Employee Spotlight – Mel

Meet Mel!

We continue to try to showcase our growing team of creative thinkers here at 729solutions. This time Allegra chats with front end developer, project manager, and Zendesk guru Mel Smith about baking, her German Shepherd, heavy metal, and wrestling!

Tell us more!

Can you start with a brief intro about yourself?

Sure! Greetings, everyone! My name is Melony, but I prefer to go by Mel. My husband, Shaun, and I live in Nebraska and hold fast to our dream of one day moving to Oregon. I have four sons; three are grown and the youngest, age 12, is unschooled.

What do you do here at 729solutions?

I am a front end developer with 729solutions. My job duties are quite varied. I build layouts from mockups, I do maintenance on existing client sites, and I’m always ready to take on new tasks and learn new skills. I am also a project manager and I really enjoy working on Zendesk projects.

Tell me about your dog! I love hearing about other people’s animals.

Ah, my baby girl! I have a German Shepherd named Gemma. She and I share the same birthday and are both Geminis, hence the name Gemma. She’s a great big baby and beyond loyal to her family. She is also a big bum that likes to nap a lot, just like me.

In your About Us page blurb it says you are a lover of heavy metal music. Which is your favorite band?

Megadeth, definitely. I’m a huge fan of thrash metal.

Song?

Oh, wow. I’ve been listening to metal music since a very young age, thanks to my uncle, so this is a tough one! I’ll go with one of the very first Megadeth songs I fell in love with “Good Mourning/Black Friday.” Music has had a significant impact on me and plays a very important role in my life.

What about a favorite concert you have attended?

I’d have to go with Filter opening for White Zombie. I really like Filter, and they were great, but the theatrics of White Zombie made it a phenomenal show!

I also want to hear about professional wrestling. I don’t know much about it and only have a little experience seeing some amateur wrestling in SF. Do you go to watch it live?

I’ve lost count of how many live wrestling events I’ve attended. I’ve gone twice this year already!

What about it do you love?

I love the athleticism and the artistry of the whole thing. I’m not usually a fan of the “big guy beat you up” types. I prefer more technical wrestling and wrestlers who can tell a story in the ring without words.

Do you have wrestlers who you follow or are your favorite?

My first favorite wrestlers were Bret Hart, The British Bulldog, and Jake “The Snake” Roberts. Currently, my favorite professional wrestler is Roman Reigns, and I’m also really into the women’s division.

Do you have any other hobbies you want to share?

I absolutely love to crochet. Anything and everything from blankets to clothes; I just love it! I find it so relaxing, and I like to see a skein of yarn turn into something.

Do you enjoy cooking? You say you make the best cheesecake?! I have to know more about this, I love cheesecake!

I love to cook and bake. I’ve done full-size and mini cheesecakes for graduations, baby showers, and more. While I can’t give away my cheesecake secret (haha!), I can tell you about a few that I have made that I’m pretty proud of. Some that stand out in my memory is a double chocolate Jack Daniels cheesecake, a white chocolate orange cheesecake with candied oranges, and caramel apple cheesecake that was more like a caramel apple pie and cheesecake in one. I see cooking and baking as art mixed with science, and am always interested in the way ingredients come together.

What is your favorite thing to cook?

I’m all over the place here! I love to whip up a good comfort food meal of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and green beans, or a full Thanksgiving feast, but I also love playing around with more ethnic cuisines such as Indian and Asian. I recently found a spice that was new to me, harissa spice, and am now researching traditional Moroccan recipes.

What is your favorite restaurant in the city/town you live in if you have one? I am forever looking for recommendations!

We really don’t eat out much. I’m that person that sees a dish and recreates it at home. With that being said, The Parthenon is my absolute favorite restaurant. Traditional Greek cuisine, my favorite!

Anything else you want to tell the world about yourself or working at 729 Solutions?

Nothing else about me, really. I would like to say that 729 Solutions is the best job I’ve ever had! I’m not just saying that, either. Everyone that I work with is fabulous! It really does feel more like a family than a job.