April Spotlight – Aaron Myers

Name: Aaron Myers

Job Title: Developer

Years at Capitol Lien: 1

We’re excited to feature Aaron in our April Employee Spotlight!

1. What’s a unique skill or perspective you bring to your role at Capitol Lien?

I have a system-oriented mind, so I’m good at identifying edge cases and how development decisions might indirectly impact other things.

2. Share a professional success story that you’re proud of OR What’s the most challenging project you’ve tackled, and how did you overcome it?

I helped define the initial requirements of Connect and took the lead on database design. I’m proud to see it in action today!

3. What’s your favorite part about collaborating with your team?

Everyone on the team is happy to help with development questions and problem solving. We’re good at working independently on things, but coming together to solve problems is where we really shine.

4. What do you love most about your job and why?

I love hearing about how the features I work on positively impact the work of researchers.

5. What’s one tool or resource you couldn’t do your job without?

Obsidian notes app. I use it daily to keep track of what I’m working on, technical details, requirements, test data and more.

6. What do you love to do in your free time?

I love traveling with my family. My wife and I have two sons, 9 and 6, and we all love road trips, whether it’s a short one to visit my parents in southwest Wisconsin, or a longer one (Oregon is the longest so far).

7. What book or podcast has left a lasting impact on you?

The Lord of the Rings, by JRR Tolkien. One of my hobbies is reading fantasy book series and Lord of the Rings is one of the first I completed. I’ve gone back a few times to read it again and it’s always good. It’s even inspired me to do a little fantasy worldbuilding myself for settings that the tabletop games I design take place in.

8. What’s a hidden talent or hobby that might surprise your colleagues?

I design tabletop games. The Twin Cities has a great tabletop game design community for playtesting and discussing games we’re working on. I have a couple of games I’ve been playtesting and updating for a while (and a third in the works) that I’m hoping to get signed by a publisher one day.

9. What’s the best vacation you’ve ever taken, and what made it memorable?

Not necessarily a vacation, but I studied abroad in Toledo, Spain for a semester in college. Being immersed in a different culture, especially one with so much interesting history, was an eye-opening experience. While I was there, I had the opportunity to travel to some other cities in Europe, but Toledo will probably always be my favorite.

10. Do you have any pets? 

Our family has a dog: a Finnish spitz named Echo. I didn’t really consider myself a dog person before, but I definitely am now! Echo has been a great addition to our family. He loves playing with our two boys.