Privacy Policy

Headwaters Automation is operated by Tom Faries Consulting LLC, a single-owner consulting business based in Portland, Oregon. Tom Faries is the sole owner and operator. This policy explains what information we collect when you use headwatersautomation.com, why we collect it, who else touches it, and how to get it removed. It is written in plain English on purpose. If anything here is unclear, email tom@headwatersautomation.com and we will explain or fix it.

What we collect

Contact form. When you fill out the contact form, we collect your name, email address, company name if you provide one, and the message you write. The form posts directly to Formspree, which forwards the submission to Tom by email.

Newsletter signup. When you subscribe to the newsletter, we collect your email address, first name, company if you provide one, and a source tag that records which page the signup came from. Subscriptions use double opt-in, so we only add you to the list after you click the confirmation link in the email we send you.

Booking a call. When you book a discovery call, the scheduling page is hosted by Cal.com. Cal.com collects whatever you enter on that page, typically your name, email address, and the meeting time you choose, and sends the booking to Tom's calendar.

AI intake agent. The voice and chat intake agent on the contact page is built on ElevenLabs ConvAI. If you start a conversation with the agent, ElevenLabs records and stores the transcript and any audio so we can review the conversation and follow up. The contact page tells you this before you start.

Server logs. The site is hosted by Vercel. Vercel keeps standard server logs for every request, which include IP address, browser user agent, and the page requested. These logs exist so the site stays up and so abuse can be investigated. We do not actively read them for any other reason.

How we use it

We use contact form submissions, booking details, and intake agent conversations for one thing: replying to you and figuring out whether we can help. If you become a client, we use the same information to run the engagement. We do not sell it, rent it, or share it with third parties for their marketing.

Newsletter signups go on the Headwaters newsletter list and receive an email when we publish a new essay. That is all the list is used for. Every email has an unsubscribe link in the footer.

Third-party processors

We use a small number of outside services to run the site. Each one sees only the data it needs to do its job. Their privacy policies cover what they do with that data on their end.

• Vercel Inc. hosts the site. Receives server log data for every request. Privacy policy.
• Porkbun LLC is our domain registrar and DNS provider. Does not see visitor data, but is on the path for any DNS lookup of headwatersautomation.com. Privacy policy.
• Formspree, Inc. processes contact form submissions. Receives name, email, company, and message. Privacy policy.
• Brevo (Sendinblue SAS) processes newsletter signups and sends the newsletter. Receives email, first name, company if provided, and source tag. Privacy policy.
• Cal.com, Inc. handles call scheduling. Receives whatever you enter on the booking page and your selected time. Privacy policy.
• ElevenLabs, Inc. powers the AI intake agent. Receives the audio and transcript of any conversation you start with the agent. Privacy policy.

We do not run Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Plausible, Vercel Analytics, or any other analytics tracker on the site. No advertising pixels. No third-party tracking scripts beyond the ones listed above that you interact with directly.

How long we keep it

Newsletter subscribers stay on the list until they unsubscribe. Unsubscribing removes you from the active list immediately.

Inquiries from the contact form, the intake agent, or booked calls are kept for up to 24 months so we can pick the conversation back up if you reach out again. If you become a client, we keep the related records for as long as the engagement runs, plus the period our accountant and tax laws require, typically seven years for financial records. If you ask us to delete your information sooner, we will, except where we are legally required to keep something.

Vercel server logs roll off on Vercel's standard retention schedule.

Your rights

No matter where you live, you can email tom@headwatersautomation.com and ask us to show you what we have, correct it, or delete it. We will reply within a reasonable time, usually a few business days. There is no form to fill out and no fee.

California residents (CCPA and CPRA). You have the right to know what categories of personal information we have collected about you, to request a copy, to ask us to delete it, to correct it, and to opt out of any sale or sharing of it. We do not sell or share personal information, so there is nothing to opt out of, but the right still applies. We will not treat you differently for exercising any of these rights.

EU and UK residents (GDPR and UK GDPR). You have the right to access, correct, delete, restrict, or port your personal data, and to object to processing. The legal basis for processing inquiries is our legitimate interest in responding to you and running the business. The legal basis for the newsletter is your consent, given when you confirm your double opt-in, and you can withdraw it any time by unsubscribing. If you believe we are mishandling your data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

Cookies

The Headwaters Automation site does not set its own cookies. We do not use a cookie banner because there is nothing to consent to on our side.

Third-party services embedded on the site may set their own cookies when you interact with them. The Brevo newsletter form and the ElevenLabs intake agent are the two places this can happen on our pages. The Cal.com booking page is a separate site and follows its own cookie rules. Each of those services discloses its cookies in the privacy policies linked above.

Children's privacy

Headwaters Automation is a business-to-business consultancy. The site is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect information from them. If you believe a child has submitted information through the site, email tom@headwatersautomation.com and we will delete it.

Changes to this policy

If we change this policy, we update the "Last updated" date at the top. Material changes get called out in the newsletter as well, so active subscribers see them. The current version is always the one posted here.

Contact

Privacy questions, requests, or corrections go to Tom directly at tom@headwatersautomation.com. The mailing entity is Tom Faries Consulting LLC, doing business as Headwaters Automation, Portland, Oregon, United States.