After several decades working at some of the biggest names in transportation engineering and traffic data analytics, Gary Carlin knows what it takes to succeed in the transportation technology space. Earlier this year, he joined Flow Labs and hasn’t looked back. We sat down with Gary to talk about what drew him to Flow Labs, what’s surprised him most since joining, and what’s next for the industry as Flow Labs heads into ITS California and 2026.

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Q: What made you decide to join Flow Labs?

Gary: A few years back, while I was working at another company, Jatish walked us through his vision for optimizing and retiming signals. At the time I remember telling my boss, “If he can actually do this, we should just buy his company.”

Fast forward a few years, I had a chance to reconnect with Flow Labs and they had improved on that vision in impressive ways. I did some tire-kicking and looked through their data validation reports and for a small company at that stage of their development, what they’d achieved was remarkable. They had multiple independent evaluations showing both extremely high data quality and strong Connected Vehicle (CV) penetration rates, plus they had beaten out much larger competitors on multiple contracts and that says a lot.

And Jatish himself really impressed me. He’s direct, driven, and absolutely clear that the goal is to be the best in the public sector market. That kind of leadership is rare and very refreshing in the ITS industry.

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Q: What about those validation reports really stood out to you?

Gary: Flow Labs already had more independent validation in two or three years than I’d seen in a decade elsewhere. That told me something. 

I remember being at a conference and an engineer who was using Flow Lab’s platform was telling the audience that he was getting up to a 40% CV penetration rate. And at that point, I knew what the industry metrics were. I was going to ask a question to basically call him out on it, but one of the guys I know from Iowa State did it for me. He said, “Are you guys claiming that you have a 40% penetration rate? Because that’s at least twice, if not six to eight times higher than everybody else. And to my surprise, the engineer was like, “yep.”

So, the fact that they had multiple independent evaluations that stated, A, the data was highly accurate, and B, the penetration rates were great; that to me was huge. Because when you’re in this business, data quality is the basis for everything.

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Q: Before joining, what was your perception of Flow Labs, and how has it changed now that you’re part of the team?

Gary: From the outside, I viewed Flow Labs as an up-and-coming competitor in the signal analytics space. I saw them as small but hungry and I’ve learned over my decades in this business, that hunger can be one of the greatest assets any company has.

What’s changed for me is realizing just how real their progress was. I didn’t realize until I got here how quickly they were gaining ground while others were distracted by massive data sourcing issues and trying to relabel products as “AI.” Flow Labs has always had a philosophy of securing multiple data sources from different vendors over their history, and when the “Wejo collapse” disrupted the entire industry, Flow Labs basically avoided the problems that slowed everyone else down. They were quietly building momentum.

Now that I’m here, I see just how fast the company operates. I’ve literally seen product updates happen between a Friday and a Monday. The pace is incredible, and the willingness to listen to both customers and employees is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. If a customer asks for something, leadership says, “Is there a need in the market?” and if it makes sense, it’s on the roadmap. That’s hugely refreshing and empowering.

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Q: How is Flow Labs different from other companies in this space?

Gary: What truly makes Flow Labs stand out is the combination of exceptional data quality, unmatched customer service, and a unique ability to integrate agency data directly into our platform. I don’t know of another company that ingests agency data feeds into its own system and tailors results to each agency’s needs. That integration drives a level of accuracy, flexibility, and responsiveness no one else can match. And together, these strengths create both a product and a partnership unlike anything else in the market.

Just take our real-time deployment with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) for example. We integrate our probe data with the agency’s signal data in our platform and send it back to them on a minute-by-minute basis. That’s basically a unicorn in this business.

Our customer service is fantastic and our responses to their requests are extremely fast. We’re always collecting their feedback to put new products into the roadmap. There's a conscious effort at Flow Labs to build things that are for engineers, by engineers. Everything we create is designed to fit naturally into their workflow without adding extra steps or complexity. The goal is to make their work easier, more efficient, and more cost-effective. We’re in a market with limited resources and people. If a DOT buys our platform, they’re not buying something else, so we have to deliver clear, accessible value. And we do that by listening closely, responding fast, and iterating constantly.

Our flexibility is another big differentiator. We’re the only company I know offering sub-one-year signal contracts, which is a huge deal for consultants.

And then of course there’s culture of constant innovation, and I can’t wait to talk about some of the things that we’ve got coming out in 2026.

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Q: Can you share an example of that customer responsiveness in action?

Gary: Sure. A consultant customer called with a last-minute request from an agency to perform an evaluation of a transit signal priority (TSP) installation across multiple intersections. Normally, getting that kind of data setup on specific time ranges, and to be able to do the evaluation the way he wanted to do it, would have taken at least a couple of months. We were able to turn it around in two or three weeks, and that’s not an exaggeration. He was extremely pleased.

That kind of speed just doesn’t happen at larger companies. I haven’t seen anyone else move that fast.

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Q: How does Flow Labs help consultants and engineering firms win work. Can you elaborate?

Gary: Absolutely. Once consultants start using the platform, they quickly see its value — it helps them move faster, lower project costs, and removes the potential for bias with third-party validation.

For example, we’ve sold hundreds of signal licenses through our consultant partners because they understand what the platform enables. When consultants can show clients real data insights, not just studies, it becomes a differentiator in winning proposals. It’s a win-win, literally, for them and for us.

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Q: What’s surprised you most about working here?

Gary: A few things. First, how small and efficient the team is — when I joined, there were fewer than 20 people. While we’ve continued to grow, the output we deliver compared to the size of the team is remarkable.

Second, how much opportunity there still is in the market, because the potential for growth with what we’re doing is massive.

And finally, the global nature of the team. We’ve got folks everywhere — the U.S., U.K., Philippines, Canada all collaborating seamlessly.

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Q: You’re leading the charge for Flow Labs at ITS California. What makes that event special for you?

Gary: I’m biased because I’m on the board, but ITS California is one of the best conferences in the country, easily on par with other national events. Over a thousand transportation leaders attend the event from across the country and the sessions deliver real value, not sales pitches.

California has always been a leader in transportation and it’s an incredible stage to showcase our innovation. We’ll be demonstrating current deployments like Florida DOT’s industry first AI-powered real-time traffic management platform and North Carolina DOT’s statewide deployment. That’s where the “seeing is believing” moment happens. For a company of our size to deploy and integrate data at this scale, on tight timelines and to exacting agency standards, is phenomenal.

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Q: What are you excited about for the future of Flow Labs and ITS as a whole?

Gary: For Flow Labs, we’re just getting started. We now have multiple mature products, and as we keep executing on the roadmap, the next two years are going to be huge. The growth will compound, and each product strengthens the others.

As for the industry, I think we’re about to see the real impact of AI — beyond the hype of companies trying to rebrand their existing products. AI, used correctly, will transform how we solve transportation problems. Combine that with richer connected-vehicle data as the existing fleet on our roadways modernizes, and the possibilities are huge. 

‍Q: Looking back on your career, how does this chapter at Flow Labs fit in?

Gary: Honestly, there was no grand master plan because I thought I’d retire as a consulting engineer. But joining Flow Labs has been the most fun I’ve had in years. We’re at that sweet spot where we haven’t figured out what we can’t do yet — and that’s a great place to be.

It’s exciting to be part of something that’s growing fast and actually making a difference.

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Want to see what Gary and the Flow Labs team are working on next?

Join us at ITS California, where we’ll be showcasing real-world deployments and the future of connected traffic intelligence. Click here for a meeting.

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