Continual growth means improvement, progress, and success. At WebDevStudios (WDS), continual growth also means new people added to our WordPress agency’s team! Let’s welcome these new employees. Learn all about their background and what kind of amazing talents they bring to the WDS table. Today’s theme is family. Read more to find out why.
Tara Rickaby, Business Development Administrator
If Tara Rickaby seems familiar to you, that’s because she is. Married to WDS Director of Engineering, Greg Rickaby, for 12 years, it was he who notified of her the job position. “I, of course, was a bit apprehensive about applying for it,” Tara says, explaining, “I was concerned with how being married to Greg would make others feel if I was hired. I did not want anyone to treat me any differently than if I was a regular person applying for the job.”
However, after thinking about it some more, Tara knew the opportunity was a fit. “I loved the idea of working for WDS. I felt like I already knew most of the people working here,” she says. Plus, the remote work style would also work for her as a mom. “I am able to work from anywhere, including the dance studio during those afternoons when my daughter has to be there. The awesome ability to not mess with my already busy schedule is the best,” confirms Tara.
Prior to joining WDS, Tara found it really difficult to establish a career due to being a stay-at-home mom. “I felt like doors were closing in my face due to my large gap in work years. Most people saw that and just passed on my resume,” Tara reports. Fortunately, WebDevStudios views stay-at-home parenting experience as a benefit.
“Being a stay-at-home mom has helped me become hyper-organized,” Tara says. “I have learned to be more time conscious. I have to be focused on tasks that need to be done throughout the day. But it has also taught me that I have to be okay with not getting something done that day. Sometimes, the plans you make to get tasks done fly right out the window. I still struggle with that, but I am getting better with it each day.”
Tara lists off task scheduling, remaining cognizant of her calendar, including deadlines and appointments, as additional skills which she has cultivated during her time as a stay-at-home mother. “Running a household can sometimes be chaotic and with the calendar and scheduling system that I use, I am able to maintain those moments and make sure that we as a family stay on top of the day-to-day tasks,” she says, adding, “Being able to see things a little outside of the box is what I think will be helpful in accomplishing the things I need for my job.”
Tara is definitely finding her place at WDS, enjoying her days. “I really do enjoy the kind of work that most people find irritating,” she says. “Give me a stack of papers that need to be filed away, and I will enjoy every minute of it. I think what I enjoy the most is that I am always shifting from one task to the other. I stay busy with fun tasks and I love it!”
Jeff Frey, Support Technician
Keeping with today’s theme, Maintainn Support Technician, Jeff Frey, also has familial relations at WDS. He is the father of Lead Engineer, Keith Frey. Like, Keith, Jeff is also passionate about WordPress, building websites with this open-source technology for the past 15 years.
“I started building with WordPress because it was free,” Jeff says, “I was working with designers that needed a lot of direction and guidance on how to design for the web. WordPress was easy to set up, and since I was working with designers, it was a good tool for developing custom themes for them. One of the things I love is that it keeps moving forward. There is always something to learn about WordPress.”
Prior to his current experience, Jeff was a shop foreman for a kitchen remodeling company with no website experience. He didn’t let his inexperience stop him, though, when a friend called and asked for help. “I didn’t even stop to think about it,” reports Jeff. “I just said yes. That night, I went home and started to search for anything I could find on building websites.” This kind of initiative is exactly what we need at Maintainn, where we currently support hundreds of clients. Jeff is finding the challenge a pleasure.
“The crew at Maintainn is a very talented group of people, nice and helpful,” Jeff says. “I know one thing that will happen just because of the way the company is set up: I will be learning all the time from the team. I look forward to becoming more versed in the production side of site maintenance and security, as well as tracking and fixing issues that come up as we make sure the sites we manage keep running smoothly and efficiently.”
Tara and Jeff have quickly become great members of the WDS family. You could, too. Just check out our current job openings and submit your online application today. We have great benefits, paid time off, and give out tacos as rewards. Take a look at our Careers page now.