The Greek philosopher, Socrates, said, “The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” Well, if there’s one thing we love to do at WebDevStudios (WDS), it’s building something new.
From developing new websites to creating new tech solutions, our client projects benefit from our focus on large-scale website development. As such, this direction requires additional talent to our already-savvy team. So, take a moment to meet these three new teammates: Joel Schlotterer, Lead Engineer; Ximena Kilroe, Senior Frontend Engineer; and Xaviera Aguilar; Project Manager.
While each person holds a different job role, all three new teammates bring essential skills and dedicated attention to our website agency. By the time you’re finished familiarizing your self with them, you’ll know why our clients say the nicest things about us.
Joel Schlotterer, Lead Engineer
Joel’s path to WebDevStudios is interesting because he started his career as a traditional media illustrator. However, in order to promote his services, well, he needed a website. That was his first introduction to web development.
“Over the next few years, I was published locally and nationally, but was never able to produce the work quickly enough so I began transitioning to create digitally,” Joel explains.
Working digitally led Joel to some fun work creating digital assets, heroes, banners, ads, and emails. As more opportunities came his way, Joel’s role expanded to building emails and styling websites.
“With the release of WordPress 3.0, basic HTML/CSS skills, and a mentor available, I began taking on my own web clients,” Joes says. “I started by configuring and customizing WordPress for small businesses and nonprofit organizations.”
Five years of that led Joel to a career at a web agency in Kansas where he built hundreds of custom client websites. The digital team went from about eight people to well over 50, which means Joel is used to adapting to growth.
As a new teammate at WDS, he’s excited to apply his knowledge and encounter a diverse set of client projects. He says, “I am excited to build, lead, and grow a team of excellent people. WDS has a culture that supports personal and professional growth and maintains high standards of quality, making it a great place to lead a team.”
When Joel is not working, he continues to release his creative energy through the art of oil painting. “They are usually focused on pattern, texture, people, family, and memory,” Joel describes his artwork, “But sometimes they are just patterns and texture. It’s the process of making that matters to me.”
Ximena Kilroe, Senior Frontend Engineer
Building lean sites that are intuitive and long-lasting is something Ximena enjoys. Her title may focus on frontend development, however, she enjoys working on both back and front ends of a website.
“I’ve always liked having a 360-view of things,” she elaborates. “So when I got started in engineering, it made sense to do both.” Ximena continues to explain that each end scratches a different part of her brain.
“For example, backend work gives me the opportunity to dig into how something will work in a practical sense and often feels like being handed a puzzle. Meanwhile, frontend work gives me the satisfaction of taking that practical work and making it beautiful and functional,” she says.
Before joining the team at WDS, Ximena freelanced. She conveys that she longed to work with a team. “The work culture at WebDevStudios values collaboration and camaraderie which is exactly what I was looking for,” she confirms.
Ximena is excited to continue to grow her skillset, especially in areas where she says she has no prior experience, such as DevOps. “Plus, I’m learning a lot about basketball being on the NBA client project team; so maybe this will turn me into a sports person, too,” she jokes.
As if Ximena isn’t an interesting new teammate already, this tidbit will floor you. She and her husband are restoring a 100-year-old home! They named it Mabel.
“My husband and I knew we wanted a home with a bit of character, and my background in art history probably played a role in our choice of this home that has retained some of the original details,” explains Ximena. She has some tips for anyone thinking about taking on this kind of project themselves.
“Know what you can do and what’s better left to the professionals, and if you’re going to DIY, go in with an open mind,” she advises, “The process is never what you think it’s going to be. You have to be agile. Kind of like coding!”
Xaviera Aguilar, Project Manager
Like Joel, Xaviera’s career path is pretty fascinating. She started off in logistics, but according to her, the pivot to project management makes sense.
“Both logistics and project management require really great organization skills. You need to follow up with schedules and resources, making sure that you’re meeting your milestones, communicating with your stakeholders, and planning ahead for potential delays and/or complications,” she clarifies.
Okay. We see the correlation there, but how did she make her way to WebDevStudios?
“I’ve been attending WordCamps for four years now,” says Xavi, “That’s how I found out about WDS. I learned about the open position through Alfredo and when I visited the site, it sounded like a fun place to work.”
Xavi says her first interview strengthened her desire to work here. “The company culture sounded like something that matched my values,” she says.
Xaviera looks forward to increasing her technical skills. “I’m a big nerd and I love learning new things all the time,” Xavi claims. She adds, “That is something great about WDS—learning is always encouraged.”
When she’s not working, Xavi is reading. She says one of her favorite books is Just Listen by Mark Goulston.
“This is a book everyone should be reading,” she proclaims. “What you learn from this book can help you be a better communicator, not only in a work environment but with your own family and friends as well. It’s crazy how much difference it can make when you really listen what others are saying and try to understand their point of view before trying to push or defend your own,”
Would you like to be a new teammate?
WebDevStudios is hiring! If you’re ready to make a career move and become one of WDS’ newest teammates, take a look at our Careers page and find the right position for you. Apply online today.
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