Meet the Members: Jared

Meet the Members: Jared

Jared is our enthusiastic and dedicated Customer Implementation Lead. Discover why he chose to work at Labforward and what he likes to do outside of work!

Tell us about yourself? 

Howdy, y’all! My name is Jared and I grew up in the metroplex area around Dallas/Ft. North of Texas in the ole’ U.S. of A. After completing my bachelor’s degree in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Rice University in Houston, I hung up my spurs and made the long trip to Berlin, Germany. I’ve been in Berlin since 2009, and what I love about the city is the diversity, the laissez faire attitude of everyone, and of course the freedom.

In my spare time I like to cook, play board games and partake in all things crafty! I take after my mom and do a lot of cross stitch after work. Other than that, you’ll often find me with my friends, watching films and pretending to stay in shape! When I was younger I played the saxophone, so I have a real love of music – another thing that I think is great about Berlin. I take every opportunity to go to concerts and festivals – especially after the pandemic. Also, I am an animal lover, my parents have two dogs and I’m currently trying to get a puppy.

Fun fact

I have a little bit of Native American blood.  I found out that I am three-sixty-fourths Choctaw!

Wildcard Question

When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I really wanted to be a donut salesman when I was younger. Why you ask? Well why not? Everybody loves donuts, so I thought it would be the best job, you’d really be bringing joy to a lot of people 😀 .  I remember my sister wanted to be a kmart checkout lady!

Why did you join Labforward? 

I’ve always been interested or involved in science in some form. When I first came to Berlin I wanted a bit of a break, but then when I went back to studies it reaffirmed my interest in science. After university, I stumbled into my first IT job, working on a piping network at the public water works. I enjoyed working there and saw firsthand the impact of digital operations within laboratories. However, I found the work environment was not ideal. I moved to Berlin because I loved the diversity, culture and the blend of ages, yet I found myself working with only older generations which weren’t as open to innovation or progressive ideas. I realized that I wanted to work for a company where innovation was at the forefront. I knew I had to look for a company that was IT-related but still science focused. I found the job ad for Labforward, applied and haven’t looked back since.

What is your main role?

What is your main role?

I am the Customer implementation lead, so essentially I work in the team that is the first point of contact after sales. After a contract has been signed I help our customers understand how the products of Labforward can help them solve headaches either by replacing paper or increasing throughput, sample testing etc.. This usually entails coordination between all of the teams at Labforward, so this job requires me to always keep in touch with all departments, to not only make sure our products are in sync, but also to help implement new drivers with the connectivity team. I enjoyed my time spent in the laboratory but I was put off by the repetitive tasks. In my current role however, no day is the same and I am ultimately helping our customers overcome the same frustrations that I experienced which is really great!

What excites you about your job?

What excites you about your job?

One aspect I really love about my job is the interaction with people. I get to meet people from all different backgrounds and departments. In my role I have to have a breadth of knowledge in order to pull in the right people. I enjoy connecting with customers on a personal level, my job allows me to travel to see different labs and different processes and I love being able to meet our customers and help them, not in the short term but long term, seeing how they develop and grow with our products is the part of my job that I enjoy most! In my job I also have to be quite adept and good at problem solving. There are always new challenges and more things to learn! I also really like the hybrid working style we have at Labforward, I’ve been really impressed with the connections you can form with people just over the internet!