Meet a Helpful Human – Michelle Almendarez

We’re the employees you would hire if you could. Responsive, helpful, and dedicated in ways automation simply can’t be. We’re your team.

Each month we recognize one of our Most Helpful Humans in Hosting.

Meet Michelle Almendarez

Why did you join Liquid Web?

I started at Liquid Web because I was looking for something challenging and new. Every day is a new puzzle to solve due to the fact that there are so many factors that go into web development. Anything can go wrong at any time and you have to be ready to find out why – and fast. Is it Ngnix, Apache, PHP – or is just a plugin? All of these things are factors when dealing with websites and any one of them can cause issues on a site. The thrill of finding these issues and solving them is what I love about Liquid Web.

Is there something specific at Liquid Web that you just love?

The people I work with. I have been able to meet the most amazing and helpful people I’ve ever had the pleasure to work with. Our upper management is never too busy to stop by and just say hi. We’re not just co-workers at Liquid Web, we are actually friends and that means we work really well as a team. Everyone really gets along and works well together and that’s important!

What is the biggest milestone you’ve accomplished?

When we first launched our new WooCommerce platform there was an internal contest to design a website to help us get more familiar with the environment. I had a lot of fun with the contest and even wrote my own reviews about the products that were pretty funny. To my surprise, I actually won the entire site contest.

Winning and having fun? What could be better!

I was also the first to spearhead video production for the Liquid Web Knowledge Base, which I am also an author for as well. One of my articles has quite a few hits monthly. It’s nice to know you’re helping someone figure things out, even if you are not there in person.

What’s your favorite part about the company culture at Liquid Web?

We pool our knowledge together to solve bigger problems because no one person has all of the answers (I know I don’t!). I can always count on my team and those around me if I can’t figure something out. And if that somehow fails I can even fall back on our Operations Team. Those guys (Kyle, Tyler, Jesse, and Gene) and everyone else on that team are super smart. Working with them on issues helps me learn something new.

Tell us about a truly rewarding experience you’ve had with a customer.

A dog shelter had a site running on PHP that was no longer working so I upgraded their WordPress to get it back up and running to get those pups adopted! I really love animals. And the customer was really excited too! I also had calls from NASA and the United Nations so it’s nice to see we have such a big impact on the world like that.

What are you known for at Liquid Web? What do people specifically come to you for?

Mostly tacos and positivity. I have tacos and coffee for breakfast almost every day. Something about a bean and cheese wrapped in that flour-y wrap that just warms my soul. ❤️ Also, caffeine helps get my day started. Sometimes I’ll bring some for the rest of the team too and that always puts people in a good mood.

I am also pretty handy with Managed WordPress and video editing as well. I will get a lot of direct messages on asking me to verify something or write a new Knowledge Base article.

Work aside, what are some of your hobbies?

Reading, video games, photography, and long walks with my dog.

What is your favorite TV show?

Blackish, Game of Thrones

What is your favorite app?

Google Maps. I have a horrible sense of direction. I would get lost in my own house. I also have this thing where I confuse my left with my right if I’m distracted. Thank god for Google Maps. I’m also the type of person to plan every detail of my route before a trip and Google Maps really helps with that as well.

You can follow Michelle on LinkedIn. You can also read expert articles she’s written for Liquid Web.

We hope you enjoyed our series, and stay tuned for the next Most Helpful Human in Hosting profile.