Mike McDerment is the co-founder and CEO of FreshBooks, planet earth’s #1 cloud accounting solution designed for small business owners. In 2003, Mike built FreshBooks for his design firm, scratched his own itch, then moved into his parent's basement for 3.5 years to get FreshBooks off the ground. Since then over 5,000,000 people have used FreshBooks to save time billing and collect billions of dollars. Mike and his team dedicate themselves to executing extraordinary experiences everyday for small business owners who want to focus on the work they love, instead of on their paperwork.
In addition to being a co-founder of FreshBooks, Joe is also a tenured professor at an Ontario University. In 2000 Joe received his PhD in Computer Science from the University of Victoria, specializing in the development of efficient algorithms. Following his degree, he spent two years on a prestigious NSERC post-doc visiting Charles University (Czech Republic), the University of Sydney (Australia), and the University of Toronto (Canada). Joe's most important role at FB: making sure the beer fridge remains well stocked.
Levi is a professional engineer with a BEng from the University of Victoria. Before joining FreshBooks, Levi managed projects at Apex Systems Integrators Inc., where his clients included Canadian Tire, Nestlé, and Parmalat. Levi is a systems integration specialist and has led multi-platform integrations with technologies such as: Oracle, SAP, .NET, Windows CE and Pocket PC. An ultimate frisbee, volleyball and basketball player, we suspect he may have stuffed toy dinosaurs hidden in his condo, such is the level of his support for the Toronto Raptors.
Cat Herding requires a wide range of skills -- Corey brings years of experience and a skillset that pretty much defines "wide-ranging": an instructor of Japanese swordsmanship who designs tabletop role-playing games and writes reasonably competent ottava rima, he remains bemused that an English degree has been useful in this industry. He writes about software development management, swordfighting and games on his website, and at FreshBooks, is expanding the hotshot development team to meet the challenges of the company's rapid growth. He has pretty crazy ideas on what makes a great software team, mostly involving "Making Sure Developers Are Insanely Happy".
Jeff is a consummate perfectionist and ace designer. Jeff-fun includes creating awesome web sites, hockey and snowboarding, where he will not hesitate to take on any double black diamond he comes across. Jeff is also obsessed with washing his car (some say his left arm is twice the size of his right arm because of this). See what Jeff's up to by visiting his website or checking his twitter updates.
Daniel supports the FreshBooks team by coordinating customer feedback and marketing initiatives into each release. Daniel graduated from the U of T's Computer Science program and also worked for Biz-zone Internet Group Inc. before joining the FreshBooks team. In his spare time, Daniel likes to tweak his computer, work on his tennis game, and hit the local Cineplex for the latest blockbusters.
Did you know that Rich Lafferty invented ice? Despite this he lives modestly with wife Candice and cat Rasha, one of whom has floofy white feets. Rich leads a team of intrepid system administrators, constantly redefining the word "system" to include servers, phone systems, refrigerators, coat racks, octopuses, and pieces of string, and provides the office with a steady stream of cat videos. Sometimes he stares at the wall for hours on end.
Taavi fixes bugs you didn't know you had, and comes up with crazy ideas that turn out to be good ideas. When not munging logs for fun and profit, he may be found on a bike, in a kitchen, or on a stage.
Fresh out of the University of Waterloo, equipped with a math degree and boundless enthusiasm, Grace is our first FreshBooks employee dedicated entirely to helping our customers. I guess you could call her the 'invoice of reason'. When she isn’t answering your questions, you can usually find her playing outside, talking to strangers, playing for the Argonotes or making her co-workers groan with her witty one-liners. She’s game for anything and flies by the seat of her own pants because she knows life is short. After all, time flies like an arrow and fruit flies like a banana.
Randy is here to help you spend less time managing your finances and invoices so you can spend more time on your business and what you love doing. He follows a simple rule that helps him be a rockstar at his job - treat people right and everything usually works out. Outside of the office, his two main loves include low-light/high-speed photography and dancing, both of which are highly encouraged in FreshBooks. Randy is also an aspiring vagabond, having travelled to sixteen different cities and four countries in his first year at FreshBooks.
Originally from Africa - the land of the Maasai and where the big game roam free. Asmita studied in Nairobi before moving to Canada and brings extensive office administration experience to her position as she has worked for several multinational corporations in Toronto. In her free time, you can find her at the gym or volunteering for charitable organizations.
Momchil brings plenty of quality assurance experience to the FreshBooks team, having worked for Bodog, amongst others. He works alongside developers and managers to constantly improve the awesome FreshBooks product by flushing out existing glitches and ensuring new functionality integrates smoothly into the existing system. Momchil is a UofT graduate with degrees in Computer Science, Criminology and Mathematics. Alongside his fascination for computers and modern technology, Momchil is also extremely passionate about cars. In his free time Momchil builds websites, bikes along the lake and practices TaeKwon-Do.
Owen arrived at FreshBooks HQ with nothing but assorted piercings and a beautifully streamlined head. He’s useful in that his head reflects light around the office, handy in our dark Canadian winters. His black leather jacket cannot be removed from his body without invasive surgery, and he feels no pain but the pain of changing requirements. He also writes software.
Tim's mesolimbic pathway is constantly flooded with dopamine when he's at FreshBooks — That is to say, he's elated to be here. Studying and working in a variety of fields and locations on planet Earth has allowed Tim to develop a sharp brain for interpersonal communication and a knack for empathy. Add his experiences in tech into the mix, and you've got yourself a support rock-star. When not figuring out the functions and bio-pathway of the Inward Rectifier Potassium Ion Channels, you can usually find Tim perfecting techniques on the piano, volunteering and singing in a choir, playing video games, practice photography, blog, watching Disney movies, and drinking down a pint of Dole Whip with friends.
Beatriz brings to the table a wide range of experience in the IT/Tech world. As a self-proclaimed geek she loves technology, media and video games. Still a kid-at-heart, she enjoys to be silly and random. With an inquisitive-mind and a love of people she wants to know what makes your business tick. To relax and calm the chattering monkeys in her head she enjoys reading (her favourite is Latin American literature) and watching movies, especially foreign films.
