I’m the (Kevin) Bacon of the Salesforce Community – Introducing Curt Holtz

This is the twenty-fourth 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 Certified Salesforce Administrator and Force.com Developer, Curt Holtz.

curt holtz

What’s your job title? Salesforce Administrator, USA Football. (EFD – No, really? What’s your job title? No one actually has Salesforce Administrator as their title, do they?)

What does that mean you do?  I manage the Salesforce org for a small nonprofit. I help our associates leverage the platform in ways that make them more productive and efficient. (EFD – USA Football? I guess that has something to do with what we call a pigskin, and not a soccer ball. I did some research: USA Football, the sport’s national governing body in the United States, hosts more than 100 football training events annually offering education for coaches, skill development for players and resources for youth football league commissioners. The independent nonprofit is the official youth football development partner of the NFL, its 32 teams and the NFL Players Association. Wow…that’s a cool organization!)

How long have you been involved with Salesforce.com (as a customer and/or an employee)? I’ve been on the platform for about 6 years. (EFD – That’s a decent amount of time…long enough to where you have seen a lot of changes, but not too long for it to get stale. Hmm…with the pace of innovation on the platform, I think it’s impossible for it to go stale!)

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

What’s more important: Who you know, or what you know?  Who you know…every job that I have been offered over the past 10 years has been heavily tied to relationships that I have forged over that time.  Knowing your stuff is part of the equation, but being able to fit into a company’s culture is an even bigger part.  And it’s always pretty easy to fit in when you have an existing relationship at that organization (EFD – YES!!! One for the “Who” side! )

How did our relationship start, and when? My first exposure to you was via the Success Community and then we officially met when I made the drive from Indy down to the S. Indiana User Group in 2014.  Since then we have stayed in regular contact over various social channels. (EFD – I’m always thrilled to see people attend Southern Indiana meetings when they aren’t from Southern Indiana! It must mean I’m doing something right on how I run my meetings.)

And now the bonus question – What’s one fact about you that few people know, that will surprise me and my blog readers? I spent 6 years tearing down and rebuilding jet engines before I found my calling as a Salesforce Admin/Developer. (EFD – Small world here. When I read that secret about Curt I started asking questions. It turns out Curt and I both worked for the same airline, but I left a year before he started there.)

You can find Curt on Twitter and on LinkedIn.

I’m the (Kevin) Bacon of the Salesforce Community – Introducing Jessika Botruff

This is the nineteenth 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 the co-leader of the Columbus Women in Technology group, Jessika Botruff.

jessikab

What’s your job title? Salesforce Administrator, Revolution Group.

What does that mean you do? I am the Sole Salesforce Admin at Revolution Group.  I do the typical day-to-day admin duties, troubleshoot user issues, manage new requests, etc.  In October 2014 we started using FinancialForce PSA (Professional Services Automation).  This has been a great program to work with and has helped me push myself to learn.  I also work closely with our Salesforce consulting team sending them great information from the Community.  On the side, I am a co-leader for the Columbus Women in Technology group.  I have loved being a leader for this group and getting to know all the great ladies in central Ohio.  (EFD – Is there really a “typical” day for a sole Salesforce Admin? Perhaps you and Dale Ziegler should have a chat about that! )

How long have you been involved with Salesforce.com (as a customer and/or an employee)? I’ve been on the Salesforce platform over 8 years. I started using Salesforce in 2007 and got my foot in the door with Reports and Dashboards, becoming an “Analytics Queen.” (EFD – You should meet Jennifer Wobser!  She’s the Goddess of Analytics in my book! And maybe after she reads this post, she will submit her info so I can feature her in a future blog post… hint, hint…. Ahem, Jennifer??)

Bacon or sausage?  It’s Bacon or Nothing!

What’s more important: Who you know, or what you know?  I believe it is a mix of both.  The “who you know” will help you expand the “what you know”.  And the “what you know” can help you meet more “who you know”. (EFD – The way you put things, it sounds like a vicious circle, only you and I both know, it’s not vicious, it’s really quite pleasant. I’m not sure if we can put a shape to it though.)

How did our relationship start, and when? I found you in the Salesforce Success Community and at Midwest Dreamin’. (EFD – That was Midwest Dreamin’ 2014, I believe. I don’t recall seeing you there in 2015.  Maybe you can make it next year. Midwest Dreamin’ 2016 is on Julyy 21 & 22, 2016 at Chicago’s Navy Pier.)

 

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 baking! My specialty is an Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie, all from scratch of course :-).  Also, I’m a huge Nebraska Cornhusker fan! (EFD – Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie?  Uh, YUM!  Can you please bring some with you when you come to Midwest Dreamin’ in July?  Puhleeeeease!! That sounds amazing!)

You can find Jessika on Twitter.

I’m the (Kevin) Bacon of the Salesforce Community – Introducing Annie Shek

This is the sixteenth 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 the triple Salesforce certified leader of the Detroit Salesforce User Group AND the Detroit Women it Technology group, Annie Shek.

Annie Picture

What’s your job title? Senior Consultant, The Innovation Network.

What does that mean you do? The majority of the time, I work in a project manager role and ensure all project team members are completing tasks in a timely fashion for a successful project implementation. Occasionally, I’m assigned to a project to configure a system, conduct data migrations, and train end users. When you’re a consultant, I’ve learned that you’ve got to be able to wear multiple hats. (EFD – I’ve been a consultant, I know all about multiple hats, but I’ve also worked in the corporate world, and let me tell you, there are some people with many hats on there too! )

How long have you been involved with Salesforce.com (as a customer and/or an employee)? I’ve been a Salesforce customer since 2009, and became an implementation consultant in 2013. (EFD – So now you help others utilize Salesforce.  That’s how this community grows!)

Bacon or sausage?  It’s Bacon or Nothing!

What’s more important: Who you know, or what you know?  I think who you know is more important. I think Salesforce.com has always built its success on building a supportive community. I’ve grown a lot personally and professionally because of the awesome individuals who made time for me. I also get inspired by those individuals and then give back to the community. It’s an awesome and addictive cycle. (EFD – You are not the only one who has grown professionally and personally because of this community! And addictive might be too weak a word.  Some people wake up in the middle of the night and check Facebook or email, I check my Chatter feed and Twitter!)

How did our relationship start, and when? I believe we first virtually met on twitter and then I actually met you in person at the DF13 breakfast reunion in San Francisco with Charlie Isaacs at 6:30am! (EFD – Ah yes!  The Annual Dreamforce Newbie Breakfast Reunion…it’s a great way to meet people. And thanks for sharing the picture of you and me with Charlie Isaacs!)

Charlie Me Eric

And now the bonus question – What’s one fact about you that few people know, that will surprise me and my blog readers? I couldn’t make up my mind on which one to share so here’s two: 1) I’ve solo backpacked and couchsurfed in Europe. By couchsurfing, I mean taking up stranger’s spare couches/rooms (similar to AirBnB, but completely free). 2) Many years ago, I was on The Christmas Carol on Broadway. It was a very small part, but such a great experience. (EFD – Couchsurfing…hmm, I learned a new word today!  That makes it s good day.  So is it true that the lights are always brighter on Broadway? )

You can find Annie on Twitter.