Inventive Leaders Series Presents: Barry Wayne, Director of Product

If you’ve seen our tagline, you understand our work ethic — we focus on getting the job done as quickly and effectively as possible. If it’s important to you, it’s important to us, too. 

Even after five years, we still think of ourselves as a scrappy startup. One of the things that sets us apart from other companies like us, however, is our eagle-eye focus on constantly improving everything. Not just on how we work on client projects, but also how we onboard new team members, keep our culture vibrantly alive while working from home, and make sure we have incredible leaders in place who will push Inventive towards continuous improvement, and growth.  

In the second part of our new Inventive Leaders Series, we introduced you to Greg Bryant, Distinguished Architect, and talked all about the incredible ways he’s transforming our engineering department. 

In part three, we are excited to speak with Barry Wayne, Director of Product.

We sat down with Barry for a brief interview to chat more about his career, his new position with Inventive, what excites him most about the startup space, and advice for anyone interested in breaking into the tech industry.  

MEET BARRY, DIRECTOR OF PRODUCT

Inventive: Hi, Barry! Why don’t you briefly introduce yourself?

Barry: Well, hi there! I am originally from Georgetown, TX. I studied Industrial Engineering at Texas A&M and Computer Science at Lamar University. I’m actually also working on my MBA through one of Texas A&M’s campuses as we speak. 

Inventive: Describe your current position with Inventive and what led you to this awesome opportunity.

Barry: I am currently the Director of Product here at Inventive and am absolutely loving it so far. I have worked with oil and gas, networking, and application performance monitoring companies in the past, and I have been able to transfer those invaluable skills and experiences into my current position. 

THE DAY-TO-DAY

Inventive: What does an average day on the job look like for you? Is there an average day?

Barry: Days are almost anything but average for me! Typically, they consist of a whirlwind of emails, smiling faces on Zoom, and digging into Jira/Miro/Zeplin on the regular. 

WORKING IN THE TECH STARTUP SPACE 

Inventive: What attracted you to working in the tech startup space?

Barry: I love knowing everyone I work with and being able to make a meaningful contribution to the company. Some people crave the stability of a big ship, but I love the excitement of a smaller, nimble one.

LET’S TALK INVENTIVE

Inventive: What was it about Inventive that spoke to you?

Barry: The people and the projects! Everyone is so candid and really wants to make things successful.

Inventive: How do you maintain a sense of community and culture with your fellow employees in a remote work environment?

Barry: I have been a remote employee for roughly five years, so I find it relatively simple. I make a point to introduce two or three tangents per conversation so that I can know a bit more about my colleagues outside of work.

WORDS OF WISDOM

Inventive: What’s one piece of advice you would offer to professionals/entrepreneurs trying to break into the tech industry?

Barry: Just do it! Moving from oil and gas to the tech space has been the best decision I have made in my career. Pick something that interests you, watch some videos, and get on Linkedin to find a mentor.

FINAL NOTES 

When Barry isn’t getting shit done at Inventive, you can probably find him working on his 1966 Mustang or off-roading with his friends. If he’s not in the garage, Barry is usually cooking some new recipe for his fiancé and friends. (Remind us to ask him if he’s ever in need of some quality assurance assistance because we volunteer as tribute.)

We are so grateful to have him on our team, leading the charge for all things product.

Do you have a question for Barry, or are you looking to get some assistance on a new or existing project? Let’s chat! Our innovative team of engineers, developers, and thought leaders are here to help turn your ideas into a reality. 

Be sure to keep an eye out next month for the fourth installment of our new Inventive Leaders Series where we introduce Laura Ruffino, Director of Sales.