Eti joins the FreshBooks Team with over 8 years of experience recruiting for companies across North America. Ranging from Big Banks to online start-ups, Eti also spent a year working in San Francisco. Years later, her internal clock is still adjusting to East Coast time with FreshBooks reminiscent of that West Coast tech vibe. In her spare time she enjoys baking and creating new desserts – a passion she discovered at age 6. When she's not baking up a storm, Eti spends her time online, reading (anything non-fiction) or playing cheesy games.
With a background in both accounting and computing, and an appreciation of fine writing and sentence structure, John can wax poetic about revenue recognition models and scripting languages, but strangely enough is still struggling to find a truly appreciative audience. When not computing, John plays saxophone with the Markham Concert Band and the Argonotes, occasionally plays himself with the Markham Little Theatre, and plays Dad with his kids.
Ashok spent the last 12 years in London, including a worrying amount of time studying performance modelling and queueing theory at Imperial College. When not working or noodling with semantic web things, you'll typically find him drinking craft beer and ideally listening to the blues.
Casey is our Director of Product Management at FreshBooks. He's the guy helping the team prioritize and design all of the great features that go into making FreshBooks so awesome. After 7 years as a Program Manager at Microsoft, Casey has settled in Toronto for the long haul. He has the slogan "Fortunae Nihil" (Leave Nothing to Chance) tattooed on his arm to remind him that great things are made by great teams with focus and planning. He plays a solo rockabilly show every night for his wife and kids, and does not dream of someday being on-stage. Not at all, seriously.
Mark comes to FreshBooks with a background in design and painting from the Ontario College of Art and Design, and a passion for all things code related. A passionate and involved member of the open source community, Mark spends much of free time hacking away on various projects and blogging about what he's learned. In his free time he enjoys a variety of gaming, reading, cycling and snowboarding.
After spending his college years in professional kitchens, Adam joins us as part of the network operations team. He is passionate about shiny new gadgets, online security and cryptography, and conspiracy theory. In his free time Adam enjoys letting his friend poke him repeatedly with needles and can often be found in a pub, pint in hand.
As a fresh Computer Science graduate from the University of Waterloo, Kiet found he was a lot better at breaking code than fixing it - so Quality Assurance it was. He joins the FreshBooks team after having spent over 7 years poking and prodding at all manners of software programs, systems and people. In his spare time, he dabbles at web site development, martial arts and tech gadgets. Kiet is also a closet Bimmer and Toronto Raptors fan.
They say Steve was formed in the bosom of FreshBooks itself - his roar is long and loud. Taught never to give up on a customer and that creating a happy user is the greatest glory you could achieve. Beneath his explosive and elegantly chiselled physique, lives the soft comfort of a harvest night. A place where love radiates like a midnight campfire amongst old friends. Always there with a helping hand - an incredibly massive and powerfully awesome helping hand.
David was born of nuclear winter survivor zombie parents in an alternate reality in which the cold war escalated to a complete and mutual nuclear annihilation. His mutant DNA gave him the power to transcend this nuclear wasteland into your reality and take the form of a regular human boy. He has been commissioned by the FreshBooks corporation to control their fleet of advanced super computers through his astounding radioactive aura. The FreshBooks corporation intends on harnessing these state of the art algorithmic computing machines to overcome biggest threats to mankind. FreshBooks - Your well-being is our top priority (TM).
Jason grew up on the Canadian prairie and spent the better part of the long winters and short summers poking away on the primitive personal computers of the day. He has parlayed that early fascination into a career spent writing code while contributing to open source projects. When not running part of the FreshBooks development team, he can usually be found neglecting his lawn, shuttling his daughters to their various dance classes and events, or pretending he knows how to play musical instruments. He blogs when the mood strikes.
Taylor is whatever and whoever you need him to be. As a published chemistry graduate with experience in virtually every work environment, he is constantly ready to take on any challenge(s) that FreshBooks' customers are facing. A varsity ultimate frisbee player from Western, former Ukrainian dancer, and lover of all things athletic, Taylor is a sharp young mind with a high-energy attitude that will always come in handy for your business. After hours he's the lead singer/songwriter/keyboardist in Toronto's "freshest" band call Tea and Coffee.
Richard is a U of T computer engineering graduate and has been in the web development industry ever since. Outside of serious work, he enjoys cooking, baking and of course, eating and drinking. To balance the calorie intakes, he is training for his first half marathon. He has a soft spot for all animals and is a volunteer dog sitter for those in need. FYI, he makes a mean souffle.
Jeremy is an award-winning / self deprecating art director with a wealth of experience across diverse sectors in advertising. Called "a one man revolution on the way we use video, computers and our bodies to create art" by Filmmaker magazine, he also draws on a successful career as a new media artist. When asked about his spare time Jeremy could only list more work that he'd done. Dude also has a Masters in Fine art from Syracuse University among a bunch of other degrees.
An ISTQB certified tester, Mio brings with him to FreshBooks more than a decade of quality assurance experience working for multinationals all over Asia and North America in a variety of industries from finance, healthcare and telcos. On his free time, he enjoys going on road trips, exploring new places and chilling out with family and friends.
Jane may be an ex-law student, but is forever a student of human nature and current trends. She's spent time learning psychology and political science, as well as organizing for a non-profit. She loves to listen and she loves to laugh. In her off-time, she would be spending time with her dog, ogling other dogs, and listening to a lot of music, especially electronic, hip hop, or really slow soothing stuff. She dabbles in photography and would spend all her days in karaoke if she could.
Rajan is a QA Analyst at FreshBooks! With a computer engineering degree from U of T, he has an in-depth understanding of web development which makes him a lethal software tester. When he is not busy causing havoc for the developers, he enjoys watching TV and playing sports. Other hobbies include puzzle games, poker and fishing.
Tim looks at life from a sea gull's outlook on food. If it's in front of you, you can eat it. In other words, you can do anything that is put in front of you. He is a recent York University graduate equipped with a business degree and has experience in customer service. He took his communication skills abroad to Seoul, South Korea to teach english. He has been a die-hard Raptors fan since day 1, with Alvin Williams being his favourite Raptor of all time. Photography has recently become his newest hobby, which goes well with his love for travelling. His main goal in life: "At some point in my life I will approach the check-in counter of an airport only to be told that there is no longer any room on my passport for another stamp".
