I took a few minutes this morning to catch up with Ken Harris, one of our new BI Solution Developers:
Career cliff notes?
I've had a long IT career starting back when I was 19 years old working as a programmer for a small local bank. That was (mumble-mumble) years ago. I have been a developer, analyst, project manager, designer and instructor (corporate training as well as local business college) among other things - most of the time spent as a contractor. I've spent the last 16 years in data warehousing and business intelligence in one form or another. I love this niche of IT!
What attracted you to MITS?
After working for large regional and national Seattle-based companies, I missed the energy, agility and direct customer impact that a small company has - and I love BI. MITS is a small, established but dynamic company with big potential. For as long as it has been around, there is still a strong entrepreneurial feel to the company - I felt that even in the interviews. I wanted to be a part of that. I can apply my experience here - and yet there is so much to learn. It’s a win-win!
What three things are you excited to accomplish at MITS in the next year?
- Learning everything I can about MITS in time for MITS Exchange 2015!
- Helping the technical team scale the MITS product suite for new cubes and new ERP's. I'm going to count that as two!
What three words would your colleagues use to describe you?
- Smart - I learn quickly. And at MITS, I HAVE to!
- Many would say I have a witty sense of humor. Some of my close friends might say that's only half true.
- A positive team player. I tend to be an optimist and I love working with a team to achieve big goals.
What are you passionate about?
In addition to the usual "family, friends, God and country", I'll add:
- Learning! I've always got several books going at any given time - and often more coming in the mail: business, entrepreneurialism, leadership, technology… I love learning and applying what I learn.
- Music: I sing and play guitar in a couple bands with my local church
- Business: it may seem odd, but I find small business engrossing. My wife and I owned a Subway Sandwich shop for several years. We learned a LOT!
Favorite food?
Thai and Indian - hot!
Favorite vacation spot?
Sadly, I don't vacation enough… So I'm going to pick the main one that's on my bucket list: Bora Bora. I WILL GET THERE! In the mean time, I do live out in the woods on an island, so there's at least that!