Hey there and welcome to our team blog! We can’t wait to introduce you to the inner workings of our squad and give you a behind-the-scenes look at what we do and why we do it. You’ll also get to meet some of our amazing team members and learn about the technology stack that powers our work. My name is Dave Van Noten and I’ve been leading this dynamic group of humans since March 2020. Thanks for stopping by – we hope you enjoy reading our blog and getting to know us better.
Interested in joining us? We’re currently hiring a Staff Engineer, Backend and Senior Engineer, Front end
What we do
SpotHero is a two-sided marketplace connecting parking customers with operators who provide spots for reservation. Our B2B team focuses on helping operators run their businesses more effectively. To do this, we offer several types of support, including
- Thought leadership through reporting and insights on how to maximize revenue,
- Responsive support through self-service tooling that allows operators to quickly manage certain aspects of their business – activities such as adjusting their rates, blackout windows, inventory levels, etc
- Creating great features that meet operators where they’re at and fulfill their operational needs, like accounting, inventory, events, reservation management, and competing in their local market.
Our Tech Stack
As a squad, we value continuous improvement, an outcome-focused approach, supportive mentorship and transparency, and a culture of experimentation. Our team is composed of experts in focused disciplines, each bringing their own unique skills and experience to the table.
- Our front-end developers utilize a cutting-edge web-based solution built with React and Redux
- Our back-end engineers make use of a diverse set of technologies including Python, Django, Kotlin, and Postgres.
Recent Successes
Operator Data Warehouse
The Operator Panel team has just completed a significant overhaul of our Accounting system. We have simplified the operator reporting process by consolidating databases, removing redundant technology, and segregating applications. Additionally, we have implemented automation for bill generation within Netsuite, resulting in increased efficiency for our accounting team.
Microclimate Rate Recommendation
The Operator Panel team has just launched a pilot related to Microclimate Rate Recommendations for operators in Boston, Philadelphia, and Toronto. These operators are now equipped with the functionality to accept rate recommendations that are computed based on microclimate information. The recommended rates and rate bands are derived through aggregated microclimate data from facilities located within a radius of 0.5 miles from them. This enables operators to make data-driven decisions in response to real-time changes in demand and adapt their facilities to cater to specific requirements
Our squad
Please take a moment to meet the rest of the members of the squad
Dave Van Noten – Senior Engineering Manager
Some history:
Hello! My name is Dave Van Noten and I’m originally from London, Ontario. In 2016, I made the move to Oakville to start working in Toronto. I have a wonderful wife named Shannon and two kids, Joe and Emily. I’ve been with SpotHero since March 2020, bringing my diverse background in fintech and manufacturing data collection to the table. It’s been an exciting journey so far and I’m looking forward to what the future holds. Thanks for taking the time to get to know me!
Where are you now:
London, Ontario, Canada – I ended up coming back to my hometown when both my kids applied to university here.
Start a conversation with me by bringing up:
Cooking, software engineering, leadership, 49’ers, books, and squash (the sport, not vegetable)
Are you a city traveler or nature explorer:
100% a nature explorer – no question we’ve built some very impressive things but I’ll take time in nature anytime I get a chance.
Anthony Arguelles – Senior Product Manager
Some history:
Hello! My name is Anthony Arguelles, and I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. I live with my beautiful wife, Heather, and have 3 awesome kids, Aydia, Adelyn, and Audrey. I’ve been working at SpotHero since November 2019. It’s been a fun journey working at SpotHero. I really enjoy the people I work with and the diverse thinking that each person brings to our squad. I have a background in working with consumers and B2B partners within two-sided marketplaces.
Where are you now:
Lemont, IL
Start a conversation with me by bringing up:
Smoked meats, Chicago Bears, Bulls, and Cubs (Heather is a Sox fan, we have a house divided), and English Bulldogs. Oh yeah, and I love a good glass of Scotch.
Are you a city traveler or nature explorer:
City traveler – I love visiting new cities, seeing the sites, eating new foods, and doing things that locals do. I like to experience life through the eyes of a person that lives in the city I’m visiting.
Amanda Wedow – Senior Product Designer
Some history:
I’ve been here at SpotHero since April 2022 and work on discovering the needs of the parking operators we service in the Control Panel product and designing new features and upgrades to bring them value and solve their problems. My background as a designer before SpotHero has been in HR tools, finance, and market research. Before that I worked at the LCBO as a product consultant, using my expertise of wine, spirits, sake, and beer to host classes for the public and employees as well as sell products across locations.
Where are you now:
Toronto, ON!
Start a conversation with me by bringing up:
Books! I love to read. But also you can always talk to me about the fascinating topic of carcinization.
Are you a city traveler or nature explorer:
Definitely more of a city traveler but my heart calls for nature.
Robb Robins – Agile Coach
Some history:
I came to technology from a background in the humanities (including philosophy, English literature, music, and psychology) and am finding new ways of applying these disciplines to my work.
Originally from northern Wisconsin, my family (wife, Meghan; daughter, Margot; sons, Julien and Simeon) live in the western suburbs of Chicago.
