This is the fifteenth post in my blog series in which I will feature people I know from the community: Salesforce employees, MVPs, User Group Leaders, Partners, and honestly, anyone who I’m connected with who is willing to share with me the answers to five simple questions. I hoping that this blog series will help everyone out in the community get better connected to others who are either like them, can help them, are nothing like them, can’t help them, or are simply people they haven’t met yet! After all, a stranger is simply a friend you don’t know yet.

For me, one of the greatest strengths of the Salesforce Ecosystem is its people and the connections that are shared.

So, if you are brave enough, even if you’ve never met me in person, fill out this form and I’ll feature you in an upcoming post. (In case I have confused anyone, the questions on the form about our relationship refers to you, the reader, and me, the author, Eric Dreshfield, and not the featured person in this post.)  Just beware, by completing the form, you are giving me permission to use that information in a future post, as well as allowing me to interject some of my own thoughts into your responses!

And now I introduce Salesforce MVP & the 5X Salesforce Certified Leader of the Charlotte (North Carolina) Salesforce User Group, Kelly Bentubo.

What’s your job title? Salesforce Administrator, BlackArch Partners.

What does that mean you do? Anything and everything you’d expect from an Admin and Declarative Developer! I handle data imports, optimize page layouts, marketing messaging, and increasing efficiency through formulas and process builder automation. I’m currently working through some Visualforce enhancements and testing some Apex triggers (thank you Trailhead!) (EFD – Another shoutout to Trailhead! If you didn’t see my post introducing Chris Duarte, check it out. She’s the reason Trailhead is so awesome!)

How long have you been involved with Salesforce.com (as a customer and/or an employee)? I’ve been a Salesforce Administrator since 2007. (EFD – That just about puts you at the “mid-life” crisis time period…in Salesforce Years.  Just kidding!  With the speed at which Salesforce evolves, there isn’t time for a mid-life crisis!)

Bacon or sausage?  Can’t I have both?  Don’t make me decide!

What’s more important: Who you know, or what you know?  Although I think it’s important to build credibility with what you know, I think Salesforce is ever so quickly changing and it’s even more important to share who you know.  I think all of us struggle to keep up with the latest and greatest, often times struggling to fit in cert maintenance at the final hour!  It’s a great feeling to be able to connect resources in our community when someone asks a question on a product/service that you’ve never used before.  I’ve learned a lot through those connections and it’s led me to innovation that I may not have thought up without that initial connection trigger! (EFD – Connection trigger – love that expression. I wonder how many connection triggers will be written as a result of this post.)

How did our relationship start, and when? I first connected with Eric in Success Community years ago, did a DF13 session together on Community and then dropped some sic beats during the Awesome People Party and AppBash during DF14! (EFD – I think we first got connected as a result of us both leading user groups, and I’m thinking we first met in person at a User Group Leader function at DF11.  What’s the Awesome People Party?  Check out the full, hour-long, recording here.  If you are really only interested in the “sic beats” from the legendary group App X Chainz, that’s here.

And now the bonus question – What’s one fact about you that few people know, that will surprise me and my blog readers? I love ALL types of crafting.  Drawing, painting, sculpture, scrapbooking, wood burning…you name it, I’ve probably tried it or am interested in trying it!  I’ve taken classes on cake decorating and Chinese calligraphy.  I just bought supplies to make resin jewelry and am hoping to take a glass blowing class next!. (EFD – I’m married to a “crafter” who makes, or has made Christmas ornaments; wire-wrapped jewelry, decorated sugar cookies, and I’m sure there’s more that I’m forgetting!  I’d love to see some blown glass once you’ve made some. )

You can find Kelly on Twitter, and be sure to take a look at Kelly’s blog: Geeking Out.