Hello, and happy Friday! To start this fantastic weekend, we have a new edition of the Employee Spotlight Series. This week, we are featuring Jacob Weishuhn. Jacob is a Business Analyst and has been a part of the SpendMend team for nine months! When asked why he looks forward to coming to work, he said, “I enjoy working with my team members and seeing the gradual process of a project day by day.” Jacob is from Grand Rapids, Michigan, and has lived there his whole life! He attended Grand Valley State University, majoring in statistics and minoring in psychology. He chose Statistics because he has always enjoyed math and solving challenging problems! During work, Jacob either listens to a Podcast or a variety of music genres. His favorite podcast at the moment is ‘Bad Friends’. Jacob enjoys listening to playlists to keep him productive during work. Some of the music genres he listens to are pop, punk rock, rap, and sometimes classical music. Some of the artists he likes are Powfu, Jeremy Zucker, Loveless, and Fresco Trey. Be sure to check out the full interview to read more about Jacob’s favorite artists. A fun fact about Jacob is that he played volleyball for four years in college! He started out by playing beach volleyball the summer before he went to college, and during his Freshman year, a friend convinced him to try out. When asked about his favorite part about playing volleyball in college, Jacob states, “This is going to sound cheesy, but the best part of volleyball was the people I met and hanging out with the team during tournaments. I had a ton of fun and would recommend anyone to try and join a club sport in college.” He thinks the most challenging part was that twice a week, the practices ended at midnight, and he had a hard time with his 8 am morning classes the next day!
Jacob does a wonderful job in his role and we are grateful for all of his hard work! Cameron Manning, Auditor, said, “I’ve known Jacob practically my entire life, and when I saw Jeremy post a job opportunity on LinkedIn, I immediately sent it to him because I knew he would be a great fit for the role. I’m glad he ended up getting hired by SpendMend and it seems like he’s flourished in that position. If only he was as good at golf as he is at being a Scrum Master / Business Analyst…” Cameron was right! Jacob is a great fit in his role and we are happy he joined the team!
Interview with Jacob:
What is your role at SpendMend?
Business Analyst
How long have you been with SpendMend?
9 Months
How did you first learn about SpendMend?
Cameron Manning (Auditor) sent me the link to apply for this role while I was job hunting.
What 3 words would you use to describe SpendMend?
Friendly, Collaborative, Innovative
Where are you located/from?
I am From Grand Rapids Michigan and have lived here my whole life.
Where did you go for higher education? What did you study and why?
I am From Grand Rapids Michigan and have lived here my whole life. I went to Grand Valley State University from 2016 to 2020 and majored in Statistics with a Minor in Psychology. I’m not sure why I choose Stats as my major, I think I have always just enjoyed math, and it was challenging. Not exactly using that in my current role now though.
Why do you look forward to coming to work?
I enjoy working with my team members and seeing the gradual process of a project day by day.
Before working at SpendMend, what was the most unusual or interesting job you’ve ever had?
I did demolition one summer in college. It was fun for about a week at best.
What is one fun fact about you?
I played volleyball for 4 years in college.
When did you start playing volleyball?
I started volleyball in my freshman year of college and played for 4 years.
What piqued your interest to start playing?
We played a little bit of beach volleyball the summer before college and during freshman year one of my best friends from high school talked me into trying out.
What was your favorite part about playing volleyball in college?
The most challenging?
This is going to sound cheesy, but the best part of volleyball was the people I met and hanging out with the team during tournaments. I had a ton of fun and would recommend anyone to try and join a club sport in college. Not too demanding, and it was a good way to stay in shape. The most challenging part was that our practices ended at midnight twice a week, and the 8 am classes the next morning were not fun.
What type of music or podcasts do you listen to during the workday?
Pop, Punk rock, rap, and sometimes classical music. My favorite podcast at the moment is ‘Bad Friends’.
What are some of your “go-to” songs to listen to during work to be productive?
I don’t really have any go-to songs, just a lot of playlists that I like to listen to.
Favorite artists/bands, to listen to?
The artists that I have been listening to lately have been Powfu, Jeremy Zucker, Loveless, Fresco Trey, Polo G, 6lack, Russ, and Too Close to Touch to name a few of them.
Have you seen any of your favorites in concert?
And the only concert I have been to was a Quinn XCII concert a few years ago, but I don’t listen to him anymore.
Do you have any hobbies or participate in any activities outside of work?
Mostly Golf and Volleyball. And then movies/tv and video games on occasion.
Are any TV shows that you are currently “binging”?
The show I have been watching over the past few months is ‘Suits’
What recent movies would you recommend to a friend?
I would recommend the new Extraction 2 movie, I only got halfway through it but that was pretty good so far.
What is the best part of serving the healthcare market?
Knowing that the work we do benefits the Men and Women working in healthcare. If our jobs can make theirs a little bit easier I think that’s pretty rewarding.
What has been your experience with SpendMend community service events?
I haven’t done any yet, would have liked to do the 5k with my family though had we been a bit more proactive in signing up for it.
Do you want to shout out a co-worker who has helped or inspired you at SpendMend?
Cameron Manning has explained a lot of what the other side of the company is like. Being in IT I don’t work a lot with the recovery audit side of things. So he helped paint a better picture of the company as a whole for me.
What advice do you have for prospective candidates who want to join the SpendMend team?
I would say just apply. I can’t speak for the other side of the company, but I have found it to be a great place to learn, and I have a bunch of great teammates around me.
What has been your proudest accomplishment at SpendMend?
Not sure if it would be an accomplishment yet, but I have been the Project Manager for the Jira Service Management Project we are working on as a helpdesk replacement. We’re getting close to wrapping that up, and I’m excited for when that is finally rolled out.
What is something you’re looking forward to for your future at SpendMend?
Learning more about my role, and how I can help my teammates. This is my first time in this sort of role, so every week I learn more and get better at my job.