Every month, we like to shine the spotlight on our team members who make the biggest difference for our subscribers. This month, we interviewed Rufus Eves, one of our senior developers! As we dive into this employee spotlight, you’ll have the chance to learn more about Rufus and his role in making Liftoff great!
Liftoff: Tell us your origin story.
Rufus: I gained over 20 years of experience in e-commerce via the last company I worked at (Discount Labels/Cenveo). Around the time I was looking to move on, a good friend tipped me off that Liftoff happened to be seeking another developer for the team. Having worked with some of their team members in the past, I knew it would be a great company to work for! I’ve now been happily employed with Liftoff for two and a half years. It’s very rewarding to work with a team where you know your efforts are appreciated.
Liftoff: What is your role here, and what is your favorite thing about it?
Rufus: I work on the backend development team. I’ve always most enjoyed the nuts and bolts side of programming, working with algorithms and data, although most projects do involve hooking all of that up to the user interface. I love the challenge of this job. I honestly do not recall a day I have worked here when I have not learned something new in any number of disciplines. The best way to learn to play chess is to play with and study past games of those who are better at it than you. Thankfully, the architects of Liftoff have blazed a very productive trail to follow.
Liftoff: Let’s talk about your favorite feature of the platform.
Rufus: My favorite part of the platform isn’t necessarily a feature but rather an aspect of it, although I do think the platform is feature-rich. While looking into Liftoff before starting to work here, I remember coming across a description calling it “insanely intuitive.” This isn’t something you hear every day, but I must agree with this statement! Everything works in the way that you think it should. I think that this speaks a lot of good about Liftoff’s design team.
Liftoff: What was a pivotal moment in your career so far?
Rufus: In the late 90s, my programming duties largely consisted of creating reports or internal applications at my previous company. One day, I was asked about being part of the new e-commerce team at Discount Labels (working with Michael Pohl, our VP of Development, as it happens). E-commerce? I didn’t know anything about that at the time, but I didn’t let that stop me. Little did I know about the explosion that was just getting underway throughout the e-commerce industry. This decision seems to have set the path for the rest of my career, and e-commerce has since transformed into something unrecognizable from what it was just over 20 years ago. Don’t be afraid of taking on new challenges where you have no prior experience; that’s the best way to grow.
Liftoff: Tell us more about what makes you happy.
Rufus: Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my wife, friends, and church. Activities I enjoy include (believe it or not) mowing the lawn after cogitatin’ all day. I’m also just starting to pick up woodworking as well.
Liftoff: Do you have any parting thoughts to share?
Rufus: When it’s all said and done, what are we left with? It’s not about what you can accumulate, your reputation, or getting to the top of that hill. Do you want to be comfortable with the person you see in the mirror? Then don’t obsess over that person that you see in the mirror. Put your focus on others for a change. That person in the mirror will thank you later.