Q: JD, welcome to the Treehouse Technology Group team! We’re thrilled to have you on board. To introduce you to our readers, could you give a little background on yourself?
A: Sure! I grew up in North Central Massachusetts and after high school attended Boston University, where I graduated summa cum laude in Political Science and History. I was also a drum major of the marching band at BU and I worked as a lead technician at the Tsai Performance Center.
After college, I spent three months at an e-recycling startup, where I was their first sales rep in the Boston area and opened that market for them. I next moved on to a small bank where I was part of the sales and operations team for a de novo branch. I helped grow the branch to $40 million within 18 months. Also, I helped to develop new products and did both B2B and B2C sales.
For the past four years, I was the Program Manager then Operations Director at AndPlus, a custom software shop focused on complex web applications, mobile applications, and hardware integration. At AndPlus I managed the entire open portfolio, process improvement, strategy, and general operations. Scaled process and operations as the company grew rapidly over 4 years.
Outside of work, I was involved with Massachusetts Boys’ and Girls’ State program – a government and civics program for high school seniors. Also I am an active Freemason – was Master (essentially president) of Boston University Lodge in Boston, now joining another lodge here in Seattle.
I currently live in Seattle with my fiance, Erin (getting married in August) and cat, Otto.
Q: What initially drew you to Treehouse Technology Group?
A: A recruiter I was working with told me all about the firm and how strong the culture was, and how the firm was at a stage that I’d fit in perfectly with. Meeting with Darton, Phil, and Chad, I really seemed to “click” with them on a personal and professional level, and the firm’s focus and rapid growth was exciting to me. The chance to work at a place focused on both big data and emerging tech like blockchain was also really exciting.
Q: Now that you’ve been with the team for a few months, what’s been you favorite part of the job so far?
A: We have an amazing team of people here from bottom to top. Working with everyone at Treehouse from the tech team to the consulting team and sales/marketing is just a joy. I look forward to coming into work every day.
I also love the clients and companies we work with here at Treehouse. We work with a huge variety of industries – from healthcare to breweries – and no two days are the same here. This allows us to leverage the work we do across industries to make the software we build even better — lessons we learn on one project often apply to other projects in different industries. Our cross-cutting experience allows us to make strong recommendations for all of our clients.
Q: What are you most looking forward to over the next year at Treehouse Technology Group?
A: I’m really looking forward to using my experience in scaling operations and processes to build a better client experience here at Treehouse. I want to create a scalable process here that will grow with us and give our customers the best experience possible when they work with us so that they feel good about coming back every time.
I am also looking forward to working with all of our clients – new and old – to help build awesome software products and systems that better use the data that they have to generate crucial insights and important analysis
Finally, I’m really excited to keep growing our team and our skill sets to bring even more services to our clients.
Q: If you could have a song play every time you enter a room, what would it be?
A: Hmm, this is a tough one. I think it’s between the Maynard Ferguson version of “Chameleon” or “My Type” by Saint Motel.