Where are you now:
Winfield, IL. Where the majority of our downtown is taken up by the Central DuPage campus of Northwestern Hospital
Start a conversation with me by bringing up:
Coffee, camping, camping gear,
Are you a city traveler or nature explorer:
100% nature. I grew up in the middle of the woods outside a town of 1,300 people. I enjoy hiking, mountain biking, cross-country skiing, and running. Now as a Chicago suburbanite, we like to make use of forest preserves as well as the Morton Arboretum
Aziz Harrington – Senior Backend Engineer
Some history:
I’m a Chicago transplant (originally from Michigan) and a self-taught engineer. My wife and 3 daughters (ages 6 and under!) keep me pretty busy, but when I have free time I like to play metal guitar, work out, and play Magic: The Gathering.
I’ve been working for SpotHero since 2020 and it’s been a whirlwind of a few years, mostly spent on a great team – the Operator Panel Squad! We’ve tackled some great problems around getting payments and reporting to our operators as well as providing market-based rate recommendations, and we have lots of interesting things ahead as well.
Where are you now:
The lovely burb of Arlington Heights, IL! Home of multiple awesome Japanese grocery stores as well as the future home of the Chicago Bears!
Start a conversation with me by bringing up:
Random metal bands, cooking, or functional programming languages.
Are you a city traveler or nature explorer:
I’m a city traveler but aspire to be a nature explorer in the future (once my little kids are old enough to join)!
Mark Levy – Senior Backend Engineer
Some history:
I’m a born-and-raised Chicago guy. Grew up in the North Suburbs and never lived out of state. Went to college in Lake Forest for Physics before hitting my stride in Engineering. I live with my wife Sarah and our ~1y old son Julian. I’ve been with SpotHero since September 2019, been on a few different teams during my time here, and I’m continuously impressed at our attention to detail and careful considerations in designing our tech stacks. I feel like I have a multitude of knowledge and impressive engineering examples at my fingertips every time I look at our growing repositories, and it gets me pumped up every day I open up my computer for work.
Where are you now:
Glenview, IL. Yet another north suburb of Chicago. I can’t seem to get away! (Nor do I want to)
Start a conversation with me by bringing up:
Video games old or new (preferably random Indie titles nobody’s heard of), PC building and tweaking, Jamtronica Music (STS9 and the Disco Biscuits, if you’ve heard of them hit me up), or pretty much any music, in general, I respect it all. Also, I’m a bit of a tools/construction nerd, having had jobs in theater shop crews and Ace/True Value throughout college.
Are you a city traveler or nature explorer:
I love nature, but my heart loves city nightlife. I’ve gone to hundreds of concerts, don’t plan on stopping, and I definitely thrive in the nighttime.
Tyler Williams – Senior Front-End Engineer
Some history:
I’m from a bit all over. I grew up in New Jersey, moved to Florida, went to undergrad in Ithaca, NY, moved back to Jersey for my first job in software development, then I moved to Chicago in 2018 and have been here ever since. My background is entirely in computer science, I went to undergrad for that and art, and every job I’ve had since has been on the front end.
Where are you now:
Chicago, IL
Start a conversation with me by bringing up:
Art/art supplies/artists, photography, needlework (knitting/crocheting), dogs (preferably yours or mine), magic the gathering, or instruments.
Are you a city traveler or nature explorer:
I moved to Chicago because I know I belong in a city and I was over New York, but in my heart of hearts, I would much rather be close to the outdoors.
Eddie Padin – Senior Front-End Engineer
Some history:
Born and raised on the south side of Chicago. Relocated to Northwest Indiana at the age of 21. I have a wide and varied professional background: spent my early years as an entrepreneur, founded a small publishing/advertising agency and did that for 8 years, spent a few years doing stock market nonsense, then on to technology consulting and full-time software development.
Where are you now:
Northwest Indiana. Writing code in my basement and foraging for mushrooms in the forest during the spring, summer, and fall.
Start a conversation with me by bringing up:
Wild Mushrooms and Siberian Huskies. You won’t get me to shut up. Seriously. Did you know Siberian huskies were originally bred by the Chukchi people of Siberia and their lineage goes back almost 10,000 years? Oh, or that Morel mushrooms (Morchella sp.) are a mycorrhizal mushroom species that form a symbiotic relationship with specific types of trees where their mycelium exchanges nutrients with the root system? This makes them almost impossible to commercially cultivate – and to date, the only known case of indoor cultivation wasn’t actually documented until 2021 after over 30 years of research and attempts by two Danish biologists.
See…. there I go again.
Are you a city traveler or nature explorer:
Nature traveler for sure. I’m not a big fan of cities, urban sprawl, or crowded venues. Prefer to spend my time in the woods, hiking up a mountain, or exploring some hidden valley (not the salad dressing although if you’re curious about my salad accouterments, bleu cheese ftw ).
Tim Dougherty – Senior QA Analyst
Some history:
I’ve lived in the Chicago area for pretty much my entire life; I spend a good swathe of my time with family and friends. I got the opportunity to join the SpotHero family in 2022 and have been enjoying the ride ever since.
Where are you now:
Greater Chicagoland area, IL.
Start a conversation with me by bringing up:
Classic video games. Modern stuff I don’t follow too well outside of the occasional PC indie title, but older classic stuff I’m all over.
Are you a city traveler or nature explorer:
Option C, of the two provided, I suppose I’d be considered a nature explorer (the sounds of nature are very relaxing), but in general,, I’m much more of a homebody if left to my own devices.
Interested in joining us?
We’re currently hiring a Staff Engineer, Backend and Senior Engineer, Front end