know successful startups.  

This customer-first approach has become the foundation of Premier Labs’ model. Joel calls it structured entrepreneurship — or, as he and his team often say, “where vision meets discipline.” Every idea begins with a clearly defined industry challenge and advances only after passing milestones for feedback, validation, and measurable value. 

That same disciplined creativity drives the projects Premier Labs is leading today. The team is pursuing opportunities at the intersection of manufacturing and emerging technologies — from robotic grinding solutions that improve safety and efficiency, to AI tools that enhance maintenance and process reliability, to new approaches in industrial controls that simplify complex operations. Each initiative follows the same playbook: start with a real problem, test quickly, and scale only when the impact is clear. 

The newly established Premier Innovation Hub brings this model to life. Located in Westmoreland County, the Hub serves as a collaborative environment for engineers, innovators, and partners to accelerate industrial modernization. It’s more than a facility — it’s a proving ground where ideas evolve from concept to prototype, and where collaboration fuels progress across robotics, AI, and advanced engineering. 

By combining structured processes with creative exploration, Premier Labs is positioning itself — and Premier Automation — at the forefront of the next wave of industrial innovation. 

Labs and Premier Automation: A Shared Vision 

Premier Labs and Premier Automation share more than a name — they share a mission rooted in engineering excellence and practical innovation. As Joel explained, Premier Labs operates as a corporate venture studio within the Premier ecosystem, giving it both independence and an invaluable foundation. 

“With Premier Automation, we have instant credibility in the market,” he said. “We know the industries we serve. We have access to customers, deep technical expertise, and the ability to validate concepts faster than most startups ever could.” 

That connection gives Premier Labs a unique advantage. Startups often struggle to find customers, build trust, or access the equipment and expertise needed to prove their ideas. Through Premier Automation, Labs begins every project with the real-world context — and the relationships and resources — to move faster and smarter. 

But the collaboration isn’t one-directional. Premier Labs also strengthens Premier Automation from within — giving engineers a chance to expand their skills, explore cutting-edge technologies, and apply their expertise in new ways. “It’s a way to keep engineers engaged,” Joel said, “to give them opportunities to work on different, more innovative projects while staying within the Premier family.” 

That commitment to technical excellence is part of what makes Premier Automation so unique. As Joel often says, “Our engineers’ integration projects cannot fail. If things don’t work, steel plants can go dark, amusement rides stop running, or rockets literally fall in the sea.” It’s that level of accountability — and pride in doing things right — that makes Premier the ideal foundation for innovation. 

For Premier Automation, this connection helps strengthen its long-term mission — attracting and retaining top engineering talent, expanding the company’s innovation network, and ensuring that Premier continues to lead in a rapidly evolving industrial landscape. Together, the two organizations form a full spectrum of innovation: from proven engineering execution to the creation of entirely new ventures. 

Looking Ahead: Innovation, Industry, and Advice 

Having spent more than two decades at the intersection of robotics, AI, and industrial technology, Joel Reed has seen the full arc of innovation — from early experimentation to today’s wave of real-world adoption. 

“For years, robotics was in a state of discovery,” he said. “Now we’re seeing technologies that truly deliver on their promise — economically, reliably, and at scale.” 

Joel believes the next decade will bring not just more automation, but smarter collaboration between people and technology. “I don’t think it’s going to be fewer workers,” he explained. “It’s going to be better jobs — more fulfilling, higher quality, and built on collaboration between people and advanced technologies.” 

When asked what advice he’d give to emerging innovators and entrepreneurs, Joel’s response was simple: get close to your customers. “Go embed yourself with your customer,” he said. “Live their challenges, understand their world, and build from there. There’s no better way to change a system than to live it yourself. And that’s something we get to do every day through our partnership with Premier Automation.” 

For Joel, that mindset — relentlessly curious, but grounded and practical — is what will shape the future of Premier Labs and the industries it serves. It’s a mindset that mirrors Premier’s broader mission — advancing industry through innovation, engineering excellence, and lasting customer relationships.