Position at Simplus: Customer Success Manager/Senior Consultant

Experience in Salesforce: 2 years

Military Job: Army

How did you discover Salesforce? Through Simplus. I was up at the University of Utah, masters program, and I treated that program like a job. So if there was any seminar or speaker, I attended them all. I happened to be walking down a hall in the business building, and I literally bumped into Kyle Hanagarne. He asked me if I heard about Salesforce before—”Do you want to hear me talk about it in this session?” So I went. I turned in my resume but thought nothing would come of it. But then a month or two later he asked me if I wanted to come in and interview. 

How did (are) you train(ing) to become Salesforce Certified? I learned on the job. In the past, I had used various platforms like Salesforce, but then in November of 2016 I became aware of Salesforce Military. I got involved with that community, used a ton of their mentors and trails and other resources. 

What is your #salesforcemilitaryvictory story into Simplus? I lucked out getting into Simplus and then Salesforce Military. Which later then allowed my wife to have the skillset and resources through Salesforce Military to work at Simplus, too. It’s been life-altering to be able to have the two of us move into careers. 

How has Salesforce Military made an impact on your life? Great group of people here with so much encouragement in the Salesforce Military community from vets and milspouses. It’s made me more involved and invested at the company level, and I’ve been bringing in more veterans into Salesforce and Simplus. It’s really opened a whole new community and system to me. 

What does the Salesforce Military community mean to you? It’s a fantastic support system, an encouraging system for vets and their spouses. Everyone has a place to go to not only make friends but also receive professional support and development. I was at first hesitant to get involved, but when you join it’s more about Salesforce Military and being part of something than competing. 

What advice do you have for new Salesforce Military members? Stay active, communicate communicate communciate, find mentors, reach out to them, and keep talking. I’ve never met anyone who refused to talk and give advice. 

What are some career-oriented goals you have? I’ve moved up fairly quickly within Simplus, and I’ve been able to work up to Senior Consultant. I really enjoy consulting and startups, so I would like to progress in my career to director-level and maybe beyond in the Salesforce ecosystem. I like empowering the companies I work for and bringing on new veterans as a value stream option when they’re looking to add personnel. 

What are some personal (non-career) goals you have? I would still, personally, like to up my certifications in Salesforce. My personal goals and career goals are in tune. 

Personal interests/hobbies: Snowboarder—I’ve been snowboarding for 28 seasons and started when I was about 13. Backpacking, outdoors, games, and gardening is very zen.