Leveraging success in the creation, automation, and analysis of data, our Digital Solutions team is now proudly providing technical leadership support to the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) aircraft maintenance program. Through the project, RedCloud is building technical capabilities to improve fleet readiness of two different helicopter fleets flown by the U.S. Marine Corps initially, with the plan to expand across additional areas in the future. ​ RedCloud is partnering to develop predictive analytics and reporting capabilities for the DoD fleet maintenance and part replacement, with the goal of improving the availability of the right equipment at the right time, increasing aircraft readiness, and improving planning efficiency. Our BS&I team is working with the DoD department, which conducts maintenance, repair, and overhaul of the U.S. Navy aircraft, engines, components, and support equipment in various locations around the world. ​ “Working with a combination of data scientists and DoD maintenance subject matter experts, we’ll deliver a predictive analytics capability and interactive dashboard,” said Scott Ekman, RedCloud Account Manager. “Our team is proud to be able to utilize expertise and custom applications we’ve developed and are applying in the private sector to add value to such an important mission by the U.S. Marines.” Each year the DoD overhauls and repairs nearly 1,000 U.S. Navy and Marine aircraft, thousands of engines, and several hundred thousand components valued at approximately $4 billion. RedCloud expects this capability will be leveraged across a wide range of operations, producing significant time and cost benefits for multiple branches of the DoD.

As part of our broader community program, we’re proud to give back to one Washington State high school student every year by awarding a $5,000 scholarship to a student who exemplifies high standards and commitment to their community.  Now in its 5th year, our annual RedCloud Consulting/Dave “Hendu” Henderson Educational Scholarship was recently awarded in partnership, as always, with our good friends at Toys For Kids. Scholarship awardee Desmond Good Bird-Pease, along with Nancy Henderson - wife of Dave Henderson, Brett Alston - Managing Partner of RedCloud, Trent Henderson - son of Dave Henderson, and Seattle Mariners Broadcaster Rick Rizzs. Join us in celebrating this year’s recipient, Desmond Good Bird-Pease, from On Track Academy High School in Spokane, Washington. Our Managing Partner Brett Alston represented the RedCloud team to present the (surprise!) scholarship award at Desmond’s school with Toys for Kids Founder, legendary Seattle Mariners broadcaster, and dear friend of RedCloud, Rick Rizzs. Desmond was selected by RedCloud’s scholarship committee for the story he shared of overcoming great adversity in life, moving beyond the negativity in his life to choose a path of compassion and kindness towards others. Desmond plans to continue his studies after high school in pursuit of a career in nursing. “I have built strength that others never wanted or believed in me to have. I realize that my dreams have become greatly potent. My strength and my smile give me the ability to reach my goals.” - Desmond, 2022 Scholarship Awardee. We wish Desmond all the best on his continuing education journey and cannot wait to see what he becomes and all that he achieves. ​ We’re honored to be involved for years in our partnership with Rick Rizzs and Toys for Kids, providing Back to School Backpacks, holiday toys, and our annual scholarship. A big thank you to Rick for leading the way and rallying this circle of supporters together to better the lives of children across the state! See more on the award and hear from Desmond and Rick in this KREM Spokane News Story.