Rae graduated from the University of Windsor with a computer science degree. Since then she has worked as a QA analyst and a database administrator. She got her nickname "Check Mate" from her love of playing chess with co-workers during lunch time. Apart from playing chess Rae is very adventurous and loves to try new things. She has a very positive outlook on life but one thing she does get jealous of are those chefs in cooking shows that get to eat all that good food for free!
A graduate from U of T Computer Science, Kevin enjoys software development and sees programming as a way of life, rather than just a career. He spends his leisure time hacking around functional programming languages and blogs about his learning experience. He has knowledge of useless facts such as flags and capitals of the countries around the world, and he believes the geek shall inherit the earth. His other enjoyments in life include light and classy music, armchair soccer club management, and playing with his two pet rats.
Erin is thrilled to be joining the FreshBooks team as their very first Visual Designer. She promises to bring her A-Game and revolutionize the world - or at the very least, create some cool stuff. Erin's favourite colour is blue, just like FreshBooks, she loves cooking, eating chocolate and making art. When not in the city, Erin can be found canoeing in Algonquin Park or travelling the world. "You've got to bumble forward into the unknown."
Penny joins the FreshBooks team with 5 years of experience in the recruiting field. Hailing from rural Ontario she was drawn to the big city simply for the fact she could watch more than three channels on TV. Penny started her career working at a boutique agency helping small software companies hire top talent. In her spare time she enjoys yoga, attending the ballet, cooking up a storm and spending time with family. She is known as being highly organized and once received a label maker as a present - which is still one of her favourite gifts she's received.
Jonathan graduated from OCAD as a drawing and painting major and promptly entered the exciting and wholly unrelated field of web development. In his free time you can find him doing creative things like dancing, drawing, writing poetry, or playing some sort of stringed, folk instrument. Jonathan is one of the best spellers most people have ever met, but his plans to go professional were quickly dispelled after he lost on the word "bugle" in grade four.
Hailing from the mean streets of suburban Mississauga, Ramiro "Your Support Hero" Chamorro is here to help your business keep ticking and put that bounce back in your step. Having successfully started his own business that fully paid off his U of T degree, he understands the things that matter most to your small business and shares your sense of urgency. Clearly not enjoying a single moment of downtime, he keeps busy in his free time by being a frontman for a ska-punk band, snowboarding, rock climbing, trail riding, video gaming and reading way too many dorky books for his own good and dating life.
Gary comes to FreshBooks with a passion for helping small businesses succeed. He joins the team with the goal of getting the word out at how great FreshBooks is and helping people find it in lots of different places. Prior to FreshBooks Gary has dealt with a bunch of different products ranging from toy dolls to remote control cars to the Playstation, and has spent over a decade working with Intuit. When not working, Gary can be found listening to classic rock, following football or on an island in the middle of Georgian Bay.
Hailing from Toronto, Avrum graduated from the University of Toronto in Computer Engineering in 2007 and moved to Seattle the same year to join Microsoft. After working for teams across Office, Windows, and Search, Avrum moved back to Toronto and joined the product team at FreshBooks in 2011. Avrum works closely with designers and developers to create extraordinary experiences for FreshBooks' 5 million small business customers, so they can spend less time managing their paperwork and more time on what they love to do. Outside of FreshBooks, Avrum can be found complaining about restaurants that don't meet expectations, thinking of clever Facebook status updates, and traveling.
Fueled by his passion for technology, Anton decided to lock himself away deep, deep into the corners of the University of Toronto, studying the dark magic of computer science and practicing the ancient art of web development. In 2011, Anton emerged from his trials, ready to take on all the exciting challenges at FreshBooks! When not madly coding away on his computer, Anton likes to sing about his favourite things, play video games, watch movies, and discovering awesome music.
Amanda hails from the world of online publishing and has been a champion for good ideas since well before the advent of Twitter. When she's not comparing FreshBooks to a cultural revolution on par with the invention of the wheel, she's likely recounting the outcome of her latest culinary experiment or relating an intrepid tale about her adorable terrier Rupert. Always armed with a notebook, her anthropology background comes in handy when she's laying down the story of the moment. One of her short-term goals is to make a nice picnic quilt for Leafy and all his friends.
An Expat from Ohio, Jason spends his days as a Linux SysAdmin and his free time enjoying a myriad of hobbies. Board and tabletop gaming, watching werewolf movies, cycling, and vegan cooking keep him occupied. Any time he gets the chance to travel, he takes the opportunity to learn everything possible about local rituals, particularly those related to body modification, ahead of time and does his best to witness them in person.
Theresa grew up in the suburbs of Mississauga, but has a penchant for travelling. She brings to FreshBooks her positivity and loves giving out hugs. Passionate about food, she can be found gazing at their deliciousness on the Internet and trying out new recipes. She's always up for trying anything new and never turns down chances to karaoke.
After a summer of exploring various parts of South East Asia and being chased down a mountain by a pack of monkeys, I decided that my goal after graduation would be to find a company and job that can provide similar high concentrations of awesome and here I am at FreshBooks. I am a huge fan of movies, music, and taking photos of all the places I have gotten to see while travelling around the world. I recently graduated from the University of Toronto with a major in psychology, so helping people is a thing I love to do and technology has always been a passion of mine (so feel free to come chat with me about the latest and greatest!). A quick fun fact about me is that I have been awarded the Eagle Scout rank; an award only given to three percent of all scouts around the world and gives me something similar with Neil Armstrong and Steven Spielberg.
Ryan is just like everyone else, he puts his pants on one leg at a time; then he puts on his robe and wizard hat. A lover of all things German and beer he spends his time in the evenings exercising and maintaining the perfect Ballmer Peak for maximum code output.
Vonnell has a great name. Pronounced VIN-elle, try combining it with her last name. Cool, right? After earning her degree at the University of Western Ontario, she entered the "real world" and learned how to sell. Sort of. Now part of the sales team at FreshBooks, she will use those skills to talk to customers about the software and determine if it's a good fit for their company (it obviously is). In her spare time, she rides Lucy, likes to design and sew and will occasionally be found in her parent's basement where her darkroom is located.
