Meet the team: Keri Henare

Every month we profile a member of the Vend team. This month it’s Keri Henare, who joined Vend in October of 2011, and has well established himself as our cheekiest uber-geek and tech fanboy extraordinaire.

Many of you will know Keri well already, from his highly respected work (and ferocious tweeting). But for those of you who don’t, here he is, in 6 questions or less..

Who are you?

I’m Keri Henare - Web developer extraordinaire

What are you doing here?

I’m part of Vend’s senior development team.  We craft every feature that goes into Vend and are constantly refining the application for a better experience.  In particular, my focus is on the sale screen, which is the most used component of Vend.  I’ll be putting a lot of effort into perfecting the flow of transactions and making everything easier for our users.

Where did you work before ‘turning green’?

Before joining Vend I was co-owner at Pixel Fusion (http://pixelfusion.co.nz), an amazing web development team.  I was sad to leave Pixel Fusion, but Vend was an opportunity that couldn’t be turned down.

Why Vend?

Like many others, I’ve done my time working in retail on terrible archaic point of sale systems.  I love the opportunity to be part of what Vend is doing: Showing the big boys how well POS can be done and turning an entire industry on its head in the process.  Vend has a big future ahead and I’m excited for the journey.

Tell us something curious about yourself.

[ REDACTED FOR PUBLIC SAFETY ]

If Vend was a Sci Fi hero, who would it be?

Neo from The Matrix. He exists to bring freedom to the enslaved, making a world of computers better for humans. He has both online and offline support, and (like us) he’s a fan of the colour green.

Keri
http://kerihenare.com 
@KeriHenare

Meet the Vend Team: Mat Lyons

Some of our customers and partners may have already had the pleasure of meeting one of the newer members of the Vend team, Mat Lyons, through conversations on our helpdesk.

Mat joins our growing customer care team, and brings to the role a great deal of technical experience, a background in retail, point of sale and accounting, and a love of skimming across the water like a high-octane pebble. Read on the learn more…

Who are you?

Mat Lyons - The problem solver

What will you be doing here?

Vend customer care is here! I will solve your problems, answer your questions and most importantly make sure you enjoy using Vend. We have a fantastic support team in place so don’t be a stranger, we are here to help you!  

What were you doing before you joined the team?

In early 2010 I graduated with a Bachelor of Business Studies majoring in Information Systems from Massey University (where I also worked as a computer technician supporting the campus IT infrastructure).

The logical next step would have been to settle down and get a real job… so of course two weeks later I was on a plane to the US on an 18 month working holiday; teaching water skiing in Pennsylvania and Canada during the summers, then skiing in Whistler through Winter. 

Less than two weeks after I returned to New Zealand I was snapped up by Vend, to help them on their way to global domination of the POS market. 

Why Vend?

I have had my fair share of retail jobs over the years and they all have one thing in common, a horrible POS system. When I found out about Vend it was great to see a company, let alone a New Zealand company taking the initiative to develop a affordable, easy to use, easy to setup POS system. I am really excited to be part of the team here at Vend as we move forward conquering old POS systems that we know you hate! 

Tell us something interesting about yourself.

I am a petrol head, I grew up riding Jet skis and motorbikes, driving cars and boats, basically messing around with anything that had a motor! Now I am back in New Zealand the time has come to re-kindle my love for all things petrol… where to start though?

If Vend was a car, what would it be?

Toyota Prius*

(* that’d be green, with a racing spoiler and a bad-ass sound system ^Nick) 

Meet the Vend Team: Morgan Pyne

For something so core to our everyday and working lives, most people really have very little understanding of what ‘the internet’ actually is. End users tend to think of cloud software or web sites and apps in very abstract terms. You turn on your computer, open a web browser, and it’s just there. A bit like this…

Morgan Pyne, the most recent addition to the Vend team, is definitely not one of those people. Morgan understands the web, so you don’t have to. He knows how to build and scale the infrastructure that turns millions of lines of code, via racks of servers, stacks of virtual servers, and and an endless mess of network switches and cables housed in data centres halfway round the world, into beautiful, elegant web software - piped effortlessly into your computer. 

Which is why we are very pleased to welcome Morgan to the team.

That, and because he also builds a mean Ukelele.

So read on to learn a little more about ‘our man behind the web’:

Who are you?

I’m Morgan Pyne - full-stack, curious and driven.

What will you be doing here?

I’ll be responsible for making Vend scale up to meet the demands of it’s rapid growth. This will involve touching all aspects of the software and hosting stack to ensure great performance and a continued smooth experience for users as Vend conquers the world. 

What were you doing before you joined the team?

Prior to Vend I was a private contractor, building bespoke software for clients and helping them deal with performance and optimization issues.

Why Vend?