Recently, we sat down with three key members of RedCloud's finance team: Jonathan Avedovech, Financial Controller; Aaron Mabbott, Accounting Associate; and Julia Thompson, Financial Manager of Payroll and Accounts Payable. We delve into their roles, onboarding experiences, and what drew them to RedCloud. From discussing the exceptional people they work with to highlighting the company's vision and leadership, these finance professionals provide unique insights. Briefly describe your role and how long you've been at RedCloud JA: I’m the Financial Controller, and I joined the team only 2 months ago (6/30/22) AM: I joined RedCloud consulting in May of 2022.  I am currently part of the accounting team and work mostly with accounts receivable. JT: I joined Redcloud last February. I manage payroll, accounts payable and sometimes I dabble in other finance stuff. What was it like to join RedCloud (onboarding process)? JA: Are you kidding me?  The people are great!  Smart, quick, fun, and kind!  The interviews were casual and comfortable while maintaining a professional stance that fostered 2-way informative communication. AM:I really enjoyed the onboarding process at RedCloud.  Brett Clifton made sure I was given the support and training I needed to succeed.  I came from a very different work environment, and I certainly felt welcomed and encouraged through every step of the onboarding process. JT: There was a lot to take in (and still is), but there is also a lot of support. Brett & Brett & Emily are always available to answer questions (even the dumb ones, of which I’m sure there have been many). Given your background and other experiences, what stands out to you with RedCloud? JA: Again, it’s about the people.  It’s always about the people.  There’s an unspoken pride of working for Brett and Brett.  There’s a great balance of emotional maturity, professionalism, intelligence, and fun.  The immense respect everyone shows for each other is both overt and covert. AM: I am really impressed with the vision and leadership at RedCloud consulting.  Every process is thought out. Every client receives consistent and reliable treatment.  In an industry where you need to stand out to be noticed, RedCloud does that by building relationships with their employees and clients. JT: The people! Everyone is super friendly and welcoming. I also love the flexibility in work locations. What originally drew you to RedCloud? JA: Glassdoor said it all. AM: A friend referred me to RedCloud consulting after hearing that my previous company was closing their doors. He worked with the RedCloud finance team in the past and gave them rave reviews.  He thought I would be a good fit for an open accounting position, and I am very grateful that he pointed me in RedCloud’s direction. JT: Having worked in this industry since 2007, I’ve read some good things about them. I spent a few years quietly spying on them to see if they had an opening that I could fill. I was totally shocked when Brett Clifton contacted me out of the blue to see if I’d be interested in this role. Where do you see the future of consulting or the future of RedCloud? JA: I think the more clients (people as opposed to businesses) hear through word of mouth on how great our consulting services are in terms of not only getting the jobs done on time and well, but also showcasing our fostering great relationships with other people, then there’s no question this company will continue to grow and expand. AM: I see only opportunities when it comes to consulting and RedCloud.  The Seattle area is known for their tech industries and RedCloud is a company that is always recruiting and retaining top talent.  RedCloud has the leadership and reputation in the tech industries to remain a top player in the consulting world for many years to come. JT: Consulting is a huge industry that is only going to get bigger due to the constant movement of technology and the need for companies to modernize their systems. RedCloud will continue to grow because they hire top talent and treat them like family. Name one piece of technology you couldn’t live without and why? JA: Phone (being connected to my daughters), Laptop, TV, Microwave, Alarm Clock, Dishwasher, Vacuum Cleaner, Car, any 737’s that’s not the Max – I’m so glad we’re in the 21st century! AM: I am one of those people who could leave a lot of technology behind.  I certainly don’t hate technology and think it is useful for completing my job, but I believe a majority of life should still happen face-to-face.  The piece of technology that I find the most useful is my multiple monitor screens.  As an accountant, I am constantly checking numbers against two sources to make sure they balance.  Having the information side-by-side saves a lot of time and effort. JT: Electricity. Because, duh. What are you looking forward to the most this year with RedCloud? JA: Improved reporting by me and attending the Holiday Party! AM: I am looking forward to new experiences, gaining business knowledge and creating great memories along the way! JT: Since I’m still fairly new, I am really looking forward to gaining a deeper understanding of the systems that we have in place from an internal operations standpoint. I also can’t wait to meet everyone outside of email.

