Sam Gartrell

We are back with another installment of our Team Gartrell Group bios, and this time with someone who is one of our newest team members and has been around The Gartrell Group since its inception. The headline kind of gives it away, so without further ado, let’s meet Sam Gartrell!

Sam is the son of our founder and principal, Bryce, which makes him the nephew of our CEO, Molly. He graduated this past spring from the University of Oregon with a degree in Spatial Data Science. He’s a Scientist! Which is a surprise to me, someone who has known him since he was in first grade. I was pretty sure he would have become an artist.

But here he is, working for his dad and aunt, as a, what is it that you are?

A Geospatial Developer

And how would you describe that to someone who doesn’t know what a geo dev does?

I'm a plumber but with data. Sometimes, I get to make maps, too.

That oddly makes sense. Thanks for that perspective! What would you say is your favorite thing about this job? Understanding that you’ve only been at it for a few months!

I love how my roles and tasks are always changing with each project. It's an environment that demands constant learning, something I'm very grateful for.

That’s great! I also appreciate that about working here. Can you tell me about your favorite project so far?

Making a geometric network of a municipal sewer system in a small coastal Oregon town. It was a delightful combination of crawling through sewers with a GPS and assembling my findings into a dynamic data model. Also, I always love a day's work writing a Flask API.

As I mentioned earlier, I’ve known you for quite some time. You’ve always been so creative and artistic. I’m wondering what made you go down the data geek path.

For most of my childhood, GIS was a background that I ignored or ruled out as something I would never pursue. I got my first taste of Python (via the Rhino 3D plugin called Grasshopper, which has a similar UI to Ben Sainsbury's nTendril) and GIS (via ArcGIS Pro) as an architecture student in 2018, working with a fellow student who used GIS in landscape design. I think that's when I recognized how much creative problem-solving you can do with geospatial tools.

Have you found the data geek side of you complements the artist side? Amazing maps aside, has the data geek helped the artist create stuff?

This is something I'm always tinkering with! I think time is the biggest limitation in finding new ways to blend the two. Recently, I've been exploring 3D forms and how you can design lamp shades with parametric tessellations. I also see huge potential in Raspberry Pi but haven't quite landed on what I'll do with it. Also, analog electronics in guitars and amps.

That’s so cool. I look forward to your creations! Outside of work, what do you like to do?

Fish, backpack, sew, make instruments/music.

That sounds about right. I remember when you made a guitar in 8th grade. What sort of instrument have you made lately?

I made a lap steel guitar.

Very cool! What about sewing? What sort of things are you creating?

I’ve been messing around with making bags. I also made a shirt.

Thanks, Sam! You’ve proven to us all that you’d be a good apocalypse buddy! You could catch fish, make the clothes we’ll need to wear and the bags we’ll need to carry, and also build and play the instruments we’ll all need to relax after a fight with some zombies.

Pictured on the bottom row are pictures of Sam’s handiwork: a lap steel guitar and a backpack made from a recycled sail.

Meet Ben McLeod! He Wears a Lot of Hats!

Today, the tables are turned! These Team Gartrell introductions have all been hosted by Ben McLeod, but we decided to give him a break since it’s his turn in the spotlight.

Ben! Hello, hello. Thanks for letting us interview you for a change. Can you share with our readers what you do at The Gartrell Group?

I've had so many titles over the years. My current title is Chief Storyteller because every company needs a storyteller.

Don’t stop there—we want to know everything!

Let's see: I started in 2010 by helping prepare responses to RFPs. Then, I began to manage a few projects, but I was pretty bad at that. I had difficulty saying no or understanding scope creep, so I kept promising stuff to clients without discussing additional costs. It was kind of a mess. While I was terrible at managing our developers, I was pretty good at understanding what our clients needed, so I began down a new path as a "Project Owner," meaning that I would meet with the clients, prepare requirements documents, and then work with the developers as they iterated through sprints. I would test the code they developed and then, once I was satisfied, release the work to the clients. Additionally, I managed the Gartrell Group website.

In 2017, I went to work for my kids' school. It was not the best decision, but it spurred my wife and me to seriously look at our priorities - which then saw us moving to Bend, Oregon, in 2018 so we could live our lives the way we love, skiing and mountain biking. I was quickly able to resume working for Gartrell Group. This time, I was testing iterations of an app we were developing for a utility company. Others wrote the requirements, so all I had to do was write the tests and implement them. That job also morphed into writing documentation for the app. I've continued to help a bit in testing, but now that we have a full-fledged team of QA professionals, I'm mainly in the shadows for that. This past year has seen me move into more end-user training and documentation and learn ESRI’s Storymaps. I also usually write these blog posts.

Out of all those roles and responsibilities over the years, what’s been your favorite part of your job?

