Employee Spotlight: Chad Boschert

Gifted Programmer Chad Boschert is Recognized for Professionalism and Talent Within and Outside of PaperWise

"I was interested in computers much of my childhood," PaperWise Programmer and Development Team Lead Chad Boschert explained. "In retrospect it's amazing the things that my parents let me do to their home computers; I'm not sure if they were encouraging my interest or simply unaware that I was taking their computers completely apart - probably a little of both."

Growing up in St. Charles, Missouri, Chad had opportunities to nurture his appreciation of technology both in education and practical experience. Starting his junior year of high school, Chad was able to increase his computer knowledge through a program at the Lewis & Clark Technical School. "I would attend mornings in the technical program and regular high school in the afternoons," said Chad. This program provided not only a foundation for a future in programming, but gave Chad the ability to graduate high school with a Computer Information Systems (CIS) certificate and almost two years of on-the-job experience.

"I was very lucky to get my first computer-related job during high school at Easy Returns Worldwide, Inc., which was a reverse pharmaceutical distribution company in St. Charles," said Chad. His responsibilities began at a basic level, cleaning machines with compressed air. Soon he worked his way to building computers and providing end user support. Before he knew it, he was given programming assignments and responsibility for one of the company's websites.

After he graduated from St. Charles High School, Chad attended Missouri State University (MSU) where he continued his studies in CIS. He knew that he wanted a computer-related degree which meant Computer Science or CIS. "Computer Science was more math and science based, and CIS was more business oriented," said Chad. "My choice was based on a combination of an interest in business and a slight fear of advanced math."

While in college, Chad began a programming internship with Associated Electric Cooperative, Inc. (AECI) in Springfield, Missouri. He graduated in 2004 and took on a full-time position for over five years until moving to a banking software company called DataLink, Inc. During his employment with AECI and DataLink, Chad became a member of a local Microsoft programmers group called the Springfield .NET Users Group. It was here that Chad came in contact with PaperWise team members, Markus Pope and Lance Langford. "They told me about their plans for PaperWise Version 7, and I was so excited about the program and technologies that I decided to apply when I heard there was an opening," Chad shared.

In June 2009, Chad became an official member of the PaperWise team. In his role of Programmer and Development Team Lead, he has continued to grow as a professional. "While at PaperWise, I have learned a lot about the transportation and insurance industries, and each are interesting in their own respect," he shared. "It's always fun to learn about other people and industries that are different than what I do." However, his favorite part about working at PaperWise is all about the software. According to Chad, it is most rewarding to know that he is able to create tools that will essentially make the jobs of 100s or 1000s of people more efficient and hopefully more enjoyable. "I love writing software that will be used by many people in more ways than what I can actually imagine!"

When Chad is not at the PaperWise headquarters, he also does freelance development projects; however, the most precious time to Chad is spent with his wife Kristen. Of his wife Chad said, "[Kristen] is my best friend and biggest supporter. I'm constantly amazed by her creativity and love her sense of humor." In fact, he loves her sense of humor so much that he undeniably steals her jokes by repeating them more loudly than she said them in the first place. Chad and Kristen enjoy spending time with their families. A middle child, he has two brothers and was fortunate to grow up with parents that he said "encouraged me to succeed, but allowed me to fail." His family has a farm near Mark Twain Lake, and it is there that they enjoy fishing, swimming, and spending time together. He and Kristen also regularly take short trips with her parents in their RV, which Chad really enjoys as he is close to his in-laws.

Outside of his love for family and technology, Chad enjoys cooking and woodworking. An outdoorsman at heart, he also has a gift for fly fishing, or fly tying when he cannot get to a stream. He would like to be an intermediate-to-expert level yo-yo aficionado, and can be seen practicing during impromptu meetings or while walking the halls at PaperWise. Reading non-fiction and spending time with friends and family are at the top of his list of loves. However, whether it is work or play, one common denominator must be present for Chad Boschert - CREATIVITY. "I tend to navigate towards activities that involve creating something."

Innate technical talents with a heaping side of creativity help make Chad the all-star member of the PaperWise team that he is.  In fact, he was recently named one of Springfield, Missouri's bright and brilliant up and coming professionals under 30.  Congratulations Chad!