SOLTECH Spotlight: Meet Jim, Application Architect
By SOLTECH
Introducing Jim Ownby…
Jim is a US Army veteran and native Texan. Having been in the software game for 17 years, Jim is a veteran “app wrangler”. He’s also an alumnus of the Defense Language Institute (Czech and Spanish), Presidio of Monterey, CA. Since he started with SOLTECH two years ago, he has specialized in multi-threaded design, Unified Communications, and cloud\networking technologies.
Do you have a favorite app?
It’s a toss-up between Zillow, Soundcloud and Movescount. They all have some great technology behind them, excellent integration tools, and well-thought-out interfaces.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I practice martial arts, both as a student and a teacher (Taekwondo, Hapkido and Gumdo). I am also a science buff.
Before working for SOLTECH, what was the most unusual or interesting job you’d ever had?
This is also a toss-up, though both were while I served in the US Army.
First, my unit was assigned patrol duty on the East German border, 1 year before the Wall fell and the two Germanys were reunified.
The other option is, in 1992, my unit was tasked to assist FEMA and the American Red Cross in translating for the Hispanic population impacted by Hurricane Andrew in South Florida. This offered us the opportunity to speak Spanish with every major Spanish-speaking nationality in Latin and South America, as well as some minor ones. Unique, and most challenging to translate for, among all these people was a woman from Oaxaca, Mexico, whose native tongue was Mayan but could speak some broken Spanish (and zero English.) It was a rewarding experience, to say the least.
What is something about yourself that might surprise people?
I have played the piano and trumpet and am currently learning to play guitar.
If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
Master of Time (as I never seem to have enough of it.)
Name one thing on your bucket list.
Hike the entire Appalachian Trail, from Amacalola Falls, GA to the trailhead in Maine.
If you were stuck on an island, what 3 things would you bring?
Duct Tape, twine, and a knife.
What drew you to SOLTECH?
I interviewed with SOLTECH at least 4-5 times between 2008 and 2014, each time being impressed with the people I spoke with. I had also worked with several SOLTECH alums, as well as with SOLTECH directly. SOLTECH has always had a compelling reputation in the Atlanta area for solid technology and process. The alums consistently spoke highly of their experience here, as well. I wanted to push my technical acumen and felt that SOLTECH would be able to help me do that. My only regret may be that I didn’t start here sooner.
Tacos or pizza?
In SW US (Texas, California, et al.): Tacos
Anywhere else in US: Pizza
If you’re interested in working alongside Jim and other equally awesome ladies and gents, take a look at our open positions.
If you’re looking for a software development team to take your software idea and turn it into a reality, talk to us. We’d love to hear what ya got!
