Meet a Helpful Human – Russ MacShane

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

Meet Russ MacShane

Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Russ MacShane now lives in San Antonio, where he has lived for the past 18 years. MacShane has a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Loyola University New Orleans and a master’s degree in computer science from the University of Texas at San Antonio.

He previously worked at UT Health San Antonio as a Software Developer working on clinical research applications. Now, MacShane works as a Software Development Engineer III at Liquid Web. He has worked at Liquid Web for just over seven years.

Why did you join Liquid Web?

I was hired at Rackspace about two years before I joined Liquid Web. I was employed there to work on the Cloud Sites product. Liquid Web acquired the product and brought the team and me over to the company.

What draws you to the hosting industry as a career?

The technologies in the industry are constantly evolving. I love to learn new things, and working in the industry provides amazing learning opportunities.

Is there something specific about Liquid Web you just love?

I love working and collaborating with my teammates. I love the challenges and learning opportunities that my role provides daily.

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

Several things: It’s collaborative, offers excellent work-life balance, and is challenging. I’ve learned and grown my skills here during my tenure, and my daily work is fun and engaging. I love working with my teammates. We make each other better by learning from our different strengths. The work-life balance is outstanding here. I’m able to spend time with my family, and the benefits are great.

In your eyes, what’s the difference between Liquid Web and other employers?

Highlighting what I wrote above, the flexibility and benefits set Liquid Web apart. Although we work hard to accomplish the tasks for our customers, I still have plenty of time for my personal life.

Tell us about an amazing customer experience you have had at Liquid Web.

I have accomplished a lot during my tenure. When first coming over to Liquid Web, there was a huge migration effort to fully integrate the Cloud Sites product into the company. It was a stressful but ultimately rewarding experience.

Tell us about an amazing customer experience you have had at Liquid Web.

My role doesn’t have me interact with customers directly. Still, my role as a front-end developer does allow me to influence our customers’ experiences with our portals and marketing websites. The goal is to give them the best experience possible by being aesthetically pleasing and intuitive.

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

I hope that I am someone who is known to work well with others and get the job done. Also, I love learning new things, which drives me to accomplish my assigned tasks. I like being collaborative and learning from others to get things done.

What is one thing you wish our customers knew about their hosting?

There is a ton of complexity in making this all work. From the work needed to keep our own portals, marketing sites, and products developed and running to the work required to keep our customer sites running, to everything in between, it’s quite an accomplishment to make it all work. It takes a team of dedicated people, which we have.

Work aside, what are some of your hobbies?

Outside of work, I spend most of my time with my family, keeping the kids entertained by going to movies, the zoo, play places, etc.

What is your favorite TV show?

That’s tough! Game of Thrones comes to mind; the ending was awful, but most of the series was really good.

What is your favorite app?

Reddit for social media, YouTube for videos, and Kindle Reader for reading. I use Kindle the most now. I was into TikTok but got too addicted!

If you could have dinner with one famous person [dead or alive], who would it be?

Steve Jobs would be interesting to talk to. His influence on technology was massive, and it would be interesting to hear about his life and experiences and what he would think about today’s technology.

You can find Russ at LinkedIn.
We hope you enjoyed our series, and stay tuned for the next Helpful Human profile.