Akoan is a statement, question or phrase in Zen study designed to get a student to stop, contemplate, and hopefully progress and deepen his or her practice. “You don’t know what you don’t know” is more than a tricky catchphrase thrown out by Jeffrey Diehm and Brian Ruether, co-founders of Avonix Imaging (Plymouth, MN). It’s the foundation of their business life and how they approach their customers’ concerns.

“Let me paint the picture,” Diehm begins. “In the contract inspection world, X-ray computed tomography (X-ray CT) is a largely untapped technology. The pool of people uneducated to the advantages of X-ray CT is orders of magnitude bigger than the educated. And among the educated, those exposed to X-ray CT or even industrial CT operators themselves, a significant percentage are operating blind, unable to see or make use of the full potential in front of them because of a lack of training or a thorough understanding of the technology. Truly you don’t know what you don’t know.”