Meet the Team: Sam Cruickshank, Market Strategy Specialist
We’re back with a fan favorite: VIA’s Meet the Team blog series! Through a Q&A-style interview, you will hear from our very own VIAneers about everything from a typical day at VIA to their favorite books, emojis, and activities outside the office. Now, let’s meet ‘em!
What does a typical day at VIA look like for you?
There is no typical day for me at VIA! My days are a mix of business development, go-to-market planning, and sales strategy related activities. These activities can range from partner management to constructing government proposals to figuring out how to optimize our sales tools in order to drive efficiency and organization across the commercial team.
How has VIA’s adoption of flexible work locations impacted your work-life harmony?
I really enjoy VIA’s flexible work arrangement. I’m usually in the office a few days per week. I enjoy the collaborative nature of in-person meetings with my colleagues. My role is one that requires constant collaboration with my teammates, and although we function well working remotely, some things are just easier in-person!
Plus, I’m known for being a connoisseur of the office snack drawer…but don’t tell anyone! If anyone asks, it was Will Chapman 🙂
What’s something you have worked on at VIA that you are most proud of?
A lot of the work I do for VIA is covered under customer confidentiality. So, although I can’t comment on the specifics, I’m proud of the government proposals we have submitted as well as the partner management strategies that I have developed collaboratively with my colleagues. Additionally, I am proud of the workflow processes that our team has created through our tech stack to optimize the relationships with our partners. We consistently set a high bar for ourselves, and as many know, the first step in reaching such standards is having an organized process. Now, we’re on to the next steps!
What’s your favorite VIA memory?
This is a tough one – probably a mix of the late nights working on proposals, a prank that my teammates pulled on me, and company related trips!
What’s something everyone may not, but should, know about working at VIA?
The VXP and company values are real! It is very impactful to hear and watch leadership stick to these values on a daily basis.
What is your favorite customer success story at VIA?
Generally speaking, I find it very exciting to watch how VIA’s technology can be uniquely tailored to fit customer needs through a combination of the dynamism and flexibility of our technology and the agile software development approach. I have enjoyed watching the transition of the work that we compose in proposals to the technical implementation of that work by our fantastic and incredibly skilled technical team. One example that comes to mind is VIA’s current work with USAF’s AMC (Air Mobility Command).
What potential do you see in VIA’s Web3 projects?
I think there is a lot of potential here – it is very exciting to be part of a software company that is at the cutting edge of web development, and doing so while holding true to our mission and values. My time at VIA has opened my eyes to the distributed data reality that many companies across industries face, and it is exciting to be part of a team that provides a unique solution to these challenges.
Just for fun this time, what are your top three favorite podcasts / books?
I’m a big fan of historical fiction and non-fiction – A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles is one of my favorites. Currently, I’m reading a non-fiction book by Jimmy Soni titled “The Founders: Elon Musk, Peter Thiel and the Company that Made the Modern Internet “. Always looking for new suggestions though!
In terms of podcasts, I’ve started to listen to the WSJ What’s News podcast recently.
What are your favorite emojis?
😂 – 🐐 – 🐿
Are you interested in joining a team like Sam describes? Read more about our cutting-edge technology and values here.