Fabiola comes to FreshBooks with a big smile, dedicated work ethic and a magnetic personality. Fabi, as her friends know her, is always building long lasting personal and professional friendships. As a graduate from York University's Schulich School of Business and 4 years selling aerospace and military parts, Fabi offers a great wealth of knowledge in Sales and Customer Relations. The International Bachelor of Business Administration degree she received also gave her experience abroad and took her to Mexico where she further developed her studies at the University Tec de Monterrey. During her travels in Mexico, she developed an immunity to tequila but a weakness towards tacos, tortillas and tortas. When Fabi is not organizing a party or creeping on Facebook, she spends her time playing soccer, softball and going for long walks with her family's big loveable yellow Lab, River (El Ingeniero).
Nox has a strong case of "shiny ball syndrome", she loves learning about new things. This has led her through jobs in social media, corporate communications, community and product management and even video game design. Then she discovered that programming is the shiniest ball of them all (think disco ball full of fireflies making jazz hands). She's thrilled to be part of the automation team, writing code to find bugs in other code. If she were an episode of Sesame Street she would be brought to you by the letter P: programming in Python, photography, puppies (especially her dog Kali), preparing for obstacle races and pretty spicy food. You can find her here, she'd love to hear from you.
Having been born to frugal parents, Colin grew up making his own toys from various broken items. Never once getting tetanus, he found that he was particularly good at tearing things apart and building them up again. He honed this skill and became a software developer capable of seemingly impossible tasks and hacks. When not being the consummate professional, Colin is a hobbyist cook and photographer. An unfortunate combination for his family as they are generally found waiting for dinner while Colin waits for the right light for the shot.
Natalia came to FreshBooks with 6 years of experience in testing web applications. As a quality assurance tester, she has had passion for excellence and a "test to break" attitude. Natalia is a very positive and enjoyable person. She also loves ice-cream and stuffed toy animals. Natalia's hobbies includes photography and teaching Ballet to children. She really enjoys changes. If nothing new is happening than she will go crazy and start moving furniture around the house.
Jesse's an illustrator/designer from Toronto. He studied Fine Arts and Illustration at OCAD and Graphic Design at Humber College. Jesse thoroughly enjoys his time at FreshBooks doodling and collaborating on various exciting creative projects. His favorite foods are rotis tacos bananas and zoodles. He's also a big fan of music and movies.
An entrepreneur by definition, Darryl just can't help himself – he'll talk business and strategy with anyone who'll listen. As the former Head of SEO for both Yahoo! and Star Media Group, Darryl has established himself as one of Canada's leading experts in the field of online marketing. An avid learner with a weakness for knowledge, his non-fiction library dwarfs many bookstores. With his own internet marketing consultancy at RankStudy.com, Darryl makes his passion for internet marketing his hobby too, having worked with companies like MySpace, The Fight Network, MTV, Askmen.com and others. When not at work, Darryl loves hanging out with his two huskies Roxy & Jazz, playing hockey a couple nights a week and hitting up local golf courses with buddies.
Darrell is a professional start-up finance guy who loves to build businesses. Before joining FreshBooks, Darrell got his CA and has been part of several successful start-ups using his finance skills and experience to help drive customer acquisitions and build solid, scalable business foundations. At one point Darrell also ran a few businesses including a couple very-early stage new-media start-ups. He's very passionate about everything he gets into and also has a thing for industrial design, old buildings, vintage cars and retro furniture. Frank Lloyd Wright and 69-74 Panteras are favs.
Melina walks the socially-exciting line between complete seriousness and total ridiculousness. She is disturbingly competitive but has found this to be a delightful boon to her product management career. Melina is a nature-lover and amateur arboriculturalist with a wicked photic sneeze reflex. She graduated with a BFA in film from Ryerson University, but quickly moved into software due to a love of rapidly evolving technologies (including--but not limited to--robot uprisings, sentient internets and living above and/or below the sea).
Emerging from the flaming wreckage of a startup that failed despite itself, Chris brings his sparkling personality and years of coding skills to FreshBooks, to say nothing of his burning desire to learn ALL the things. While not pursuing this quixotic passion, he fills his time with cycling, board gaming, system administration and occasionally baking. Long a fan of Free Software, he enjoys spending time with Linux, Ruby, and his first love, C++ (no one understands their complicated love) but looks forward to a new life and new experiences with Python, PHP and his FreshBooks compatriots.
Sandy was recently released from a Kinder Surprise opened by an unsuspecting child. In need of a home, she was adopted by the kind folk at FreshBooks and in return, she welcomes and trains other new hires joining the family. With a degree in drama, biochemistry and education, she's taught in Japan and the UK and is an avid traveler. In her spare time, she likes to write for the LRMC, brush up on her languages, act, give it her all at karaoke and burn cookies by accident.
After graduating from University of Calgary, Shaun spent some time in Seattle at a big company before returning back home to the Red Mile. Now he's adapting to life in the east, in a city many times larger than he's ever experienced. When he's not writing code, he spends time playing sports and dabbling in electronic music.
Whether you're looking for help with numbers or someone to bounce some ideas off of, Jenn is your girl! An Excel guru by trade and a perfectionist at heart, she has the ability to turn almost any data problem into a visual Picasso. When Jenn isn't whipping up pivot tables and formulas, the York University graduate can be found helping out the Etobicoke Optimist Club, a local chapter of the international organization dedicated to "bringing out the best in kids" or on a quiet night, watching Big Bang Theory with a friend.
Thomas was born and raised in Toronto. He likes websites that have nice line-heights and off-black text. He has a degree in Aerospace Engineering and half a degree in Design. In his spare time, he likes to play basketball, quote The Wire, and tend to his Zen Garden. Check out his website at http://www.thomascheng.com.
After obtaining a degree in Archaeology from the University of Toronto, Jeff quickly became disenfranchised with the title due to the lack of Indiana Jones hats handed out at commencement. Disgruntled Jeff turned to one of his other passions, software development. Jeff has spent the latter part of last century and all of this century working tirelessly in web development with a focus on destroying all rotten code he comes in contact with his patented 'beautiful code bomb'. In his last position Jeff headed up a team at Panvista Media developing mobile applications for large law services firms such as Norton Rose and Paul Hastings. In his spare time...well Jeff has 3 kids and has no spare time so we'll just leave it at that.