A couple of things:

1. I love meeting people from different industries and learning about their work.

2. I get to do all sorts of cool new things.

Love that! Where did you grow up?

Concord, NH

Hey, isn’t that where Molly & Bryce grew up? (Note to our readers: Molly and Bryce are the sister/brother team who run The Gartrell Group.)

They grew up in Warner, a town about 20 minutes from Concord. I met them when Bryce and I were in Kindergarten. My family lived in Warner for half a year as my parents searched for a house to purchase in Concord. At that time, we lived in my grandmother’s house in Warner, a former Inn that was super creepy and definitely haunted. Bryce and I had many adventures in that place, as well as the huge old barn and acres and acres of land to play in. My sister Molly and Molly were friends and also had their adventures.

What should people know about you?

I don’t know if I can call myself an artist since I didn’t go to art school, but I love to create visual art. I've been a still photographer for years—primarily landscapes - but recently, I got a GoPro and started playing with video. And even more recently, I got a drone and enjoy playing with the amazing perspective I can get for still photos and video.

You probably don’t get to have much fun in Bend, do you?

I live to move my body (I get really grouchy if I haven’t sweat in a few days). I love wheels and skiing, mountain biking, skate skiing, alpine skiing, ski touring. I also love to help other people do those things. I coach mountain biking in the spring and fall, and I'm a ski race coach in the winter. I run the U10 race program for Mt. Bachelor Sports Education Foundation. We have about 70 kids and ten coaches. I love watching a kid overcome a challenge. It's the best feeling in the world.

Oh! Do you have any shots we can see?

Yep—lots of videos and photos live on my Instagram.

Thanks for letting us hear your thoughts and share them with the world!

Meet Manasa Gurumurthy, a Classical Carnatic Musician!

Hello, friends! We’re back in the great state of Texas. A third team member calls Texas home, also in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metro Area. Let’s meet Manasa Gurumurthy!

Hi Manasa. Thanks for taking the time to let us get to know you a bit more! Let’s start with your role at The Gartrell Group. Can you tell us your job title and what you do?

Hello! I am a QA Engineer. Having taught myself the tools and skills from scratch, I've since implemented them in many ensuing projects. For example, I utilized performance testing with Jmeter and Neoload for several projects. I had the opportunity to research, document, and create a Framework for Automation using Jackson API. I have also been able to get hands-on with Azure, Microsoft's public cloud platform.

I would like to give credit to my QA Lead, Erick Caceres, who has helped me grow immensely as a QA Engineer over the past year, too.

What is your favorite thing about your job?

All the projects I am working on are new. It's exciting to brainstorm and implement solutions, which is the best thing about my job.

That’s really great. Do you have a project that you’re particularly proud of?

Of course—the WFCA!

Oh, yeah. That’s a great one! I use that map almost daily during fire season.

Working in Texas, I guess the answer to my standard, “Do you work at the office or remotely?” question would be yes, so let’s go with, “Where did you grow up?”

Tumkur, India

How long have you been in the US, and what brought you?

I have been in the US for the past nine years. I got married and came to the US in 2014 to Rhode Island and recently moved to Texas.

Is there anything people should know about you?

I am calm, flexible, like trying new things, am amiable, and I trust my intuition.

Well, the Gartrell Group QA team has quickly gained a reputation for excellence. No doubt, thanks, in large part, to your ability to maintain your composure. What do you like to do outside of work?

I am a Carnatic classical musician. I have been learning music for 12 years and would love to continue my passion forever. I also perform at events.

I have to admit, I had to Google Carnatic music. That’s pretty amazing. Are you a vocalist, or do you play one (or more) of the instruments? Do you play in a group or a regular ensemble?

Yeah, I have been a student of Carnatic Musician for the past 12 years. I am currently at the Advanced level in Carnatic Music, learning from my GURU (teacher). I am a vocalist, so I have solo performances and perform in ensembles during Temple Events. Music has been my passion since childhood; my parents nurtured it, and my hubby encourages and supports it. Life as a Carnatic musician is wonderful, and I cherish it. Music has been divine, spiritual, and soul-healing for me. It is a universal language that inspires, brings a sense of camaraderie, and connects people. It is one of the best ways to express myself and allows me to be myself.

That’s really wonderful. I think it’s essential that we all find that thing in life that makes us feel fulfilled. Speaking of a full and happy life, can you tell us about your family?

I live with my loving, caring husband Nitin and a hilarious kid, Advay, a 7-year-old, in Frisco, Texas :). He is the best thing that happened in our lives :). We love traveling and gardening and have a few fruit and veggie plants on our portico.

Manasa, thank you so much for sharing this with us. It’s been a pleasure getting to know you better!