Uplifting Tech Talent in the Ozarks
Tags: sgfdevsspotlight, sgfdevs
Published: 2023-10-01 10:57:21

“What drives me is looking for ways to create opportunity and success for other people. ”

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/gp707fwl6jjea3ekt6l0.png)

Walking into Ben’s office, you immediately notice the signs on the wall focusing on the next quarter’s goals and the company team member’s DISC scores. It feels just like many other startups. Then Ben comes out to greet you with a warm smile and quiet confidence that immediately inspires. He’s no novice when it comes to building a team, product and company. His career highlights his trustworthiness and talent. 

Ben’s always wanted to be an engineer, and like many young software developers, had dreams of game development. But not gameplay, more of the mathematics and logistics of shading and lighting. That brought him to his first job out of college: a company that created flight simulators in St. Louis. His technical skills grew, and soon he found himself at trade shows, designing and creating the demos for the flight simulator product. “So basically I *was* developing a video game… so it was cool.”

As his career advanced, he found himself at Asynchrony Solutions, a project-based development and consulti


ng company. It was a lot of new technology, and on the job learning, but he quickly found his web-dev legs and eventually found himself climbing the ranks of the company. 

While Ben’s career was thriving, his family was growing. The birth of their first daughter brought a shift of priorities for Ben and his wife. They decided to move back to Springfield to be closer to family. But that would mean leaving his career with Asynchrony Solutions behind. Asynchrony Solutions, however, were undeterred. In an effort to keep his incredible talent, they suggested Ben open an office in Springfield and lead a team in the Ozarks. Soon after, the company was bought by World-Wide Technology (WWT) and Ben started his journey with WWT, building a new team of engineers. Over the course of the next several years, Ben’s team grew and thrived right along with the company. 

Then 2020 rolled around. COVID shut down the WWT office in Springfield, and they (like so many) decided not to reopen, shifting all of their employees to full-remote work. While many see that as an advantage, Ben thrives in an office environment with many unique minds to grow and careers to help build. So, he decided to build his own perfect environment. 

He knew some business partners that had an idea to build software for the warehousing logistics industry. They were already running a successful company, and so, had the capitol to bring their idea to life, and Ben had the knowledge and experience to not only create a product, but also a team. A few short months later, [WareHQ Labs](https://warehqlabs.com/) was up and running. Ben’s proven record of building and developing strong teams is in full swing, as they’ve just hired their 6th employee to support their product. 


![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/sh0mcpa3jp8piovndycc.jpeg)
And that’s where we find him. Building his WareHQ one unique talent at a time, in an effort to build a company that will last. He sees  building valuable tools for the warehousing industry for many years. There are so many intricate details that go into getting a package from the warehouse to your house in 2 days. And he sees a lot of potential to help streamline the process.

But beyond the warehouses are the employees. The company’s mission is to enhance lives and empower people. And that’s not just in the warehouses, but for his employees as well. He sees a future where warehouse employees aren’t stuck doing the tedious tasks like transcribing data from a written shipping sheet to their warehousing system. 

That’s one of the things that really stood out to me about Ben. While his calming confidence is immediately on display, his passion for the Springfield community shows in his words and actions. His commitment to the Springfield tech community started whe he was considering moving back. He looked at the tech companies in the area and saw room for improvement. He saw an opportunity to make a stronger development community by bringing in new technology, opportunities, workflows and passions. 

“We operate in a way that if there is something cool and interesting, we'll find a way to make use of it. … That kind of open-ended opportunity for developing technology is something that I really feel is important to have here in Springfield.” 

And while the company seems (to the outsider) to be growing quite rapidly, it’s actually slower than they’d like it to be. Ben’s confidence is in full display as he states “I knew that if we have the right message and the right opportunity, (WareHQ) could grow very quickly.” 

The SGF Devs community is a huge reason why he’s so confident they can (and will) find the right people to support their mission. Ben is a founding member of the SGFDevs community and has been serving on the board for a year and a half. He’s dedicated to supporting the community that is supporting him, his family, and his new business. “I get a lot of satisfaction creating opportunity for other people.” 

It’s wonderful to have a member of the SGFDevs community that is so passionate about supporting and building those around him to their fullest potential. And I’m excited to watch WareHQ Labs as they continue to rocket toward their goals of enhancing lives and empowering people.

</br>
</br>

---

<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/megan-blevins-01514a27a" target="_blank">
![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/wyvme6uasnicj5l8h7vc.png)
</a>