Juan spent the best years of her life (as yet) at McMaster University where she studied software engineering, worked as a teaching assistant and organized the best software engineering conference (CUSEC). After graduation, she worked at Evertz as a design engineer for a couple of years. One day, she heard of FreshBooks and was drawn to its culture and values. She is thrilled to be joining the FreshBooks team. Outside of work, she enjoys an active lifestyle. Running and hiking are some of her favourite activities.
Sarah graduated from Queen’s University with a degree in Engineering, and has since moved back to her hometown, Toronto. She comes to FreshBooks after working in Quality Assurance for a small startup company, bringing with her tons of enthusiasm for quality software. Outside of work, she has a passion for both yoga and music and finds the combination of these two things prettyfreakinawesome.
Wyatt's a one man riot and polite to a fault. As a fresh grad from the University of Guelph, cows run in his blood, providing him with extreme amounts of energy and drive. He's excited to hone his skills in customer service and code-craft as a new member of the team, and in his spare time he plays games, watches old science-fiction, and reads philosophical tomes.
Cherry comes from Chongqing, a southern city in China that is well known for hot weather, spicy food and mountains. Since graduating from University of Windsor with Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and an MBA, Cherry has been working for six years in the finance field specializing in financial planning, analysis and reporting. She is not easily distracted while at work and is very concentrated on what she’s doing with attention to the details. When not at work, Cherry enjoys listening to music, watching TV Dramas, reading novels and cooking new dishes with a passion for spicy food.
Dustin joins the FreshBooks team with over 10 years of sales leadership, marketing and customer relations experience. With a knack of learning languages, great business acumen and a positive attitude, he strives in helping all those in contact with him achieve their goals. Having run his own business in the past, he understands the intricacies you face while running your business and tries to be as proactive as possible. During his off time you can find Dustin playing Italian card games and dancing! He is a fantastic salsa and merengue dancer, something that comes natural from his Hispanic heritage. OLE!
Toronto's foremost hipster-in-denial, Craig arrives at FreshBooks with a love of both well-designed software and things that go to 11. Bullet-hell shooters from Japan? Check. The latest and loudest Scandinavian metal bands? Check. Sensory-overloading movies? Triple-check. Armed with a Bachelor of Engineering and Master of Applied Science from McMaster University, he looks forward to tackling the new challenges thrown his way, be they software defects or battles in various fighting games. When not going beyond the max, Craig can be found geocaching, playing squash, or discussing music on The Zero Check podcast (http://thezerocheck.com).
Steve is a Mobile Developer hailing from sunny Southern Ontario, where his family lives and still operates a family farm. Steve occassionally visits family there to see some sunlight and operate heavy machinery. Steve has a potentially unhealthy addiction to gadgets and new smartphones, so it only makes sense that he makes mobile apps at FreshBooks. While not cooking Italian or playing video/board games, he has also spent time at a large broadcast television company, a gigantic agency, a small print-to-web company, and an even smaller tech startup that no longer exists. Steve graduated from the Software Engineering program at the University of Western Ontario.
Whenever there's something amiss,
Always remember to follow your bliss.
You never know where you will go,
Not until you are open to grow.
Every step that you take on your way,
Will enrich those around you everyday.
Open your mind and you'll see,
Occasion is what you make it to be.
Rob is very excited to be a part of the amazing FreshBooks team. Originally from Ottawa, Rob moved to Toronto where, after many emotions and lots of breathing exercises, he managed to get his degree in Theatre from York University. Rob loves patio season, bad movies, and laughing (generally at his own expense). Rob's one Kryptonite is a warm brownie and it is surely the easiest way to win over his heart.
Jaclyn is ready and waiting for any questions you've got! She originally hails from the Ottawa area, but has happily called Toronto her home for a little under a decade now. With a background in theatre and business, she enjoys finding creative ways to make her artistic dreams a lucrative reality. A lover of all things Canadian, Jaclyn is a fiend for Canadian film and little known facts about the world's second largest land mass. When not making the world a better place at FreshBooks, Jaclyn loves bicycling or camping or both at the same time!
Matt joins the FreshBooks team with over 9 years of exceptional customer service experience in a wide range of industries from big banks to small business. He holds a degree in Finance and Marketing from Bishop's University. During his university years he developed a passion for working with small businesses. Matt recently returned to Canada after spending 2011 living and travelling in Australia. While there he rekindled his love for exploration and the outdoors and became addicted to surfing. He also developed a passion for photography while visiting many of Australia's scenic locations. When spending time online, he frequents many travel and healthy living related blogs. Matt strives to live life as if everyday is the Best. Day. Ever!
Justine joins FreshBooks after 4 great years as a social media and marketing blogger. She's passionate about entrepreneurship and loves connecting with interesting new people, which makes her perfect for the role of Outreach Manager. When not chatting about business building, she can be found spending time with her two little girls, cooking vegan meals and reading TV gossip online.
Lindsay returns to dry land after being temporarily lost at sea. Barnacled and sun-blistered, she is eager to revel in the bliss that is air-conditioning, potable water, and reliable on-shore communication. Being a small business owner in the marine industry, she understands the frustrations of chasing clients (albeit, down docks) for payment. Like any good sailor she has an affinity for rum, crass language, and spontaneous swims. As the winds of her life shift again she is excited to transition from sails back to sales with the FreshBooks team. Outside of work you can find Lindsay down by the water regaling others with her seaworthy tall (ship) tales... All puns, sadly intended.
Trevor's communications skills were first demonstrated in the playground where he encouraged classmates to play endless games of tag. Over the years his work has spanned traditional PR to social media and just about everything in between. When not thinking about great ways to keep people talking about FreshBooks, Trevor likes to chase balls, pucks, his kids and anything else that makes exercise fun.
Sen has spent the last 16 years working in IT, having done technical support, development, network operations, and most recently systems administration. When not spending her time keeping the lights on the servers blinking, she can usually be found rescuing cats, designing lighting control systems, or helping to run a local maker space.
