We’ve been searching for a new web developer for a month and a half. It was looking pretty bleak there for a bit, but lo and behold, (over the ashes of our dying dreams) in walked Ben.
Ben has been doing web development since 2004 (for you non-math people out there — that’s 11 years!). He’s self-taught, having worked for companies like U-Haul, SuperShuttle, and Apollo Group. Most of his work has been data-heavy, but he loves building interfaces and applications as well.
We asked him why he wanted to work at Resound, and he told us, “I got the feeling that everyone here is genuine, loves to learn new things, and enjoys what they do.” We do try, Ben.
When Ben isn’t with us at work, he’s hanging with his wife and three kids — the self-labeled “family of goofballs.” As a former film and design student at Mesa Community College, Scottsdale Community College, and University of Phoenix, he tends to consume copious amounts of media (TV, film, comics, video games, and books).
Also, Chipotle. Copious amounts of Chipotle.
Long story short, Ben’s a pretty awesome dude, and we know you’ll think so too. See how he answers our tricky questions:
Resound: What’s your typical answer to, “Is Pepsi ok?”
Ben: I like to think of myself as a food snob with a very refined palate, but I honestly can’t tell the difference between Coke and Pepsi.
Resound: In a fight, who would win: Bowser or Smaug?
Ben: They’re probably both fireproof and that is the primary attack for each so it would have to come down to size and weight. So, I guess Smaug.
Resound: What is one thing we will never, under any circumstances, see you wear to work?
Ben: Any article of clothing that I purchased myself. All my clothes have been given to me at conferences or given as a gift by my wife. If not for my wife, I’d probably just pick an outfit that worked for me and fill up my closet with a dozen of the same thing. I would be like a cartoon character with a lazy character designer.
Resound: If every man were an island, which island would you be?
Ben: Australia, because everything is upside-down there.
Resound: What’s your favorite coding language? Why?
Ben: PHP, simply because it is the one I know the most. I started to hate it, but then Composer came to the rescue! I’m interested in learning Swift next. I like what I’ve seen so far.
Resound: If you inherited 1,000,000 pennies, what’s the first thing you would buy?
Ben: If I had a million pennies, I’d build a small money-bin like Scrooge McDuck and swim in it for a few days. Then I’d take a shower because you never know where they’ve been.
Resound: What brought you to Arizona?
Ben: I assume it was a red Volkswagen Bus. That was the family car when I was a baby and my parents moved here from Boise Idaho in 1980. My grandpa was starting up his own typesetting shop in Tucson and my dad came here to work for him for a while. That didn’t end up working out so he got a job as a teacher.
Resound: It’s improv time! Name 10 things we would’ve found in your backpack as a kid:
- A pair of homemade Michelangelo nunchucks or the wooden sword if it would fit
- A film canister full of ball-bearings in case ninjas started chasing me
- A journal full of superhero drawings
- Pocket knife
- Colorful rocks that I thought might be some sort of rare gem I’ve discovered
- Bag of marbles
- Marvel trading cards
- Comic books
- Sony Walkman
- They Might Be Giant cassette tapes
