This month, we talked with Melissa Gould, a Staff Engineer at Red Argyle. Those who know her attest to her killer dance moves and humble, wholesome, and selfless persona. When you ask most Argylers about Melissa, we hear, “the world needs more Melissas!”
Melissa implements customizations for our clients, including anything from the point-and-click side of Salesforce to backend Apex code and completely custom front-end pages.
Bonus! Melissa created this amazing Viking chair that lives outside our Canandaigua, NY, office.
Tell us about your journey to Red Argyle.
I met a few Argylers at an RIT career fair and learned of the Salesforce consulting nature of Red Argyle. I worked with Salesforce before but wanted to stick with a small company: Red Argyle fit the bill!
I started as a co-op in 2019, and after my six-month co-op, I continued working part-time through my graduation in May 2021. I joined as a full-time Argyler after my graduation.
I decided to join Red Argyle because of the smaller size of the company and the people I met while interviewing. Transparency was and is, well, transparent, which I appreciate. Red Argyle being a small company, I felt I could make an impact.
What’s your most used emoji?
I like the party-argyler emoji to celebrate team-and-company-oriented things.
What’s one thing that surprised you about working at Red Argyle?
I’m surprised and delighted at how much I became friends with the people I work with. Before I came to Red Argyle, I was the person who would keep my personal and work lives separate. Once I became closer with those I worked with, the trust and respect I developed as a team was amazing.
What’s a work-related accomplishment that you’re proud of?
Two email-related projects that I built.
Both of them required a deep understanding of how emails work (within Salesforce and outside of Salesforce), which I didn’t know before these projects. I’m proud of being able to learn the ins and outs of emails and develop these solutions for clients to achieve a goal that made their lives and coworkers’ lives easier.
What makes you happy?
Outdoor adventuring, my fiance, and sports make me happy.
I try to explore/travel outdoors as much as I can. This past year I explored Sedona, AZ, lots of places in Colorado, and some areas around family in the Northeast.
I’ve been active in various sports throughout my life and continued through college. Since college, I have picked up Triathlons! I did my first one this past September and plan on continuing that. So I have been biking way more and running.
Now my sports list is:
- Karate
- Rock Climbing
- Mountain Biking
- Triathlons (running, swimming, biking)
What’s one thing most people don’t know about you?
One thing that most people don’t know about me is that once I become good friends with someone, I plan to stay good friends with them for the rest of my life. I may not be the best at keeping in touch with everyone, but I will keep my friends close and do anything I can, even if it means going out of my way to support them.
When was the last time you did something that scared or challenged you?
Two things I’ve done recently were a challenge for me. One was jumping from the “diving board” on a rock climbing route on the Second Flatiron in Boulder, Colorado. It was a large jump and in climbing, you normally, well, climb things… not jump from things. See an example from YouTube of what it looks like to do this.
The other was doing my first triathlon. Each component of the triathlon seemed doable to me, but putting it together felt like a lot. I ended up loving it and completed it! I plan on competing in more triathlons in the future!
What hobbies have been passed down in your family?
One hobby passed down in my family, specifically from my Dad, is fishing.
I remember as a kid going out fishing early Saturday mornings, and even one Christmas, it was so warm we decided to go fishing! It’s something that connects my family.
What fantasy invention would you want to exist in reality?
I wish teleportation existed in reality. It would make visiting family, friends, and places a lot easier.
What would you teach the world in an online video?
I would teach the world about Pysanky (Ukrainian Easter Eggs)