This year, Power Apps has released some amazing features, with even more to come throughout the year. Although September isn’t quite over, there have been some great announcements, and we’ve highlighted our favorites below. Also if you missed the August Power Apps updates, check out the Microsoft blog here.​ Power Fx: Introducing ParseJSON Anyone who has worked with JSON in Power Apps knows this new feature is going to make a huge difference. Originally, when you needed to work with JSON in Power Apps, you either had to write complex formulas or use Power Automate to parse JSON and write data back to Power Apps. See the documentation here: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/power-fx/working-with-json Power Fx: Introducing Named Formulas Many Excel users have been able to learn Power Apps formulas quickly due to Power FX being the language used in Excel. Many features and concepts have been introduced and now another great Excel tool, Name Manager, is coming to Power Apps as Named Formulas. Named Formulas are defined formulas that remain up-to-date in the App.Formulas property. An easy way to understand them is if you think about Global Variables. For example, if you have global variables set in the OnAppStart property and you want to update them in your app, you would have to use a control or action to update that variable when you need to change the values. With Named Formulas, they can reference table values and control properties and they always remain up-to-date without having to update manually. Some advantages of using Named Formulas The formula’s value is always available.  There is no timing dependency, no App.OnStart that must run first before the value is set, no time in which the formula’s value is incorrect.  Named formulas can refer to each other in any order, so long as they don’t create a circular reference. The formula’s value is always up to date.  The formula can perform a calculation that is dependent on control properties or database records, and as they change, the formula’s value automatically updates.  You don’t need to update the value as you do with a variable manually. The formula’s definition is immutable.  The definition in App.Formulas is the single source of truth, and the value can’t be changed somewhere else in the app.  With variables, it is possible that some code unexpectedly changes a value, but this is not possible with named formulas. That doesn’t mean a formula’s value needs to be static – it can change – but only if dependencies change. The formula’s calculation can be deferred.  Because its value it immutable, it can always be calculated when needed, which means it need not actually be calculated until it is actually needed. If the value is never used, the formula need never be calculated.​ For information, see the documentation: https://powerapps.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/power-fx-introducing-named-formulas/ Creator Kit – Efficiently create performant Fluent UI based Power Apps Initially released in May, the Creator Kit has gotten some great feature updates and now includes 24+ Fluent UI controls and templates for Power Apps makers to create apps faster and with great UX/UI Design. The Creator Kit can be used for both Model-Driven and Canvas apps. For information, see the documentation: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/guidance/creator-kit/overview Here are some other top features to take a look at: Automatically create a Power App from a REST API Power Fx: Error handling graduates to preview Power Platform Administration Planning Beyond September, there will be more Power Platform updates and features to come throughout the next few months in the 2022 Release Wave 2.

Believe it or not, summer has come to an end as children in our community head back to the classroom for the fall. Each school year, the RedCloud team looks forward to partnering with local programs to provide the youth in our community with the necessary tools for a new season of learning. Again this year, we supported our long-term partners at Toys for Kids Seattle by providing funding and some volunteer hands for 62 backpacks. Each trendy backpack was filled with the necessary items for classroom learning, including pens, pencils, crayons, markers, notepads, calculators, and all the materials kids look forward to shopping for during the back-to-school season. Admittedly, we all scratched our heads when we got all the backpacks stuffed and realized we had two calculators left over. (Oops!) A little quality control goes a long way to ensure every child has what they need to succeed. With all 62 backpacks assembled and ready for eager young learners, we dropped them off to students celebrating the graduation of their summer school program - just in time for school to start! Every fall, we look forward to donating backpacks to support TfK’s back-to-school program. We know how exciting it is to shop for back-to-school supplies, yet many families don’t have the privilege of this experience. “Being able to participate in the process was rewarding for our family and a real treat to see both the surprise and joy on the children’s faces at their summer school graduation. This was an outstanding event where the kids have invested in themselves to ensure they are on track academically for the coming school year.” - Brett Alston, Managing Partner

