One thing our world (both the Biteline world, and the actual entire world) relies on these days is really good tech.
Technology advancements have enhanced so many facets of our lives and made things easier, or in some cases, possible.
Biteline is a seamless, user-friendly way to build bridges with the dental hygienist community. And this is thanks largely to technology; but also the brilliant minds behind it.
We’re pretty much obsessed with our development team, because without them…well, we wouldn’t exist. And hey, we like existing.
So it’s no surprise that we’re pumped about our newest tech lead, Hank Conn, who helps us make all the things happen behind the scenes.
When it comes to software development, Hank’s pretty much done it all. He’s worked in all types of companies, from small startups to midsize companies with large departments. And with experience working in data visualization, cybersecurity, transportation software, and more, he’s got a lot of tech tricks up his sleeve.
If there’s a word to describe Hank, it’s autodidact. Which is a fancy way of saying self-taught. (Not that he didn’t go to school — he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Georgia, and graduated early.) But even after 13 years in this industry, he’s still teaching himself new things.
Not only is he in the process of teaching himself how to implement cloud services; he’s also teaching the rest of the Biteline team, and integrating these services smoothly across the company.
We’re pretty lucky to have Hank here at Biteline, so we sat him down to chat about both his story and what it means for our startup.
Here’s our QA with Hank Conn.
Biteline: Tell us a little about your background.
Hank Conn (HC): In high school, I was interested in joining the AirForce academy and flying fighter jets. But when choosing a major at UGA, I decided on computer science. I saw the potential for a future of AI and other technologies; I knew I could use them to make the world a better place.
I’ve been involved with software engineering for the past 13 years, working as both an individual contributor and managing teams. I love being able to have my hands in everything and translate value to the user. I love having a say in everything from front end to backend to make sure the user is getting the best experience all the way through.
Biteline: What does Biteline’s culture look like to you?
HC: Our Biteline team is made up of world-class professionals who are really good at what they do, take on responsibility, hold a level of professionalism, and are great to work with. Will is the core of the team. He’s one of the most dedicated guys I’ve ever met. He’s so involved, hands-on, really close with all of the dental professionals he’s working with. He’s the spirit of the team – a man on a mission.
Biteline: What are some of the biggest trends you’re seeing in development right now?
HC: A lot of cloud tech has been really valuable for us. It brings the backend under direct management and provides its users with reliability, stability, and availability of services. With cloud services, we don’t have to worry about servers crashing and downtime, so it’s been great to explore and learn more about it.
(Thank goodness someone actually understands “the cloud.”)
Biteline: What’s Biteline doing that’s unique, special, or different when it comes to development?
HC: We use a framework called Ionic, which lets us manage everything from web to mobile app under one codebase. This makes it easy for us to add features to our software and manage everything in one place. It reduces the scale of workload, so we can continue delivering features, fixing bugs easily, and guaranteeing a consistent experience for our users.
It’s pretty clear that we have a lot to learn from Hank as far as software development and the greater tech world goes. So it’s pretty great to have him as the newest member of the Biteline family.
Read more fun facts, expert advice, and dental industry news on the Biteline blog.
And don’t forget to share with your dental friends!
