Month: August 2017

Week of Jessica Murphy

Every week the GIF Squad features a person who we feel contributes to the Salesforce community #Ohana . This week’s spotlight lands on Jessica Murphy! Be sure to check out Jessica’s contact information at the bottom of this post.

 

Title and Company

Orange County Literacy Council – Admineveloper

Trailhead

Currently at 119!

Are you a User Group Leader?

Yes! Women Who Dev User Group – Virtual

Certifications
  • Salesforce Certified Platform App Builder (March 6, 2017)
  • Salesforce Certified AdministratorĀ (March 10, 2017)
  • Salesforce Certified Platform Developer I (June 2, 2017)
  • Salesforce Certified Sales Cloud Consultant (June 26, 2017)
  • Salesforce Certified Advanced Administrator (July 28, 2017)
Favorite Salesforce Feature

Lightning Components – You can customize a page, rearrange it and add useful features and functionality easily.

Salesforce’s Biggest Opportunity for Improvement

Knowledge – It’s difficult to work with.

Salesforce Goal(s) for 2017

To complete the RAD program (shout out to Group C!) and to get 1 more certification.

5 Fun Facts about Jessica
  1. I am a former Sign Language Interpreter & Instructor
  2. I am a classically trained soprano – but I grew up singing gospel.
  3. I have a master’s degree in adult training and education.
  4. I am a co-founder of Saasie Tech Socials and a co-leader of Phoenix SalesforceSaturday.
  5. I am a fan of sci-fi and fantasy (I love going to comicon). I truly believe Hermione is my patronus (and yes, I took 2 college classes at the same time – without the benefit of a time turner although that would have been helpful).
Most Identifies With Which Salesforce Mascot

Codey the Bear – I call him/her my spirit animal because s/he sings and loves code šŸ™‚

Favorite GIF

 

Be sure to connect with Jessica on:

August 31, 2017 Benjamin Bolopue 0

#OhanaStrong

Hurricane Harvey

Click to view USA Today article on Hurricane Harvey

So How bad is it?

The short answer is “very”. Prior to Harvey, only 2 other Category 4 hurricanes had made landfall in Texas’s Coastal Bend region. The most recent happened in 1961. The one before that, August of 1886. Harvey is literally like nothing the majority of Houstonians have ever experienced before. According to the National Weather ServiceĀ  “Tropical Storm HarveyĀ has broken the all-time Texas rainfall record from a tropical storm or hurricane.” Weather Channel meteorologist Greg Postel was quoted as saying “This could easily be one of the worst flooding disasters in U.S. history.” It’s estimated that Hurricane Harvey has dumped more than 11 trillion gallons of water on Houston alone. According to USA Today affiliate Weather 10, more than ten additional inches of rain could hit Houston by the time Harvey’s done.

It’s very bad.

So How Can I help?

Now. In any way you can. Publicly. Anonymously. Through a charity. Directly. NOW.

The need is great, urgent, and overwhelming. The good news being that there are dozens, if not hundreds, of places for you to contribute. Being both helpful and cautionary, The New York Times published a great article on “Where to Donate to Harvey Victims (and How to Avoid Scams)“.Ā  Unfortunately, reading up before offering monetary contributions has become a MUST. Please, donate wisely.

When on a rescue boat, there isn’t anything better than brother’s hand.

In addition to the big players, (charities like United Way, the American Red Cross, AmeriCares, etc.) countless GoFundMe pages have been setup for individuals and families impacted by Harvey. One we’d like to draw your attention to specifically, is the GoFundMe page setup to help the family of the Salesforce Community’s very own, Megan Schultz.

Harvey left Megan, her wife Mary, and their 5 year old twin sons (and their dog), with nothing. They were high water rescued from their home. Besides the clothes they were wearing, a phone is all they have left. Any proceeds received that exceed the family’s needs will be donated to a disaster relief fund intended to help other #SalesforceOhana members in the Houston area.

 

Ohana Resources

Megan and Mary aren’t the only members of the Ohana whose lives have been impacted by Harvey. Doing what they do best, the fine folks at Salesforce are jumping in and lending a hand. Using Quip, they’ve created a centralized one-stop-Ohana-help-shop for:

  • Community Lead Recovery Efforts
  • Requests from the Ohana
  • Community Support
  • Distribution and Inventory Listing for Houston Developer & User Group Relief

Click here to visit the Hurricane Harvey – Community Ohana Relief Efforts Page

The fact that they’ve used Quip, means that if YOU know of Community Lead Recovery Efforts, if YOU have requests, and if YOU can offer support YOU can let people know by making additions to the page.

 

GIF Squad Giving

At this time, all proceeds from the sale of The GIF Squad’s #GifSquadForGood line of shirts will be donated to Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner’s Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund. Click here to visit our store!

August 29, 2017 Benjamin Bolopue 0

Week of Zac Otero

Every week the GIF Squad tries to feature a person who we feel contributes to the Salesforce community #Ohana . This week the spotlight lands on Zac Otero! Be sure to check out Zac’s contact information at the bottom of this post.

