Meet Ryan Sturges. He likes to break things!

We’re back with another installment of our Gartrell Group Team bios. Joining me is Ryan Sturges, one of our newest teammates.

Welcome, Ryan! Can you tell me what your job title is?

Hi! Thanks! I’m a QA Engineer.

If you were at a party and someone asked you what that is, what would you tell them?

I test things, break things, laugh at things I've broken, and occasionally build automation to help me break things more efficiently.

Since we don’t physically build things at TGG, I’m guessing that the breaking things are more about software than fine China. Can you tell us a little more about what you’re breaking?

I'm mainly going through the intended functionality of client apps, first looking to see that the core functions are as expected, then moving outward to edge cases and peripheral features, determining the limits of the application, and finding where and how it can fail. In doing so, I'll include techniques such as modeling presumed consumer behavior, adding load, testing during different network conditions, etc. This is, of course, all done with the intent of documenting the points of failure so that devs can improve the application,  and so that product teams can make informed decisions about work prioritization.

How does automation help?

Automation consists primarily of front-end testing frameworks like Selenium/Playwright/etc., which emulate a user's web browser journey. These tests are set up such that they can be run quickly, and repeated on demand. Then, these tests can be run when changes are implemented (new features, bug fixes, etc), and we can reliably and quickly verify that the new changes aren't breaking old functionalities. Once implemented, a test suite that takes manual testers tens of hours can be run via automation in minutes, so the potential time/labor savings are large.

That’s pretty cool. What’s your favorite part of your job?

I love the feeling of improvement that I get from watching issues I expose getting fixed.

That’s awesome. Are there any projects that you’re particularly proud of?

The work on Tidypipe is still in the early days, but I'm pretty proud of the direction it's heading.

That’s pretty cool. I’ve heard some good things about the Tidypipe project. (Dear reader, the Tidypipe project is a QA software tool that we developed in-house. It is specialized for testing GIS software tools and workflows to make sure they work and that end-users don't have to add 'software tester' to their job titles.)

What do you like to do outside of work?

I play a lot of video games, listen to a wide variety of music, and occasionally enjoy personal software projects.

When you say "a lot of video games," can you quantify that for me? Is there a genre you are drawn to? Do you have multiple consoles, or do you stick with one? Tell me more about your descent into the world of gaming.

I play primarily on the computer, but own most modern consoles. I play a lot, both in time spent and in the number of games played, because I enjoy a lot of the discourse around games, and it's fun for me to chase whatever the current zeitgeist happens to be.

I have a ~monthly video game book club that I run, where our group selects a game for us all to play on our own time, and then we gather and talk about the ins and outs of it - what worked, what didn't, and why.

As for my descent into the world of gaming (lovely turn of phrase, lol), I've always loved games, but my academic interest in them came from my desire to make games of my own. I got my start in QA testing the remake of the Age Of Empires game series because I was interested in learning how the sausage was made. If it wasn't for that, I doubt I ever would have ended up working in this field.

That’s super cool. Can you elaborate a bit on the “personal software projects” that you enjoy?

I tend to build little helper companion apps for games I'm playing (There's this one in particular, called Book of Hours, that has a bunch of complicated relationships between the actions you can take and the outcomes of those actions. I wanted to map it out for myself out of curiosity. It started as some notes in a OneNote workbook, then a single Excel sheet, but then it grew to multiple sheets, and then a database, and then I realized I needed to build a better interface, so it turned into a web app.) I also attempt to make my own games from time to time. Currently, I'm working with a friend on a multiplayer web-app escape room, though that's an on-again off-again kind of project.

Wow. That’s amazing stuff. Do you have any kids? Pets? Plants?

I've got two fantastic cats: Vinck and Lembit. They show up on my video calls quite a bit.

Do you like to travel? Got any great travel stories?

I love to travel in theory, but I have trouble making time for it.

I feel the same. Thanks so much for taking the time to talk with me, Ryan!

Meet Jenny Axelrod. She does a lot!

Happy 2024, everyone! As our team grows, so does our Team Bio series of blogs. Here to add another story to our collection is our newest full-time employee (who has worked with us for almost a year—but we’ll get to that in a moment). First, let me introduce you to Jenny Axelrod.

Hi Jenny, can you tell us what your job title is?

