Day in the Life: Senior Account Executive at CentralSquare, Wes Pogorzelski

It’s easy to view organizations like CentralSquare as a faceless entity, especially before you’ve had the pleasure of interacting with one of our employees. But unseen by customers and prospects, our people work hard to develop and curate solutions for the public sector.

Each staff member has a different background. Every employee has a unique reason for the passion that fuels their work. For some, it stems from past careers in public safety or administration. Others simply understand how their work positively impacts communities.

This is the fifth article in our “Day in the Life” blog series, where you get a glimpse behind the scenes. In each of these articles, we’ll highlight a single employee so you can learn more about the people and the passion that keep CentralSquare running.

Today, we’re excited to spotlight Senior Account Executive, Wes Pogorzelski. Keep reading to see our interview with Wes, and to learn about his dedication to innovative technology in local government.

Q: What’s your role at CentralSquare, and what brought you here?

“My goal was to pursue a career that bridges the gap between two fields. I’ve always had a passion for software engineering, which is what I studied. It just so happened that my first job involved applying that skillset in the world of local government. Over the past 25 years, I’ve gone from understanding the technology to truly grasping what municipalities are trying to deliver – and why. There’s a lot to learn and understand.”

“Today, as an Account Executive at CentralSquare, I get to bring those two worlds together (technology and local government) to help communities become smarter and more connected while reducing risks.”

Q: What are the top 3 challenges you see Canadian municipalities facing?

“There are many challenges facing Canadian municipalities, but there are three that frequently come up in my conversations.”

1.   Workforce Shortages and Talent Retention

“The human capital crisis is having a major impact on local governments’ ability to attract and retain skilled staff. This directly affects service delivery capacity. Many municipalities are no longer operating with the same levels of staff or tenure they once had.”

“In the software space, I often get asked how technology can help increase efficiency with the team they have today. The answer is through automation, better workflows and tools that reduce manual effort.”

2.   Affordability and Costs

“Affordability has become a deeply personal issue for residents, and costs are a growing pressure point for municipalities. The housing crisis, for example, affects both citizens and the municipalities trying to serve them.”

“I frequently hear questions about how solutions can help stretch limited budgets further. ‘How can we do more with less?’ is a common theme. With the right tech, municipalities can reduce costs, improve processes and optimize workflows like permit intake and approvals to expedite housing.”

3.   Digital Transformation and Cybersecurity

“There’s a growing demand for municipalities to digitize services, integrate systems and meet rising citizen expectations for access and transparency. At the same time, they are stewards of vast amounts of sensitive and mission-critical data, making them prime targets for cyberattacks.”

“A common concern I hear is that cybersecurity is becoming too complex for internal IT teams to manage alone. That’s where a cloud-first, connected approach can help. It offloads the infrastructure burden while improving security, integration and service delivery.”

Q: How do you see AI-technology impacting municipality operations?

“AI will be more transformative than the internet has been over the last 25 years. While the full impact is still unfolding (similar to how no one predicted the rise of the cloud, smartphones, and streaming), there are clear, immediate use cases today.”

Budget Optimization

“Local governments manage countless assets and services, making budgeting decisions complex. AI can analyze massive amounts of data – projects, objectives, asset conditions, etc.  – and help prioritize investments more accurately. This leads to more defensible, cost-effective and long-term budget strategies. Especially in asset management, where the potential for savings and improved service is huge.”

Service Delivery Automation

“AI can also transform customer service. Think of residents asking, “Why is my bill different this month?” Instead of requiring manual review, an AI agent can instantly respond based on payment plans, property changes or usage trends. This saves your staff time and improves citizen satisfaction. Soon enough, personalized, automated service will become the norm.”

Q: What industry trends are you excited about in the public administration and ERP space?

“For small- and mid-sized municipalities, one of the most exciting trends is the move toward affordable, cloud-based ERP systems that bring everything into one connected platform: finance, payroll, work orders, revenue, projects, land, budgeting, permitting, licensing, CRM, portals, etc. These systems used to be out of reach, but not anymore.”

Q: What are the biggest opportunities Canadian municipalities miss out on?

“It’s incremental tech improvements. These changes don’t require massive budgets, but they do take a willingness to rethink old processes. And that’s often the hardest part. But with just a few smart tweaks – like automating manual steps or connecting siloed data – municipalities can boost efficiency, reduce errors, improve service delivery and cut costs. It’s low cost, high reward…as long as you’re willing to shift how things are done.”

Take the Next Step

Stay tuned for more employee spotlights in our Day in the Life series. Until then, discover for yourself why employees like Wes have dedicated themselves to Canadian public admin software.

With CentralSquare, your agency can select the perfect solution for its needs. Built with public administrators in mind, CentralSquare offers comprehensive ERP and EAM solutions, as well as one-off solutions for utility billing, community development, and more. Schedule a discovery call today to learn how CentralSquare can help your agency do more with less.

Look back at past Day in the Life articles to learn about other employees who keep CentralSquare running. Get to know the product managers for your product suites (and what makes them tick).

• Joshua Nilson: Product Manager of Vertex NG911, ProSuite and CryWolf
• Robert Holt: Sr Product Manager for Public Administration
• John Coltrain: Sr Product Manager for Public Safety and Justice
• Brett Auriemma: Product Manager for Public Administration