At WebDevStudios (WDS), we believe that trust is the key to successful WordPress website collaborations. We prioritize transparency and building strong relationships with our team members. We’re excited to introduce you to our newly appointed Engineering Manager, John Heimkes, our newest team member behind our technical brilliance.
We don’t view our clients as mere customers. We consider them as valued partners in our WordPress journey. By getting to know our staff and their expertise, you’ll experience our passion, dedication, and innovation that drive us daily. Let’s take a moment to get to know John right now.
John Heimkes, Engineering Manager
We couldn’t help but notice in John’s bio, that he describes himself as a “servant leader.” He says that means he prioritizes service for the greater good.
“I believe in the importance of listening instead of speaking, being empathetic, seeing success through growth and development rather than only output,” he says. “It’s not about me, but it’s about everyone else. My top priority is to be there for the awesome engineers who work on this team and to emphasize ‘we’ versus ‘me.’ No one is ‘my’ engineer just because they report to me. We are a team, and we’re all in this together.”
As an active member of the WordPress community, John already knew WebDevStudios COO Lisa Sabin-Wilson and other current and former WDS employees. He says, “WDS has always been a place I’ve had great respect for, and given the opportunity to, I was willing to apply. As it turns out, the perfect opportunity appeared at the perfect time!”
However, despite his familiarity with our website agency, team members, and previous agency experience, John says his transition hasn’t been as easy as pie. That’s because John takes his leadership role seriously.
“There’s a level of trust that many establish with their manager, not just on a professional level but also a personal one, and that’s something I have been very careful about,” John explains, adding, “Being three months into it now, I feel like I have a good rapport with everyone on the team. Acclimating to the expectations of the role itself was crazy and awesome, but not as hard as I expected, thanks to all the documentation we have here.”
Now that John has acclimated, his day-to-day activities include a lot of meetings that involve providing support to our project managers and engineers. “Some days have a spattering of meetings with others in leadership; some are filled with one-on-ones,” he says.
John’s days also include analyzing opportunities for improvement. “Successfully implementing our new Scrumfall process is something I’m passionate about. More importantly, I’m looking forward to continuing to build this excellent team of engineers,” John reports.
When he isn’t working, John enjoys video games, movies, and shows (just like many of the members of our team). He has lots of recommendations.
“For video games, I recommend Starfield and Final Fantasy XVI. Also, Cyberpunk 2077’s new expansion DLC has been taking up my time lately, and that’ll be the case for a while! Two of my go-to’s with certain friends are Rainbow Six Siege and Rocket League. The latter is a game I’m annoyingly passionate about,” says John.
As for shows, John started watching Outlander. “I managed to get completely caught up when the Season 7 mid-season finale aired this month! Other go-to’s would have to be South Park, Trailer Park Boys, Letterkenny, Veep, and Ted Lasso. Just like Rocket League, I’m annoyingly passionate about Ted Lasso.”
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