Aaron spent a lot of time in school. He has a BASc in computer engineering from the University of Waterloo, an MASc in computer engineering from the University of Toronto, and an MBA from the Rotman School of Management. He worked for six years as a software developer at Altera before becoming a product manager at Rypple, Salesforce and now FreshBooks. He is training to run a half marathon and loves a good book.
Jillian graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, where she discovered the awe-inspiring startup community of the region's Tech Triangle and couldn't resist helping out as a marketing consultant. After using FreshBooks to invoice her clients, Jill was highly impressed and knew it was her calling to join the FreshBooks team as a Small Business Consultant. In her spare time, Jill enjoys spending time with friends, daydreaming about her next travel adventure, or sweating it out Bikram-style.
Barum studied mathematics at the University of Toronto and the University of Western Ontario. Having been addicted to computers at an early age, he created his first website in elementary school. He lived in five different countries before settling down in Toronto. In his spare time, he enjoys weightlifting and working on his iPhone app for TTC riders, TTC Watch.
Ian recently moved from Ireland to Canada and drove cross-country from Vancouver to Toronto in a 12 year old Kia Rio. He is a graduate of University College Cork, Ireland where he studied Computer Science, and has worked in QA ever since, testing a number of different products and applications. Ian loves travel, music, beer-brewing and most importantly, Manchester United!!
A cunning and ruthlessly logical creature, John joins FreshBooks after a long period of personal projects and existential speculation. He holds a degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from Waterloo, yet his interests are vast and seemingly unrelated, including: robotics, food, physics, philosophy, movies, and so on. He is a lover of animals, considerer of implications, and guzzler of milk. He is very excited to be part of such a dynamic and diverse team, although he is admittedly terrible with remembering names. Apparently, he also writes autobiographical passages about himself in the third person.
As soon as Donald stopped chewing pencils as a kid, he started using them to write badly spelled stories. He kept on, though, and once he was all grown up (and could spell better), he founded a magazine and a small press. He later went on to co-author a couple of bestselling business books, after which he joined a start-up that he helped build into a leading boutique training organization for entrepreneurs. Before joining FreshBooks, he spent a few years running his own freelance and consulting practice, writing for and about entrepreneurs and coaching them too. His first job ever was as a child actor on SCTV, playing the illustrious Earl Camembert Jr. After hours, he can be found writing fiction (like this) or on a tennis court, in a pool hall or eating something exotic.
Lindsay often feels caught in between eras, adrift in the fabric of space-time. While she enjoys the poetical lyricism of today’s young Canadian folk artists, she finds herself belting out Joplin’s high notes when she thinks no one is watching. While she loves FreshBooks, she also loves not-so-fresh books, having amassed a modest collection of 18th and 19th century books. She loves her Blackberry, but still can’t figure out where she’s supposed to put the quarter. Lindsay has a passion for engaging people and learning their stories, whether in person, on the phone, in an email, or in the pages of an antiquarian book. As a dual citizen of both the present and the past, she knows the one thing that never goes out of style is a good character.
Helen graduated from the University of Waterloo with a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science in 2007. She has been a software developer ever since, working on both web and mobile development. Helen is passionate about technology and literature and is interested in music and yoga. However, she is a newbie with photography and is curious about things and wishes to find the beauty in them.
Having embarked on an arduous quest to cure baldness without success, Faraz finally decided to dedicate his time elsewhere. With a Mechanical Engineering degree from Queen's University in hand, he joined Research In Motion, where he spent more than 3 years in various customer-facing and online community leadership roles. When he's not spreading the FreshBooks story and brainstorming super awesome social media marketing campaigns with his colleagues, Faraz heads a consulting firm dedicated to helping small businesses make sense of the complex social media puzzle. His mantras? 1) Speak with, not to. 2) Bald is sexy. 3) Life only really needs 2 mantras.
Meryl is super excited to be joining the FreshBooks support team. Originally from London, England, Meryl brings with her an enthusiasm for all things royal and a real soft spot for a certain Mr. Potter. Hoping to answer every question thrown at her, Meryl plans to become the ultimate support ninja, solving issues at lightning speed and anticipating needs before they become a problem.
It's safe to say that Alex is fresh in every respect of the word. Much to co-worker Rob Guenette's delight, Alex is now officially the youngest FreshBooks employee. Coming straight out of York University with a double major in Sociology and Communication Studies, he is ready to groove and has a lot to prove. Alex knows there is no age restrictions to helping others, and is completely thrilled to have a full-time job doing just that. When he’s not at work, you can find him jamming with his guitar, dabbling in photography, and landing a 747 jumbo jet in Hong Kong (just don’t remind him it's on a simulator).
Marguerite's interests are a superset of the following: being geeky, eating tasty food, plants, and fractals. One day, she will be an awesome computer programmer who will change the world. Her pilgrimage has led her from her hometown, Toronto, to the University of Waterloo, and most recently has brought her to FreshBooks to learn from the gurus who are rumoured to exist here.
Aaron recently earned a Bachelor of Design degree from the York/Sheridan Program in Design and has an insatiable hunger for solving design and usability problems. Once a developer, he discovered his passion for the creative part of the app-building process and frequently enjoys designing and building super-useful web applications - which is what attracted him to FreshBooks! He spends a lot of his spare time reading about and experimenting with cutting-edge web design tools and trends, but still manages to get regular and hefty doses of fresh air while outside running or cycling.
Phil lives his life 402 meters at a time. That's the Canadian equivalent of a 1/4 mile. Being an adrenaline addict, he's spent several years playing tournament level paintball. After he perfected his newfound (and highly useless talent), he set his sights on something more "normal". Now working towards racing and completing the Ironman World Championships Triathlon, Phil has picked up photography in his downtime. Landing at FreshBooks, Phil knew he could put his love for helping people to good use. No problem too big or small, Phil is always up for the challenge of making someone's day!