In this article, Yusuf presents a comprehensive selection of tools and resources to streamline your Power App development journey. Whether you're a seasoned developer or just starting out, there's something valuable to discover. Our top 10 tools are broken out into four categories: Learning UX/UI Design Prototyping Development #Learning 01 | Udacity Courses If you’re new to Power Apps, Udacity offers a ton of great courses and there’s a free Power Apps course available to help start your Power Apps journey. Access free Udacity Power Apps Courses here #UXUIDesign 02 | Dribbble Get design inspiration from some of the top designers around the world. You can set up a profile and save designs you like and even showcase your design work. 03 | Microsoft Fluent Design System Microsoft apps like SharePoint, Planner, and Teams use the Fluent UI Design System. While Power Apps allows you to design your app any way you want, following the Fluent UI design system will make your apps fit within the design of the suite of Microsoft apps. Learn more about the Fluent UI Design System here 04 | Material.io Color Tool The Materials Color Tool helps you play with color pallets and even lets you check that your theme meets accessibility standards. The tool also gives you a mockup of your colors to get an idea of how they look on an app. Access the Materials Color Tool here 05 | Figma Figma is a browser-based UX design tool that allows you to easily create wireframes, prototypes, design presentations, and much more. There’s even a Power Apps tool kit you can use to import your Figma app prototype into Power Apps with Express Design. Learn more about Figma here Power Apps Figma UI Kit Creating Power Apps from Figma Guide #Development 06 | Mockaroo Data Generator When you need placeholder data in your Power Apps, Mockaroo allows you to generate data easily and can be exported in multiple formats. Learn more about Mockaroo here 07 | Canvas Apps Coding Standard & Guidelines This Microsoft guide for Canvas apps is a great resource to ensure you’re building a great, organized app with optimized performance. Access the Microsoft guide for Canvas apps here 08 | Power Platform Creator Kit Microsoft’s Power Platform Creator Kit has all sorts of amazing reusable components and apps that help you design and build your apps. Learn more about Microsoft’s Power Platform Creator Kit here 09 | HTML Editor When you need to use the HTML control in Power Apps to display data/info, especially if you’re creating a print screen or formatting data to send an email, this tool makes it easy to create what you need and easily export the code. Learn more about Word to HTML here 10 | Loading Spinners Loading spinners are important in your Power Apps, so users know when action is in process. You can use the standard built-in loading spinner or up your design with a ton of downloaded options from loading.io that even allow you to enter your specific colors. Start using loading.io here

Over the past year, Yusuf has become a familiar face on the RedCloud team and our YouTube channel, creating our monthly Business Solutions and Intelligence learning series (check them out, here!). With an impressive career focusing on Microsoft Power Platform technologies, Yusuf joined our team after years of experience in the consulting industry. Read on to learn more about Yusuf and his role at RedCloud, what attracted him to our team, and hear about some exciting projects he’s currently working on. We appreciate your expertise and dedication to RedCloud and our clients, Yusuf! Briefly describe your role and how long you've been at RedCloud? I’m a Senior Consultant, mainly focusing on Microsoft Power Platform technologies. I develop business solutions for clients to improve productivity and streamline processes with automations, custom business applications, and analytics dashboards. What was it like to join RedCloud (onboarding process)? The team was very welcoming and with streamlined processes and clear documentation, onboarding was a breeze. Benny Swedberg, the team's Practice Lead, always made himself available and constantly checked in to make sure I had everything I needed and with clear direction. I never felt like I was standing around or unsure of what to do, which happens a lot in other companies' onboarding processes. Given your background and other experiences, what stands out to you with RedCloud? I’ve worked at many other consulting agencies and typically they feel like everyone does the same service/type of work or mainly works for one main client. At RedCloud there’s a large variety of projects and client work with a diverse team that has all types of backgrounds and skill sets, so there’s always an opportunity to develop and learn additional skills. RedCloud also provides tons of support and resources for you, as well as treats you with respect and trust that allows you to lead your work without feeling like you’re being micromanaged or not able to make decisions or suggestions. What originally drew you to RedCloud? The team was super welcoming and easy to have discussions with and I really liked that it was a diverse team with people with all types of different experiences and skills. Name one piece of technology you couldn’t live without and why? Obviously my laptop, but more specifically Microsoft Power Platform tools. They allow me to quickly develop business solutions and analytics dashboards, allowing me to work smarter and make data-driven decisions. What are some projects you’re currently working on? I’m working on a few projects that have a nice variety in the type of work, which keeps my day exciting and not repetitive. For example, I’ve been developing automations for Azure DevOps to reduce the time spent on tedious, time-consuming tasks as well as creating a custom app that gives teams a simplified view of their tasks to fit their process and needs. I’m also working on developing Tableau dashboards and developing custom API connectors for analytics. Lastly, you can find me on our RedCloud YouTube channel and LinkedIn with blogs on all things Power Platform and business intelligence. What are you looking forward to the most this year with RedCloud? I’m really excited to see the RedCloud team continue to grow and the new exciting projects coming down the pipeline.