Senior Geospatial Lead

So, what do you do in this position?

A lot of things... except development. I'm not a developer. I scope and manage projects and contribute to projects as a GIS and Business Analyst. I'm also helping to refine and enhance GIS service delivery, internal processes, and operational procedures.

As I alluded to in the introduction, you are the newest Gartrell Group employee ~ as of January 1st ~ but you’ve been working with us for some time before that, right?

Late in February 2023, I started contracting with Gartrell part-time. I’ve known Bryce and Molly for over a decade since we partnered on a project in Seattle together. I was making a career change and wasn’t sure if I would stay in the GIS realm or pivot to something else. When Bryce and Molly reached out, I figured it was a nice way to give myself time to contemplate, learn more about geospatial development, and make a little money while contributing to their growing business. Fast forward to almost a year later, and we have decided to make it official! My sense of interest and passion for GIS has been reignited, and the fantastic team (also ultra cool, super smart, and quirky-nerdy) is great to work with. I’m back into GIS 100%, and the fact that we are a woman-owned GIS consultancy is a bonus! I’m excited to see where we go in the future.

That’s awesome. I’m glad you decided to stay in GIS. My next question was going to be about your favorite part of the job, but I feel like you kind of answered that with your comment on the ultra-cool, super-smart, and quirky-nerdy team we have.

Yeah. It's a great team, and I appreciate the folks working here.

Where did you grow up?

Minnesota, until I was 20. So also Oregon.

Where in Minnesota? What is childhood in Minnesota like? Is there anything from Minnesota you hold on to (traditions, recipes, ways to be)? Sorry. That’s three questions in one!

I’ll start with where. Cottage Grove. A suburb of St.Paul.

I grew up doing all of the traditional Minnesota things – ice skating and ice fishing on the lakes in the winter, canoeing in the summer, camping in the boundary waters, and going to see ice sculptures at the winter carnival. When I would cross-country ski, I always wanted to go down hills, so I switched to downhill skiing for a little bit. I tried my hand at snowboarding in Minnesota, but it was way too cold, and the snow (ice) was too packed. I picked up snowboarding once I was in Oregon and worked at a Ski Area (Willamette Pass) – the vertical and conditions are WAY better here.

My husband also grew up in the same town (we didn’t start dating until we connected in Oregon as adults), so we have a shared history and “home,” which is nice.

I always have some wild rice in my pantry.

What brought you to Oregon?

I always wanted to live near the ocean and study marine biology when I was little. I also just wanted to move to someplace new, so I moved to Oregon 3 days after I turned 20 with a friend and without a job or place to live waiting for me. It was a great adventure, and a few years later, I ended up studying biology and emphasizing in marine biology at the University of Oregon. GIS came to me later on after I spent five or so years working as a biologist.

Wow. I guess you’re comfortable with traveling!

I’m a big fan of the Mediterranean region and I really want to go sailing in Greece (I’m learning to sail).

I like spending time in a location– 7-9 days in one place or three weeks if you want to hop around to a few locations is perfect. You get into a rhythm of a place and get to know it a bit; I like that. I like to plan some things and leave the in-between times up for whatever comes our way.

My next question was about things you do when not traveling or working. It sounds like sailing is on the list!

Yes. I’m learning to sail. I also like snowboarding, gardening, cooking, playing pinball, doing DIY projects, and playing video games. Oh, and I’m trying my hand at abstract painting.

You mentioned your husband; who else shares your home?
We have an old man dog, Gus, who is very big and is a big baby. And lots of plants.

Well, thanks for taking the time to share, Jenny!

It's time to meet the Gartrell behind The Gartrell Group!

Welcome to a special edition of the Gartrell Group Team Bios! I’ve been trying to nail down this particular person since starting this series, but he keeps sneaking away. Not this time! We have nearly reached the Gartrell Group’s 20th Anniversary, and so I’ve made it my mission to track down my pal, your pal, our PrinciPAL (Consultant,) Bryce Gartrell!

Welcome, Bryce! Thanks so much for taking the time. Congratulations on making it to twenty years. That’s a huge milestone.

You caught me! Thank you! Yes, there are many ways to measure a journey like this. Twenty years can sneak up on you, kind of like you just did.

What made you decide to make the leap and run your own business?

