DataBlend Spotlight: Have you met Bradley Ploof yet? He works hard to make it easier for finance to automate their work.

Have you met Bradley Ploof yet? He's one of DataBlend's Software Developers and works hard to make it easier for finance to automate their work. Read more about Bradley below!

Where are you from?

I'm from Lincoln, Vermont, a wee town nestled in the mountains.

What's your background?

This is a good one. What haven't I done? I've roofed houses, built barns, worked for Vermont Tent Company pounding stakes, sold cars, and worked in kitchens. I managed to break into software by accident. I started with data entry for a machine shop, became their ERP Administrator, and wrote custom modules for the ERP system. I taught myself C# through building a Pac-Man clone and got a job writing software for Darn Tough Vermont. With that skill set, I demonstrated my ability to learn quickly and problem-solve and was lucky enough to get this job.

What are three fun facts about you?

1. I've run a Dungeons and Dragons campaign for the last two years online with friends and have improvised most of it to the satisfaction of the players who think I am diabolical, but really they give me all the ideas.
2. My wife and I are building up a means to become more self-sufficient with an assortment of animals, and one day we want to have a small homestead on which we can grow our own food.
3. I can drink a 24-ounce mug of coffee and immediately go to bed.

Tell me about your role.

I am one of the people who write the plugins for DataBlend. Whenever anyone outside the company asks me what I do, my answers seem to short-circuit their brains because they're not as deeply oriented with APIs as myself. I create the clients that handle collecting or sending data from whatever product the end users need and update the front end to reflect the client's functionality.

Why did you join DataBlend?

There are several reasons I joined DataBlend. The first is blind luck. The opportunity sort of fell into my lap. I wasn't actively looking for a new job at the time, but I was definitely open to new opportunities. The flexibility of my schedule is a HUGE benefit. I can pick up and drop off my kids at school or run them to appointments. Or I can work out in the middle of the day. I work from home full time rather than drive 35 miles one way over one of the sketchiest mountain passes in Vermont every day. Having a balanced work/life schedule has helped me too. The trust in allowing me to do my job and get it done is a relief.

What's your favorite API?

My favorite API is the one that has documentation, easy-to-understand examples and works every time. At this point, I've yet to find this holy trinity of APIs.

How has automation changed the way you work?

For me, automation has allowed me to have more free time and flexibility in my schedule. Some parts of my job took hours to prep and, with some automation, have been cut down to a single command. Fewer clicks and less waiting for results means I can be more productive and create or update plugins for our customers. Because without them, we wouldn't be where we are.

Hear from Bradley