Danni is a recent graduate of Electrical Engineering from the Memorial University of Newfoundland. She joined the FreshBooks community immediately after graduation to pursue her career and passion in quality assurance. Danni has a wide range of interests. She likes the outdoors and travelling to different areas of the world seeing the amazing things that nature brings. She can also play a variety of instruments including piano, harmonica, erhu fiddle, and violin. Danni loves photography and spends a large quantity of her free time taking photos, modifying them, and sharing them with others.
Jon graduated from Seneca in Digital Media Arts and Digital Media Technical Production. His secret identity: part-time costume designer, mixed media sculptor and freelance troublemaker. His special powers consist of card throwing and spontaneous laughter. His known weaknesses are commenting on people that wear too much denim at one time - especially if it's ill-fitting. And finally, his weapon of choice is lazrcats.
Joele has a background in customer service and truly enjoys helping people in anyway possible. She thinks laughter is the great healer in life, and a great way to turn things around when things aren't going perfectly. Joele believes in making the best out of every situation, and always tries to see the brighter side. In her downtime, Joele likes to write stories, poetry and music. If she could travel anywhere in the world, it would be to the Maldives, how gorgeous!
Natasha comes to FreshBooks with many years of experience in QA and a passion for all things new. When she's not busy breaking software, she can be found all around the GTA being a personal chauffeur to her spoiled offspring. She also enjoys her Nikon, plays in a competitive brain teaser league and has a black belt in traveling.
About a decade ago, Calin moved from Romania to Canada where he fell in love with the long and snowy winters. He has worked in various pricing, revenue management, and marketing capacities and is passionate about profitable growth, new ideas, and process automation. He also holds a MBA in Marketing and Strategy from McGill University. Facts: If you try pronouncing Calin’s last name at least three times, you will get a headache! Ardeleanu means "the guy from Transylvania".
Marvin is your regular run-of-the-mill IT dude, types his password two fingers at a time, and is more PFY than BOFH. The neckbeard isn't there yet, but it's something he promises to get to, eventually. In his "free" time, he enjoys running and hopes to one day qualify for Boston!
Andre is a QA Analyst with a software engineering background. Hailing from the beautiful but often-battered 3rd Polish Republic, he can take a punch and keep on swinging. Pretty easy considering his awesome physique and large frame. In his spare time he practices karate, team sports (team drinking!), and exercises his spiritual side-via painting and novice-level spanish guitar.
After receiving degrees from the University of Toronto in Linguistics, German, and Russian, Yi Qing was torn between going to law school or studying to be a translator. But then she was (re)introduced to Python and hasn’t been able to tear herself away from it since. Yi Qing holds the unique distinction of being able to start a sentence with "This one time, at band camp…" with a completely straight face, ever since that one time at band camp, she was stuffed into a tuba case. In her free time, she can be found watching foreign films, listening to classical music, dancing excitedly to terrible pop songs, and karaoke-ing to 70s & 80s hits.
With many years of experience, leading HR for organizations such as Alias|Wavefront, EA Sports (Canada), and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, David feels young again to be in the midst of so much talent, energy, and creativity at FreshBooks. He can be talked into just about anything (witness his climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in 2011), so long as it is legal and helps to make the world a better place. A serial volunteer on Advisory Boards and a believer in giving back to the communities that we live in, he sees his role at FreshBooks as helping this great company to be the place where the world’s most talented and nicest people continue to want to be. If not yet at FreshBooks, and you see a role for yourself here, feel free to contact David at dwexler@freshbooks.com.
Greg is a true numbers guy who loves anything and everything finance related. A CA by trade, Greg has a vast and diverse financial background in several industries having honed his skills at PwC followed with progressive roles in consumer packaged goods, mining and software companies. Greg is an avid fan of all sports with baseball and the Toronto Blue Jays at the top of his list. He looks forward with great optimism to Opening Day each year while spending the winters on the slopes and at the rink with his young busy family. Greg loves to travel and is always up for a new challenge.
Himali comes to FreshBooks with 4 years experience in the travel industry. After a quest to find a place she love's to work at and to help other people; she made the switch to FreshBooks! By night, she is a philanthropy fiend. She also loves to travel and doesn't discriminate between short and long trips – if there's an opportunity to explore and take photos, she's there. Ask her what her "Next Big Thing"... she will almost always have an answer!
Shawn is a marketing guy that has a passion for digital campaigns, branding and metrics. He's a creative, compassionate, high achiever that's always looking for innovative ways to solve problems. When Shawn is not thinking about marketing he has a passion for sports, movies, cars and technology that is only overshadowed by his love of spending time with his wife and daughter. He has a dog who won't be permitted in the office due to his penchant for howling and stealing food. Shawn joined FreshBooks to kick our marketing into high gear as we continue to spread the word to small businesses around the world. Shawn is a veteran software company leader with years of experience defining and implementing marketing strategies for companies like Corel and Adobe. Prior to joining FreshBooks Shawn was the SVP of global marketing at Corel for 7 years.
Zach grew up in the Hammer (aka Hamilton) before coming to Toronto to study Computer Science at U of T. Prior to joining FreshBooks, Zach led the backend development team at Trapeze Media. Zach is a huge sports fan - he likes playing, watching and arguing about sports. Zach is also very passionate about food. In his spare time he loves to cook and always enjoys a good single malt.
After graduating from The University of Liverpool in Film and Communication Studies, Ailsa decided it was time to leave the UK and seek pastures new in the great city of Toronto. Ailsa has spent a decade in the customer support industry, holding roles in major corporations such as betting firm William Hill (UK) and fundraising agency Public Outreach (CA). When Ailsa is not striving to become the ultimate FreshBooks support superhero, she is usually enjoying some down time. Down time often consists of watching movies, playing soccer, or supporting her local team, Liverpool FC.
A die-hard Habs fan, despite them seemingly always losing to the Leafs, Brian was born and raised in Montreal and has called Toronto home since 2008. He’s been a Web guy since before completing his Communications degree from Concordia U. More recently Brian has been laser-focused on customer engagement strategies through email marketing. He has also come to terms with the fact that he’ll never be a pro golfer. Or singer.
Having lived in a few places like Riyadh and New York, Sherwyn has developed a love for different types of cultures and food. He will eat anything edible without complaints. Due to his interest in learning about people and cultures, he pursued his major in Anthropology and minored in Sociology at McMaster University. In his spare time, Sherwyn enjoys bobbing his head to electronic dance music and staring at his fish tank for hours.
