We are back with another installment of our Team Gartrell Group bios, and this time with someone who is one of our newest team members and has been around The Gartrell Group since its inception. The headline kind of gives it away, so without further ado, let’s meet Sam Gartrell!
Sam is the son of our founder and principal, Bryce, which makes him the nephew of our CEO, Molly. He graduated this past spring from the University of Oregon with a degree in Spatial Data Science. He’s a Scientist! Which is a surprise to me, someone who has known him since he was in first grade. I was pretty sure he would have become an artist.
But here he is, working for his dad and aunt, as a, what is it that you are?
A Geospatial Developer
And how would you describe that to someone who doesn’t know what a geo dev does?
I'm a plumber but with data. Sometimes, I get to make maps, too.
That oddly makes sense. Thanks for that perspective! What would you say is your favorite thing about this job? Understanding that you’ve only been at it for a few months!
I love how my roles and tasks are always changing with each project. It's an environment that demands constant learning, something I'm very grateful for.
That’s great! I also appreciate that about working here. Can you tell me about your favorite project so far?
Making a geometric network of a municipal sewer system in a small coastal Oregon town. It was a delightful combination of crawling through sewers with a GPS and assembling my findings into a dynamic data model. Also, I always love a day's work writing a Flask API.
As I mentioned earlier, I’ve known you for quite some time. You’ve always been so creative and artistic. I’m wondering what made you go down the data geek path.
For most of my childhood, GIS was a background that I ignored or ruled out as something I would never pursue. I got my first taste of Python (via the Rhino 3D plugin called Grasshopper, which has a similar UI to Ben Sainsbury's nTendril) and GIS (via ArcGIS Pro) as an architecture student in 2018, working with a fellow student who used GIS in landscape design. I think that's when I recognized how much creative problem-solving you can do with geospatial tools.
Have you found the data geek side of you complements the artist side? Amazing maps aside, has the data geek helped the artist create stuff?
This is something I'm always tinkering with! I think time is the biggest limitation in finding new ways to blend the two. Recently, I've been exploring 3D forms and how you can design lamp shades with parametric tessellations. I also see huge potential in Raspberry Pi but haven't quite landed on what I'll do with it. Also, analog electronics in guitars and amps.
That’s so cool. I look forward to your creations! Outside of work, what do you like to do?
Fish, backpack, sew, make instruments/music.
That sounds about right. I remember when you made a guitar in 8th grade. What sort of instrument have you made lately?
I made a lap steel guitar.
Very cool! What about sewing? What sort of things are you creating?
I’ve been messing around with making bags. I also made a shirt.
Thanks, Sam! You’ve proven to us all that you’d be a good apocalypse buddy! You could catch fish, make the clothes we’ll need to wear and the bags we’ll need to carry, and also build and play the instruments we’ll all need to relax after a fight with some zombies.
Pictured on the bottom row are pictures of Sam’s handiwork: a lap steel guitar and a backpack made from a recycled sail.