EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT
Rob Gilleece
VP OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS
Meet Rob – a FastTrack “lifer” through and through. Joining FastTack in its infancy, Rob’s been an integral driver of the growth and success of the company since day 1! Rob is a big Yankees fan and loves to man the grill on the weekends.
What is your current position with FastTrack? How long have you been in it?
I’m currently the Vice President of Information Systems. I have been in this role for almost two whole weeks! Prior to that, I was Director of Information Systems for nine years.
What is your typical workweek like?
I spend my early mornings doing “housekeeping” tasks like reviewing development work from the previous day and looking over the status of the current code release.
My mid-mornings are normally full of meetings with developers, analysts, and project managers to discuss the issues I reviewed that morning. Often we are also planning the next release (which is never far away).
My afternoons consist of meetings with clients and our Client Services Directors to discuss solutions, testing, and future planning.
Describe your career path at FastTrack?
I have been with FastTrack almost from the beginning! My first role was as an Analyst for the early iteration of the company. I analyzed the “job files” that came in from various clients and ensured the quality of the way the jobs posted. As the current FastTrack applications came to the fore, I focused all my energies on supporting and launching the new products. A year or so later, I became the Developer Team Lead and eventually the Director of Information Services.
How has FastTrack helped your personal and professional development?
I took a huge risk and left a large and well-known IT company to join a small start-up. Little did I know how exhilarating it would be to see this company get off the ground and grow the way it has. I have learned so much about IT (from my leaders as well as my developers), the insurance business (from our sales people and CSDs), and about business (from the C-level folks). Being here as long as I have been, I was taught the value of loyalty, friendship, integrity, and transparency.
What is something you love about working at FastTrack?
It may sound like a cliché, but working for FastTrack feels like being part of a family. We have always worked very hard to fill the needs of every client, large or small. Through it all we have always had each other’s backs and found the time to share some laughs. Additionally, the typical corporate behavior seen in many large companies is extremely rare; I have never been one for office politics and have been gratified to see this is not a prerequisite for working here. If you are looking for a place where you can work hard and reap the rewards, have I got a place for you!
Do you have any accomplishments within the organization you’re particularly proud of?
I have been proud to see the company grow five-fold (from about 12 people to about 60 people) in the time I have been here. I have been intimately involved in just about every piece of code we have deployed for our clients over the last 10 years or so and—to a great extent—they have remained our clients because of that code.
What is your favorite book, TV show, movie, or podcast?
I have long enjoyed The Lord of the Rings books (well before the movies came around). I also listen to tons of different podcasts relating to puzzles, history, films, and true crime.
Do you have any pets?
I have two dogs: a Corgi/Rat Terrier mix called Coco and a Pitbull mix called Opal (she is a rescue so we are not sure what kind of mix she is). I also have two cats called Logan and Jubilee.
Do you have any hobbies or special interests?
I have been a big Beatles fan for as long as I can remember. Anything involving the Beatles stirs my interest and can be very distracting!
I have been a Yankees fan since I was a young child and watch as many games as I can.
I root for the Buffalo Bills and am pleased to announce that there are two other Bills fans in the office – quite surprising for a company located in Jersey.
What type of activities are you mostly likely to be up to on the weekends?
I love to grill, so you will probably find me grilling with a craft beer in my hand both Saturdays and Sundays. I also enjoy spending time with my wife and three kids.
What is your favorite vacation destination? What’s one you haven’t visited yet but would like to in the future?
I stopped at Key West when I was in the Navy a long time ago and it was my favorite port visit. I have been to Scotland, England, Iceland, and Germany – but never saw Ireland. That would be my number one future visit.
What person would you most like to switch places with for a day? Why?
I can’t think of anyone I would rather be than me! I have everything I could ever ask for. If I was forced to give an answer, it would be any of the producers involved in recording Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
What’s the first thing you would do if you won the lottery?
Pay off all of my debts and my brother’s debts and buy houses for each of my parents.
What is your favorite 21st century innovation?
The combination of GPS and smart phones. We no longer have to swallow our pride and ask for directions. And if we get lost we can blame it on the phone!
What’s something you loved doing as a kid? Do you still do it now?
I loved going to the country in the summer. I grew up in Brooklyn and loved my trips to the deep woods in Connecticut. I don’t do it now as often as I would like.
Do you have any unique or hidden talents?
I play piano! I am not classically trained but I can figure out most tunes pretty quickly. Also (to most people’s chagrin) I am a dedicated punster.
Who is one of your personal heroes?
Theodore Roosevelt. He was a patriot as well as vibrant and full of energy. He had a good moral compass, too.
What is your motto for life?
It is a quote by Mickey Rivers: “Ain’t no sense worryin’ about the things you got control over, ’cause if you got control over ’em, ain’t no sense worryin’. And ain’t no sense worryin’ about the things you don’t got control over, ’cause if you don’t got control over ’em, ain’t no sense worryin’.”
What are your top 3 most overused words/phrases?
“I don’t disagree”, “Workin’ hard or hardly workin’?”, and (more recently) “You are on mute!”
What is a surprising fact about yourself?
I was in amateur theater in my late teens and played Merlin in a local version of Camelot.
If there was a movie about your life made, who would you want the narrator to be?
Gary Sinise.
Do you have any nicknames?
I was called “Robby” growing up. When I was stationed in Iceland they called me “Hoopl”.
Is there anything not mentioned above that you think our customers would be interested in knowing about you?
I spent nine years in the Navy and held a Top Secret clearance for most of that time. There are still things that I cannot ever talk about.
Connect with Rob on LinkedIn
