Employee Spotlight – Fernando

Meet Fernando!

We like to showcase the awesome people who work here at 729 Solutions because they are more than just great employees, they are creative, interesting and talented people who deserve a little recognition. This time Fernando Project Manager, Zendesk Administrator, and front end developer joins us to discuss his role here at 729, music, and surfing.

Tell us more!

My first question for you is what do you do at 729?

I am a project manager/web developer. I’m also a certified Zendesk admin, so I mainly work with our Professional Services department. I also work with Studios when I can, and I help them with web development. My main job as a Project Manager is to make sure our client projects are a success. I act as their main point of contact, I track requirements and keep the project moving forward. You know, I’m asked to do a lot of different things at 729. I try my best to get those done.

So in your bio, you said you were a DJ. Do you still DJ at all?

I don’t DJ at all anymore, but I do still produce music and then record music. So, I actually got started doing music many years ago, and I always was interested in recording and how sounds worked, and luckily the technology has been so advanced that you can produce music on your computer using virtual instruments. So I make music, I record my friends, and I mix their music or my music, and yeah. So I still do produce music, record, and I have my little recording setup here at home.

Right on. Do you play any instruments?

I don’t. I am currently learning to play the piano.

That’s a good base instrument.

Yeah. Piano pretty much lets you play any instrument, especially through the computer. I do want to take lessons, and I think it’s important to learn music, but a friend of mine really was against it, because he says that because I don’t have musical training, I can think outside of the rules of music. But, you know, it’ll let me express my creativity a little more.

Just have that base, you know? Then you can go crazy.

Yeah. Exactly.

What’s your favorite kind of music? If you had to pick.

… that’s very difficult. I would have to say electronica and ’80s rock.

With the ’80s rock, is there like a band, a specific band you really liked, or bands? I like ’80s music a lot, so I’m curious.

You know, I really like Foreigner, and I like Journey, and you know, Billy Joel, and Elton John. There’s a lot … But I listen to so much of it, it’s just I have a Spotify playlist. I call it Pour Some ’80s on Me.

Best playlist name ever. That’s hilarious.

I love Iron Maiden, and I love heavy stuff too. My favorite band, though, is Linkin Park.

Really?

Yes.

I would have never guessed.

Yes, I know. I love Linkin Park, and they were my inspiration for getting into music.

What kind of music are you making when you make your own music?

Oh, I’ve done like Spanish rock ballads. Right now, I’m focusing on house music and anything that goes with that, so progressive, like trance, so I love that type of music. Pretty much like electronica, festival kind of music.

Yeah, yeah. Kind of ravey, a little bit?

Yeah, like you know listening to like Swedish House Mafia, Armin van Buuren, Audien, oh, there’s so much.

Your bio also says that you like surfing.

I love surfing.

Like, how do you do it?

Well, you know, I wouldn’t say I’m super good at it, but I love doing it, so when … I grew up in Puerto Rico, so I’m on an island surrounded by waves, and we’d get really good waves, and when I was like 13, I asked my dad for a surfboard, and at first, you know, it took a lot to just be able to stand up, and you know and balance yourself, but once I kept doing it, I kept going, and I kept insisting, and I got better and better, and I went to more difficult beaches, and eventually I found the type of board that I like, which is a longboard, and that’s really a lot. It let me do what I needed to do, because I’m a big guy, so I could really carve and manipulate it, and you know, eventually you get to do anything that you want on the board. It’s beautiful to be out. Like every year on New Year’s, I would start my year by going surfing. I love being at the beach. I love the ocean. You know, I do sailing a lot too.

Is the surfing good in Miami?

The surf’s not terribly good in Miami. I usually have to drive like two hours north to get decent waves, you know? But every once in a while, you know, it gets good in Florida.

Have you surfed anywhere else in the world?

No, Puerto Rico and Florida are the two places, but I’d love to go surf in Hawaii. That would be great, in Fiji, so I definitely … and Costa Rica. Costa Rica has really good surf.

So are you a good cook?

I can tell you my favorite food … Am I a good cook? I know how to cook, but I’m lazy, so I don’t cook.

Okay, that’s fair. That’s fair. I think that’s the story for most of us.

Yep, so you know, I can make really good Puerto Rican dishes. My girlfriend asks me to make them every once in a while, and I do, but I typically eat out.

If you were going to make something, what’s your favorite thing to make?

If I was going to make it, I would make rice and red beans and cordon bleu.

What’s cordon bleu?

Cordon bleu is a breaded chicken, stuffed with cheese and ham.

So if you’re not making food, this doesn’t have to be something you make, what’s your favorite thing? Like, hands down, you’re like, “I need my favorite food today,” what would you be getting?

I would get a piña colada, virgin. And I think that the cordon bleu is my favorite food of all time. But I love Quiznos.

So you like a good sandwich?

Yeah, I love Quiznos. The chicken carbonara at Quiznos is my favorite sandwich of all time.

Oh, man. Maybe I’ll have to eat a sandwich after this! Is there anything interesting about you, that was not shared on your bio, that you would share with me, and the world now?

Wow. No pressure.

I know, no pressure at all. No pressure at all.

You know, I just like solving problems, so whether it’s like I’m working on my car, or I’m making my PC, you know, like my PC right now is actually a Hackintosh, so I can run Windows and Mac OS, even though it’s not supposed to. I love solving problems,  I love playing video games, and a lot of the video games that I play involve puzzles, and figuring things out, and exploring, so I do that a lot.

That’s why you’re so good at it in your job too.

Yeah, exactly.