Team Q&A: Shawn Offutt – Software Developer

Please join me in welcoming our newest Virtual Peaker team member, Shawn Offutt!

What did you do before joining Virtual Peaker?

Handyman is probably the word that best describes my career path. I’ve worked in a range of industries, always with the goal of reverse engineering technology to solve problems. Attending Code Louisville, like many of my colleagues here at Virtual Peaker, helped me realize how much satisfaction I get when I can make things less complicated with every line of code I write.

What’s your role at Virtual Peaker?

As a software developer, most of my work involves standardizing the codebase, API, and Virtual Peaker’s Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) programs. I make things look pretty—and make sure they’re highly functional. Everyone here is enthusiastic about their work and incredibly smart, so I feel like I’ve joined the best team in the energy industry.

What else can you share?

I’m a traveler at heart. My wife is from Hessen, Germany, not too far from Frankfurt, so we’ve spent a lot of time exploring the Netherlands, Prague, and other places across Europe sampling local dishes. One of my favorite spots is the Christmas Market in Heidelberg, where the aromas and sights immediately put me on sensory overload.

I’m also a competitive gamer. When I’m thinking about solutions for Virtual Peaker, I draw on my experiences as a gaming content creator to help me develop products that are accessible—and engaging—for as many people as possible.

About The Author

Bill is a serial entrepreneur with a PhD from UC Berkeley in Controls and Artificial Intelligence and 10 years of experience with high performance residential energy management and connected appliances. He was previously at GE as an Advanced Systems Engineer in the Connected Home Software Group, but left that role in May 2014 to pursue entrepreneurship full time.

Bill grew up in Louisville and returned with his family in 2010 after a long stint in the San Francisco Bay Area. He loves Louisville and is working to make it a better and more attractive city for high tech startups.

More About Bill