Vend is in a great place right now. They have tackled a market that has been dominated by lumbering dinosaurs far too long and the POS industry is ripe for a revolution. Vend is attractive because it is offering a service to clients that will both save them money and give them a better product than what they currently use. It’s a no-brainer for businesses to switch to using Vend instead of continuing to pay extortionate rates for a sub-par and frustrating experience using their existing POS services. 

For me personally it’s also a great time to join the company because I love to get my hands dirty with the problems associated with scaling up a web-based service. Vend is growing quickly and I expect that trend to continue as word gets out about just how good it is. 

Tell us something interesting about yourself.

I once toured with a band called Loon Saloon, playing a style of music described as ‘Cosmic Country’. I played a home-made Pedal Steel which was bought in a pawn-shop in Prague before the collapse of communism in the Czech Republic. It was made from old biscuit tins and bits of scrap, and I had to rebuild and repair it before every gig. I am also an aspiring luthier, and have just completed my first build - a Concert Ukulele built entirely from NZ native timbers including 50,000yr old ancient kauri. My current build is a Selmer-Maccaferri guitar, popularized by the legendary gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt in the 1940s.

If Vend was a genre of music, what would it be?

Post-bebop jazz, remixed for our modern times - the (re)Birth of Cool.

Meet the Vend Team: Kara Haas

Please extend a very warm welcome to Kara Haas, who joins the Vend family as our first US employee. 

Previously a Vend Certified Partner, many of you will know Kara well already, through her guest posts on our blog, her endless enthusiasm for Vend (and Xero.. and indeed all web software), and her selfless, late-night customer support efforts on our helpdesk. 

We are truly lucky to welcome Kara to the team. 

You’ll hear from Kara on the blog again soon. In the meantime, learn a little more about her new role at Vend below.

Who are you?

I am Kara Haas – lover of independent retailers and barcodes.

What will you be doing here?

I will be working to spread the word about Vend across the Americas, developing the partner channel and helping retailers stay focused on their core business and customers.

Why Vend?

It is truly a dream come true to have this opportunity. I have been addicted to software and the retail market for quite some time. I still recall my first reaction after setting up a trial account - “Hey, everyone check this out…. It. Just. Works!” It has been wonderful to see this product grow over the past year. I have long admired the straightforward and passionate team at Vend. I am very much looking forward to being a part of the future.

Tell us something interesting about yourself.

Some people have a swear jar in their home. I have a retail jar. Anytime we buy something from a big box store that we could have purchased from an independent retailer, we must contribute 10% of the purchase cost.

If Vend was a hairstyle, what would it be?

Bouffant

Meet the Vend Team: Kyle Clarke

We wish to extend a warm welcome to the newest member of the Vend family, Kyle Clarke. But who is he, and what is he doing here?

Find out the answers below. Then be sure to say a big hello.

Who are you?

I am Kyle Clarke - kickass software developer.

What will you be doing at here?

I’m really lucky to be working on a well established platform such as Vend. It gives us the power and flexibility to create cutting edge features for our clients. This is where I come in. Apart from leading and mentoring the development team here at Vend, I will be driving new features for our users,  to make Vend a POS you will love to use! 

Why Vend?

It’s a real pleasure to have been asked to lead the development of the Vend POS system. As it turns out, I’ve already worked with “the man with the moustache” before on such successful projects as www.travelbug.co.nz. I generally have enthusiasm to boot. So when you take an exciting product such as Vend, and add a dash of cutting edge technology, cap that with an emerging new marketplace and polish with a enthusiastic team - you get me and a whole heap of AWESOME! 

In short, it’s great to have the opportunity to help so many so easily!

If Vaughan’s moustache were an animal, what would it be?

A sea cucumber.

Tell us something interesting about yourself. 

Being an avid music junkie, I love how analogue can still trump in this digital age. Which probably lends well to my like of public speaking and the feeling of engagement. These days I seem to be getting a real obsession for renewable energy creation and storage. There’s simply got to be a better way. And I also have a tattoo on my left foot that reads “shnue” - if someone can tell me what that means - it’d be much appreciated.

I am Kyle.

Meet the Vend Team: Nick Houldsworth

Vend is pleased to welcome Nick Houldsworth to the Vend family. Nick returns to Point of Sale some 12 years after his first IT job on the help-desk of early ePOS software provider, Zonal Retail Data Systems. 

Since then, Nick has worked in online marketing, web development and communications in a range of industries, including retail, the public sector, and the music business.

Like Vaughan, he also sports a generous crop of facial hair.

Nick will be manning the helpdesk, emails, blog, twitter and all our other channels to help our customers receive the best support and service, and share their love for Vend!

So don’t be a stranger. Be sure to say ‘Hi’, tell us how you feel about Vend, or simply compliment Nick’s beard :-)