Inspiration from sleep deprivation? My youngest son was born in December of 2003. His older brother was three. I was on paternity leave for a couple of months. It occurred to me that maybe I could quit my commute… make a living building and caretaking GIS applications from my basement. I think the notion was that I would create beautiful maps, apps, and visualizations in pristine solitude…or under the calming thunder of toddler feet, as things turned out (see Sam’s bio). A collaborator-friend, Marcus, who shared a thirst for adventure and a fondness for the absurd, agreed this was a great idea. We cleared away some legos, built several rack-mounted servers, made some desks and a website, and the Gartrell Group was a thing. Now, what do we do?! Twenty years later, I’m still always grateful for those first clients. This company is about their leap of faith as much as ours. But, you know, things went well enough in the first few months that I decided to quit my job and do this thing full-time!

That’s a pretty scary leap! How did you rope your sister, Molly, into it?

It was the spring of 2004. Things were ramping up a bit. We had a loosely affiliated ‘group’ of collaborators and some good projects underway, but we needed some help getting organized. Molly was a grade school teacher and fearless before the chaos. She came to Portland on her summer break, plugged into what was happening with the business, and ended up staying the course. She’s now our President and Teacher in Charge.

You guys make a great team. We’ve covered the definitive history of The Gartrell Group in a previous post, and I don’t want to bore our regular readers (thanks for the clicks, Mom!), so let’s move on to other subjects. Tell us a bit about where you grew up.

I grew up in a tiny town called Warner, New Hampshire. We made our own fun in Warner. It’s an excellent place for those who like rolling hills, forests, dirt roads, lakes, streams, and pit parties. It hosts the locally famous Fall Foliage Festival, which draws a crowd from several towns away and has more cotton candy and belt buckles than you can shake a stick at. I had a lot of opportunities to tromp around in the woods, ski in the winter, and pursue other forms of unsupervised delinquency - like at the beaver pond out behind your grandmother’s house.

That was always a good time! What brought you to Oregon?

I went to Reed College and fell in love with Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. All those things I enjoyed as a kid are so wonderfully accessible here, too!

Did you major in GIS, Spatial Data Science, or maybe Cartography?

Like all great GIS practitioners, I majored in French Literature. I eventually went to graduate school and got a degree in spatial data science and engineering. There was a bit of a song and dance involved to get in there with the French Lit thing. But I had found my way into mapping and gotten totally engrossed. It wasn’t a field I’d known about, but once I encountered it, I was absolutely taken by it and still am.

A wise choice. You’ve been in business for twenty years now. How have things changed for you?

I’m a bit less involved in the details of each project. I spend more time thinking about how our growing team works together and how our solutions tie together different aspects of our client’s organizations. It’s a step or two away from being directly hands-on with every project. I also spend more time on business development. We’re a small company, but we still have a lot of mouths to feed. I enjoy looking for ‘right fit’ opportunities to connect our awesome team with the right kinds of clients and projects.

That sounds like it can get a bit overwhelming. What do you do outside of work to relax?

I like being outside with my friends and my family. I like moving through the backcountry on skis. Fishing, and especially finding fishing spots! Foraging for treasures in the woods. Reading. Cooking. And I often seem to have a carpentry project going. I love working with my hands. It helps ground me after a day of working on a computer and building things in a virtual space.

Well, I, for one, am happy you made that choice in 2003 to start The Gartrell Group. I know a whole lot of other people who would agree with me. Thanks for taking the time to talk with us!

Bryce with Andrew Peterson and Brian Lee at our most recent staff Holiday party.

Bryce and Molly at the 2013 ESRI User Conference

Molly and Bryce, circa 1988. Sweet CB jacket!

Bryce and most of Team Gartrell who live in Portland.

Bryce and Team Gartrell at the Oregon Wildlife Foundation's fundraiser called Across the Arches

Team Gartrell from 2016? 2015?

Molly, Bryce and Liz Gaines.

Bryce and Sam Gartrell on a ski tour of Mt. Adams.

Bryce at one of our early staff holiday parties.

Bryce and Molly in the early days, standing in front of a rack of physical servers.

Molly and Bryce, cica 1995.

Bryce and a couple of our early developers take some time to inspect the ski conditions.

Bryce and Ben Sainsbury prepare to set sail on a 3-hour tour.