Web Developer

August, 2019

Tell us a little about yourself.

My name is Eddie Colon. I was born in Saint Croix, Virgin Islands, and spent my earlier years in Puerto Rico (both of my parents are from Puerto Rico). I generally say I was born in Puerto Rico because when I was two days old, we left Saint Croix and came back to Puerto Rico.

 

When I was five, we moved stateside and lived in Florida. I played football in high school. My junior year we moved to Philly and I continued to play football there. I went to college and, after one year, had some events happen where my closest friend was shot in a drive-by. This lead me to leave and attend a Christian college in California. The tragic shooting turned into a blessing; it was the event that drove me away from home and to the school I attended. That allowed me to meet my wife, Bev, and we moved to her home state of Montana. I finished up my degree in medical science and business management which landed me a job as a Lead QA at National Flood Services (Insurance). Five years later, I was offered a job at Verizon Wireless as a manager which led me to Pocatello. The rest is history….

 

What was your most interesting job before coming to Farm Bureau?

My most interesting job is being a youth pastor (I still do it now). Working with different teens and hearing how some of them live and what they’re going through is a challenge. Some lost their parent(s), some don’t feel loved, some struggle with drugs and live a broken life, and some feel rejected. Being a youth pastor is a consistent giving of self to help others.

 

How did you come to work at Farm Bureau?

I remember the whole process. Greg Murray is a deacon at my church and I remember him saying, “Hey Eddie you gotta come to the FBI.” I was like, "I’m pretty sure they won’t hire me." After about 10 minutes of me listening, I finally found out it was an insurance company.

 

At that time, Verizon wanted me to head up the Denver market, but my wife and I wanted to stay here because of our youth group. So I applied.
I remember going online, applying, and calling every three to four days, asking if they received an email and so forth.

 

When I had my first interview, I was floored because the questions were so good and Danika and Emily seemed kind and easy to interact with. Right after that interview, I remember leaving and being like, “Dude you gotta work here.” So I begun the process again: calling every three days and talking to Bridget and/or Lacie until they told me I had a second interview with Adam.

 

The interview with Adam was awesome for two reasons. First, he asked me my "why" - the reasons why I do things or what motivates me. Secondly, he really took the time to get to know me, to see if I would be the right person for the seat on the bus. It was awesome.

 

My first day was December 11, 2017. I was so excited to get started.
I remember asking Chris Joslin all kinds of questions about our databases and saying to Emily, “Can I do something? What’s next?” Pretty epic stuff.

 

What is your role at Farm Bureau? What aspect do you enjoy the most?

My role is Web Developer. I love creating beautiful websites, images, solving problems for the business, and creating solutions.

 

What are some highlights from your time at Farm Bureau?

Growth. It's important for to me to grow, to learn, to have mentors, and to see how they interact with others. Right now I have a few mentors who have taken the time to teach me. That’s priceless.

 

What do you wish other people knew about your role or department?

I would love people to see how the development process works, from pulling the user story to discussions and creating.

 

What's the coolest thing you're working on right now?

A couple of things: I help design the Smart Things website and have created a proof of concept for what a potential client portal can look like.

 

What are your aspirations for this position?

I want to be the best developer I can be. I want to be the guy who, no matter who asks me, I don’t say "no." I'm like, "Okay, how do we do this? Let's draw it out." I want to solve problems and create new things for the business!

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What is your proudest accomplishment?

Being the first in my family to graduate from college was cool. My father was a sixth-grade dropout who had to help his dad and mom in Puerto Rico, working on the farm and helping do whatever they needed. My dad told us early that school was all he could offer us. We were poor growing up, and he made it a priority for us to do our best, to struggle and grow and finish everything we started.

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Tell us a little about your family.

I have a pretty wife; her name is Beverly Colon. We have been married for 11 years and have two wonderful daughters: Wanda, nine, and Isabelle, eight. They are so funny and unique and talented in so many areas.

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What motivates you to work hard?

My family is my number one, but I also feel to this day that I’m working to interview for my next position. What value can I bring? And how do people know unless we drive to be the absolute best person we can be? The grind knows how much time we have put into it, and you can’t cheat the grind. 
It goes back to hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.

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Who inspires you?

Man, this is a hard question, because at work I look up to so many people who I want to be like. But if I had to pick, it would be my wife. She is so selfless. She eats last, she cleans, she puts everyone first. I want to be more like that; it drives me to be better.

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Do you have any hobbies?

I love to do photography and yo-yoing (it’s a sport). I also enjoy golfing and coding!

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What is your favorite game or sport to watch? To play?

Football to watch, golf to play.

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Do you have any hidden talents?

Talents? I mean, I can speak in front of people. I enjoy singing, and I'm an amazing cook.

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What is your favorite vacation spot and why?

My favorite spot to vacation is anywhere but Montana (LOL). But for real, so far it's been Florida. I love the ocean, I love the smell of the water, and the culture is pretty awesome.

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What book(s) are you reading these days?

Good To Great; How To Win Friends & Influence People; the Bible.

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What is your favorite book?

The Bible. A strong second is The Three Musketeers.

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Who is your favorite author?

Alexander Dumas.

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If you could tell one person “Thank You” for helping you become the person you are today, who would it be and what did they do?

It would be Jeff Maddox. Jeff Maddox was that one guy who, when I was growing up, invested in me when my friend was shot. He paid for a ticket for me to go college in California. He brought me my first suit. He gave me advice about how to succeed and not be bitter toward life and its circumstances. He is the reason I am a youth pastor now. If it wasn’t for him, I probably wouldn't have made it early on.

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When are you the happiest?

All the time!

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Fill in the blank: If you really knew me, you’d know...

I love cartoons.

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What would you most regret not having done by the end of your life?

Finishing well.

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What one memory do you most treasure?

My first anniversary. Bev asked me what I wanted, and I shared a story with her. When I was like 12, I asked my dad for this yo-yo for Christmas called Cold Fusion. He tried to get it but couldn’t afford it. So I told Bev I really didn't need anything the day of our anniversary. But, she gave me a shoebox. I thought well, this sucks. You know you're old when you  get shoes. I opened the box and there was a Cold Fusion yo-yo, still in the original box. It wasn’t the object that made me happy; it was the fact she remembered and took odd jobs to buy it.

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What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned in the last year?

Everyone has a story. We all have problems and have no idea what each other is going through. So we ought to treat others as such.

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