This article is part of a series of 5 CTOs you should know in Austin. Click here to see more.
Food safety is one of those things most of us don’t care about until there’s an outbreak of some contaminant that makes people sick, or worse.
At Alchemy Systems, it’s top of mind all the time. The company makes software for managing food and workplace safety that’s used by two million food workers at 15,000 locations.
Anywhere food is grown, manufactured, processed, packaged and distributed, supervisors can run tools like Alchemy Coach on tablets to monitor and retrain employees on the spot, fixing mistakes before they become major problems.
Earlier this year, CTO Archie Barrett accepted a Food Safety Innovation Award for that app from the International Association for Food Protection. We asked him about the technology Alchemy works with the most, and what he looks for when adding members to his team.What technologies do you use to power your business?
Java / Angular; Xamarin / .Net; LAMP / React
What are the biggest tech projects your team is working on this year?
We’re moving our mobile app to Xamarin, refactoring Java platform with Rest/Angular, and refactoring our LAMP platform with Rest/React.
What’s a technology challenge you've faced recently, and how are you overcoming it?
Older architectures do not support mobile devices very well. We’re overcoming this challenge by re-architecting the platforms based on Rest APIs and modern JavaScript technologies.
What are lessons you've learned about working in Austin that other local entrepreneurs can learn from?
Develop a work-hard-play-hard culture, but support a healthy work-life balance and be transparent as much as possible with your team.
Austin is known for having a large talent pool of thirsty, young workers. What are the top characteristics you look for in a potential hire?
Make sure the candidate fits with our core values. He or she should be creative and collaborative, open-minded, self-directed and driven to learn new things. I also look for a proven track record in larger companies as well as companies the same size as Alchemy.
How would your team describe working with you?
Never a dull moment.
Images courtesy of Alchemy Systems.
