Introducing Ryan Anderson

Let me tell you about Ryan Anderson.

When I started working at Walz Group I was assigned to the cubicle next to Ryan. Like the first day at a new school, I was a little nervous, not knowing anyone at this place. By then end of the day, in no small part to Ryan, I was sure that fitting in at Walz wouldn't be difficult.

My introduction to the Ryan I know was him doing a brown bag presentation explaining some finer points of WCF. He is always doing that. Ryan embraces principles that many just play lip service to.

It is what makes him such a strong developer. He is always willing to stretch his own boundries, to try the impossible. He is also a great teammate, always willing to share his expertise. He doesn't just talk the development jargon, he lives and breaths it. His enthusiasm for it is infectious.

In a world where many development shops are like packs of hyenas, jealously guarding their bones, it was a breath of fresh air. Leo, Jimmy, and Damon had done a great job building a talented, collaborative, and supportive team, and Ryan still managed to shine brightly.

After a short time we hit it off.

We are only about 3 weeks apart in age. We both grew up in Southern California. We both have awesome wives and 2 kids (the Anderson family are good people all around), and we both started our development careers later in life. I have made some of my best friends at work, and Ryan is like a brother to me.

Corny? Maybe. But it is true.

I grew a lot at Walz, and in no small part to Ryan. Even if we never worked or saw each other again, I would be in his debt. When he left Walz to work at Sightly, it didn't take much for me to decide to follow him when the chance came.

He has since followed his dream and moved to Austin to work for Headspring. They hired him of course, and I would doubt it has taken them long to learn what they gained. If they are smart they will take good care of him.

This blog, besides being a way for each of us to add our voices to the larger development community, is also a reason to keep working together.

It is my pleasure to introduce our readers to Ryan Anderson.