Focused and adaptive support specialist in the daytime, trench-fighting rock and roll warrior at night. Chris' professional experience in customer support and marketing was earned across varied industries including the provincial parks system and in toys and games. You'll find Chris helping a customer with the Support team or on stage playing guitar with his band Fever City.
Mark is a veteran of the startup world. For over twelve years Mark served as CFO for a number of highly successful startups. More recently Mark invested in startups as a partner in a venture capital fund. Mark began his career as a CPA and spent over eight years working with small business owners in that capacity. A native of Scotland, Mark is a fan of all things Scottish and wears far too much plaid as a result. He is also passionate about his family, entrepreneurs, yoga, healthy living, DJing, house music and Formula 1 - more or less in that order. At FreshBooks, Mark leads our business and corporate development efforts.
Max grew up in Belgium, in a little town by the North Sea. Convinced the world needed more chocolate, beer and ukulele tunes, he set off on his quest. After battling sea monsters and wooing an exotic beauty, he made his new home on the (lake)shore of Toronto. Having extensive experience in customer service and a knack for problem solving, he joins FreshBooks with a vision: creating the most awesome and action-packed support service experience you’ll ever have!
As a Certified Human Resources Professional armed with a Bachelors in Business Administration in marketing from Mount Saint Vincent University, Melanie joins FreshBooks with over 6 years of experience as a technical/digital recruiter. Born and raised in Nova Scotia, Melanie moved to the "big city"" in 2007 where she fell into a recruitment role and has had a passion for the profession ever since. In her spare time she enjoys kickboxing and spending time with her family. Like many from the "east-coast" she actually does not like lobster but does enjoy spicy food (the hotter, the better).
Lisa discovered FreshBooks due to her love of dogs; she couldn't imagine a better way to spend a day at work then with furry friends. The fact that she was blown away by the awesome product was a definite bonus. Lisa is an U of T grad where she studied Industrial Engineering (Twice! - BASc ∧ MASc), specializing in Human Factors and Usability Engineering. She is game for pretty much anything! Outside of FreshBooks you can find her exploring new outdoor adventures, travelling, and trying new foods.
Alex is a student attending both the University of Waterloo for Mathematics and Wilfrid Laurier University for Business. Alex is passionate about entrepreneurship, the Toronto Raptors and a good cup of coffee. He is extremely excited for his role as Dealmaker Intern at FreshBooks and looks forward to being a part of an amazing team. In his free time, if not aggressively wheeling and dealing in Monopoly or building cities in Settlers of Catan, Alex enjoys reading, trying new things and being immersed in a good movie. His biggest bucket list goal currently is to go skydiving.
Tahia is a young woman of few accomplishments and some experiences. She spends most of her free time Googling things but occasionally leaves her computer to look for snacks. She is very excited to be spending her summer at FreshBooks and *not* in the U of T engineering buildings. If someone were to keep tabs on Tahia, their best bet would be to head over to her website.
Brandon grew up in Hong Kong and came to Canada to study Mechanical Engineering at the University of Waterloo. After being exposed to computer games at a young age and making attempts to create his own, he discovered his interest in creating software. Brandon is always up for a challenge, something exciting to do, or just a game of basketball.
Erica is one of the latest co-op students to arrive at FreshBooks hoping to come out with more knowledge to aid her on her quest to become a coding ninja. Hailing from the wine country of Niagara and studying Software Engineering at the University of Guelph, she’s very excited to see what new challenges FreshBooks throws at her.
Starting his computer science career at Blackberry, Nick has come a long way from advocating his passion for BBM. Biking enthusiast and avid world traveller, Nick enjoys spending time outdoors, playing sports, experimenting with exotic cuisines and of course, programming. As a Ryerson University grad, Nick eagerly joins FreshBooks to expand his realm of software engineering, mobile development and maybe even his own office pup one day.
An eclectic hacker, I'm a jack of all trades but a master of none (certainly better than a master of one). I have a constant thirst for knowledge and curious about what makes the world tick. I love solving problems and using code to build something out of nothing. When I'm not hacking or coding, you can find me cycling around as a crazy cyclist with a camera strapped to my head.
Two very different career paths ultimately led Brandon to Freshbooks. Recently, he was the co-founder and head of product at Tunezy, a Toronto-based startup. Before that, he got his CMA and spent four years in finance at Kraft Foods. As a former small business operator, Brandon is thrilled to build great products that make accounting painless for Freshbooks customers everywhere.
Little is known about this handsome fellow before he joined FreshBooks as CEO Mike McDerment’s Shadow CEO. Since joining the Fresh Dogs his confidence has blossomed and he’s learned how to romp and play, while somehow still managing to look dignified. Around the new, larger FreshBooks office Munroe has proven to be a time-saver when somebody needs to grab a quick word with the CEO; you can always find Mike by following Munroe’s adoring gaze.
Originally from northern Quebec, Kali adjusted to city life quickly after being adopted through SOS Dog Rescue. She studied the needs of small business owners such as her dog walker while her parents were at work before joining the Fresh Dogs full-time as the Chief Morale Officer. She takes her job very seriously, offering up her tummy for rubs to anybody who looks even remotely stressed, for as long as it takes! She also leads the Fresh Dogs weekly outdoor zooming sessions, with the help of her mom, Nox.
If you see somebody randomly break into a smile of pure delight chances are Mecho has just bounded by. This energetic little guy was born at a farm just north of Toronto. He's part cocker spaniel, part poodle and (judging by his incredible leaps of joy) part tiger. Despite being the smallest of the regular Fresh Dogs he can usually be found starting shenanigans with his larger mates, hugging and kissing coworkers (literally) or power napping near his dad, Momchil.
Born on the streets of Thailand you might expect Gucci to be tough or standoffish. But after choosing Jason as his dad through rescue organization Soi Dog, Gucci has demonstrated tremendous positivity and adaptability. Science hasn’t created a perpetual motion machine yet, but that’s probably just because nobody has studied Gucci’s wagging tail.
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