2013 in Review

Hard to believe another year is over - what a year it’s been!  

Work

I started off the year by being presented the “Outstanding Services Innovator” award for 2012.  In 2014, I’ll reach 5 years of service at the SAVO Group - it’s been an amazing journey.  Other highlights:

• Launching CRM Opportunity Pro: My team created this at the tail end of 2012 into the Spring of 2013.  By mid summer, our Product team took it over and it was re-branded as a major SAVO product.  It was an incredible opportunity to work on a large cross-functional team effort.
• Trip to New York City: On a random summer Thursday I was told that I was needed for a 1 day meeting in NYC the following Monday.  Making the most of the situation (I’ve never been to New York!), I flew in Sunday morning and spent the entire day running around Manhattan trying to see as much as possible for basically 12 hours straight.  I surpassed 30,000 steps (14 miles) of walking that day (thanks Fitbit!), seeing Central Park, Twin Towers site, and the Statue of Liberty.  I barely scratched the surface and hope to go back again soon.
• Promotion to Senior Developer: In the Fall I was promoted to Senior Developer (from “Developer”), my second promotion in 4 years.  Continually amazed by the opportunities at SAVO!
• Leadership: Continued to leverage my passion for technology and development to complete goals, take on lots of extra projects and strengthen relationships with other teams.

In 2014, I’m looking forward to expanding my role in the business, my understanding of sales/marketing, and contributing/developing new products.

Personal Projects

I dedicated a significant portion of my free time to these in 2013, but I believe it paid off.  They were:

• Blogging/Marketing: My goal for 2011 was to write one post for month, which I didn’t reach.  In 2012 however, I wrote at least one post, sometimes two.  Through social media I extended my brand’s reach and met some new technical folks.
• Fitwatchr: I teamed up with David Lapekas of Universal D to create my first serious mobile app for iOS and Android: Fitwatchr, which does calorie/activity tracking for Fitbit users. There was (and still is) a ton of work involved.  I wrote the app using PhoneGap Build with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript skills and had to test against multiple platforms and devices.  We built a website, a blog, social media accounts and answer emails like a true product.  It’s been a hell of a ride - developing software that people love and get excited about is immensely rewarding. 

Life/Travel

My wife and I finally moved into the City in May, relocating from Oak Park to the South Loop in Chicago.  What followed was an incredible summer - walking to work, biking along the lake shore, going to festivals/breweries, and in general just getting outside more.  Chicago in the summer is amazing - I can’t wait for May to get here again!  In addition to NYC, we went on a great two part trip - first, to the Grand Canyon and Zion Natural Park, then to Las Vegas with friends.  It was the perfect vacation mix - hiking, exercise and relaxation at the beginning, ending with clubs, gambling, and partying.

Looking at 2014…

After a 2 week break from work for the holidays, I am ready to hit the ground running.  Here are some of my goals/plans:

• Getting more active: I continue to make health/lifestyle changes, cook more and exercise more.  Living in the city certainly makes this easier.
• Personal Projects: Fairly soon I’ll have accomplished what I set out to do with Fitwatchr, which means it’ll be time for a new project!  Since mobile devices continue to have massive popularity, it will most likely be another Android/iOS app.  We learned a lot from the Fitwatchr experience that will help us accelerate the development process.  My goal is to eventually have a few apps in the marketplace, generating a small side income for fun/more vacations.
• Travel: After a small but fun bit of traveling in 2012, I am already planning lots of trips of all sizes.  I’m looking into attending more software conferences (That Conference in the Dells FTW).  My wife and I are planning to visit a good friend in Colorado soon, then are looking into going to Nashville with friends (road trip!) in the summer.  We’ve enjoyed taking small trips as just the two of us - currently southern Illinois or maybe even Canada (why not?!) are in the running.  I have weddings in Chicago, Wisconsin and Minnesota to attend as well.

As you can see, I’m really looking forward to 2014.  How is your 2014 shaping up?