This month, dive deeper into HTML with Yusuf's expert guidance on customizing tables in Canvas apps. Follow step-by-step instructions to master HTML usage, complete with a handy tool for crafting HTML formulas. In Canvas apps, while Gallery or Data Table controls are handy for creating table views, there are instances where we need to utilize our data in emails or previews for generated PDFs. Use Case Example: You have a canvas app that generates an invoice, which is then sent via email. However, before the user submits the invoice, you want them to see a preview of what it looks like. Solution: In your app, users fill out a form and/or enters data that gets patched into your data source for each Invoice Line Item. For this example, I’m going to use this collection: ClearCollect(colInvoiceLineItems, {LineNumber: 1, LineName: "Monthly Power App Development Services", LineAmount: 2000}, {LineNumber: 2, LineName: "Stock Photography Assets", LineAmount: 810.70}, {LineNumber: 3, LineName: "Monthly Power BI Development Services", LineAmount: 1750}, {LineNumber: 4, LineName: "Monthly Training & Support", LineAmount: 725.10}) *To use the above example collection, insert a button into your app and copy and paste the above code into the Buttons OnSelect property. Now, we can start creating an HTML table. HTML table uses the following tags: ·  Table ·  Table Header ·  Table Row ·  Table Data Step 1 | Insert an HTML Control into your canvas app Step 2 | Enter HTML Text In the HTML Text property, delete the sample text in there and enter: "Line NumberLine NameLine Amount" & Concat(colInvoiceLineItems, "" & LineNumber & "" & LineName & "" & LineAmount & "","") & "" This is how the HTML table shows with the above code: Now let’s break down the code to understand what’s been entered: Step 3 | Formatting your table A helpful tool to create/write an HTML formula is https://wordtohtml.net/ You can use the web app to write out what you want, for example, I can create the table formatted like the below and it will populate the HTML code on the right. I can then copy and paste that into my app make the appropriate edits so the HTML Text property is this: "Line NumberLine NameLine Amount" & Concat(colInvoiceLineItems, "" & LineNumber & "" & LineName & " " & LineAmount & " ", "") & " " Which looks like this: You can get fancy and change column sizing, make the widths fixed or responsive, add conditional formatting, etc. I hope you all found this helpful. I can’t wait to see how you use HTML tables in your Power Apps!

We’re so excited that we found time to sit down with Mozelle, one of our talented Senior Associates. Mozelle is no stranger to RedCloud - she’s been on our team for over four years now (time files!) and came to us shortly after graduating from the University of Washington with her Bachelor’s in International Relations and Affairs. With a knack for project management, team building, team collaboration, leadership and a plethora of technical skills, she’s a gem to us here. Read on to learn more about her experience thus far and what she’s excited about digging into this year! Briefly describe your role at RedCloud. I'm a consultant at RedCloud working with our client’s Marketing and Consumer Business privacy team. I have been at RedCloud for 4 years. My role has evolved over the years working with the team and with RedCloud. I was brought on to be a project manager and assist in building out the team’s processes around complying with GDPR and has evolved into being the RedCloud team lead. What was it like to join RedCloud (onboarding process)? RedCloud was helpful in onboarding and the team I joined was very supportive to help me get started. My account manager Scott Ekman was present through the whole process, which made asking questions easy and less intimidating. There was a team of four other RedCloud employees and meeting with them to understand the requirements of the contract and the business relationship with the client made the onboarding process smooth. My team had meetings with other RedCloud teams at the client site to collaborate and share learnings. Team members who weren't directly working on my contract at the company were also happy to meet and discuss issues we may have struggled with or to simply answer technical questions. The corporate team was helpful in providing the information I needed on my benefits and providing me with my devices. Given your background and other experiences, what stands out to you with RedCloud? I have worked with other consulting firms and RedCloud has been involved in my journey from the beginning. I find that consulting can be a challenging role when you are balancing the relationship of your client with the relationship of your company. We are there to fulfill our role to consult for our client but are also the face of our company and to promote other areas of improvement we can offer as a business. RedCloud has been a good example of that balance of supporting their consultants while also trying to find new opportunities to support their clients. I enjoy the honest and open conversations I can have with the corporate team and the ability to make proposals and find support when needed. There is also a sense of trust in their consultants that I respect. We are treated as experts in our area of focus and reached out to as equals if there are any questions that may help the sales team in their work. What originally drew you to RedCloud? I was working for another consulting firm when our projects overlapped with a RedCloud team. We worked closely