Title and Current Employer

Salesforce Lead at BKD CPAs & Advisors

Are you a User Group Leader?

No, but I’m a Planning Committee Member in Springfield Missouri

Certifications
  • Salesforce Certified Administrator (February 7, 2015 )
  • Salesforce Certified Advanced Administrator (October 6, 2016 )
  • Salesforce Certified Platform App Builder (October 7, 2016 )
Trailhead

Currently at 23 (and counting!)

Favorite Salesforce Feature

Process Builder / FLOW – Because automation is fun!!

Salesforce’s Biggest Opportunity for Improvement

Archived Activities

Salesforce Goal(s) for 2017

Process Automation Specialist Superbadge

5 Fun Facts about Zac
  1. I was home-schooled
  2. I once worked in a popcorn factory
  3. I had very long hair for about 15 years
  4. I’ve played the drums since high school
  5. I’ve driven from Missouri to Alaska, three different times
Most Identifies With Which Salesforce Mascot

Einstein, because E=mc2.

Favorite GIF

 

Be sure to connect with Zac on:

August 15, 2017 Benjamin Bolopue 0

Week of James Chen

Every week the GIF Squad tries to feature a person who we feel contributes to the Salesforce community #Ohana . This week the spotlight lands on James Chen! Be sure to check out James’s contact information at the bottom of this post.

 

Certifications
  • Salesforce Certified Administrator (August 5, 2016)
  • Salesforce Certified Platform App BuilderĀ (September 10, 2016)
  • Salesforce Certified Advanced AdministratorĀ (October 24, 2016)
  • Salesforce Certified Sales Cloud Consultant (December 8, 2016)
  • Salesforce Certified Service Cloud ConsultantĀ (December 18, 2016)
  • Salesforce Certified Platform Developer IĀ (May 14, 2016)
Trailhead

Currently at 123 (and counting!)

 

Favorite Salesforce Feature

Developer Console, a quick way to test simple soql statements and execute apex code.

 

Salesforce Goal(s) for 2017

Meet as many people from the community as possible!

5 Fun Facts about James
  1. I am bilingual
  2. I speak three different dialects of Chinese
  3. I practice Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
  4. I can cook
  5. I have visited more countries than I have visited states
Most Identifies With Which Salesforce Mascot

Einstein, we both love to use knowledge to make a positive impact.

Favorite GIF

 

Be sure to connect with James on:

August 10, 2017 Benjamin Bolopue 0

Week of Becka Miller

Every week the GIF Squad features a person who we feel contributes to the Salesforce community #Ohana . This week’s spotlight lands on Becka Miller! Be sure to check out Becka’s contact information at the bottom of this post.

 

Title and Company

CRM Architect at the Fury Group

Trailhead

Currently at 131, but want to hit 150 by the end of August. I love Trailhead! As a consultant, I not only need to know Salesforce, but also what is possible with Salesforce even if I am not an expert in that particular area. Trailhead helps me keep up!

Are you a User Group Leader?

Yes – Houston Pardot User Group and owner/organizer of the NW Houston Salesforce Saturday group

Certifications
  • Salesforce Certified Administrator (July 1, 2015)
  • Salesforce Certified Pardot Consultant (October 21, 2015 )
  • Salesforce Certified Pardot Specialist (April 1, 2017 )
Favorite Salesforce Feature

You may laugh because this is such a simple feature, but I really like list views! I love teaching sales reps how to use them to run their day better – what leads need to be contacted, who to follow up with – but they are also useful when I am trying to find out extensive re-mapping a field is going to be. Yes, you COULD do it with a report, but if it’s not too many records, List Views gives you inline editing, which is AWESOME!.

Salesforce’s Biggest Opportunity for Improvement

Definitely Quick Create – whenever I do an org update for someone, that is the first thing I remove because it doesn’t respect validation rules or required fields.

Salesforce Goal(s) for 2017

For my groups: I had a goal to reach 50 users in our the Houston Pardot User Group this year, but we are at 60 now and we’re just heading into August! If we can get to 75 this year I’ll be ecstatic. I just started the Salesforce Saturday group in February and I’m so happy to have some Salesforce pals to hang out with, who motivate me to keep learning, & would love to see this group grow as well. As for my personal goals, I will be taking the App Builder cert exam this month, and next on the horizon (also for 2017) is the Sales Cloud Consultant exam…maybe by Dreamforce? Would love to be an MVP!

5 Fun Facts about Becka
  1. I have three TEENAGE daughters (19, 16, & 14)
  2. I need coffee to function!
  3. My husband Mark was in the USAF and we lived in Germany and Turkey when we were first married (27 years!)
  4. When we lived in Turkey, I worked for the State Department and had a top secret security clearance
  5. Thanks to VetForce, I was able to learn Salesforce & get Admin certified…now I can’t get enough!
Most Identifies With Which Salesforce Mascot

Astro, because he embodies the spirit of Trailhead I love so much and has a passion for helping customers learn Salesforce…just like me!

Favorite GIF

 

Be sure to connect with Becka on:

August 3, 2017 Benjamin Bolopue 1