together and the RedCloud team was always respectful of my suggestions and training even though we worked for two different firms. When my contract ended the RedCloud team reached out to me offering me a role after working with me on the previous project. I enjoyed their sense of collaboration as a team of consultants rather than the sense of rivalry that can often occur in this line of business. Where do you see the future of consulting or the future of RedCloud? Consulting is imperative for businesses that need specialized skill sets to enhance business performance. For companies who hire full time employees for needs they currently face, consulting is a solution that brings in experts in fields that the company may not have or may not have the time or resources available to provide. Today everything is about improving and automating work streams, this may come in the form of gap analysis, tool enhancements, process improvement or merely having a 3rd party perspective on how things work today vs. how things can be improved to be more efficient. I think of consultants as a conduit for those endeavors. The benefit of being a consultant is that you are able to take the ideas and suggestions of the company and formulate an actionable plan and help them achieve that goal. RedCloud as a company has done a good job of hiring those individuals who are able to work in this role successfully. There can be challenges to being a single person on a contract while working in parallel with your client, so you are primarily directly accountable. If you are lucky, like I have been, you get a team of RedCloud employees on a single contract and get to work  more as a team. Though I can't speak for everyone and working individually has its benefits as well. The RedCloud corporate team is supportive and there has always been someone I'm able to connect with outside my contract. On top of all that, consulting can be ambiguous. If there is a gap in work then consultants are expected to fill it. Having good time management and understanding of what is most valuable to your client has always been the most effective work ethic I have in my role. Name one piece of technology you couldn’t live without and why? I want to say my phone, but I prefer the days that I'm on my phone less, so I'll say my oven. I love to cook and bake so without it, cooking wouldn't be as much fun and food wouldn't be as delicious. What are you looking forward to the most this year with RedCloud? My team at RedCloud is constantly looking for ways to offer more specialized services in privacy. The relevance of privacy has grown exponentially in the last five years, partially to new laws being passed like GDPR, and the advancements of technology and data collection, but also with the larger corporations being punished through the public's eye. I'm excited for the work that my team has been doing to focus on this area of business. It is constantly changing and to offer support in keeping up with how to protect customers data and build trust with their customers is important to me.

We love learning here at RedCloud! Late last month, our team gathered virtually for a session solely focused on learning more about one of the hottest (and most critical) topics in tech—cybersecurity. No stranger to our team, RedCloud Alumni Terry McCorkle, Founder and CEO of PhishCloud Inc., joined us to share his wisdom. Terry is a certified hacker with over twenty-one years of experience in the cybersecurity industry who has served in a broad range of technical, analytical, and leadership roles. We were thrilled to learn from him and to see how he has flourished since his time at RedCloud. Terry’s company, PhishCloud Inc. empowers people to make intelligent decisions on digital phishing threats, fortifies IT visibility so they can respond to that threat, and delivers reality-based education that reduces the risk of phishing attacks. With growing concerns about cyberattacks, it’s important to sharpen our skills when it comes to recognizing a potential threat. We learned so many eye-opening methods for identifying threats and thinking more like an attacker - seeing firsthand some examples of phishing. A big thanks to Terry for sharing his tips and for making our lunchtime worth its weight in gold. Wondering what our team members thought of the session? Their feedback was so positive! Lindsey Hornsby, Recruiter: "It was great to see RedCloud Alumni making such an impact in their field and then coming back to share their insight on industry best practices. Thank you, Terry, for presenting a complex issue to us in such a user-centric way!" Kelly Hallissey, Account Manager: “It was very informative. I had no idea what a big 'business' hacking, ie. 50m bad emails get through daily, 75x more phishing sites than malware, and 97% of people are unable to spot phishing. A couple of takeaways: setup multi-factor authentication whenever possible, secure your home network. Terry mentioned having two networks in his personal household - one for business and one used by the family for gaming sites, general use, etc. The other alarming data point was how many hackers are using search and social media sites for phishing. Action: check and change your passwords regularly, set up multi-factor authentication on email, and be hyper-aware before you click on a site!”

You might remember Emma, our recipient of the 4th Annual RedCloud Consulting/Dave “Hendu” Henderson Educational Scholarship in 2021. Each year, we award one hardworking and well-deserving student with this scholarship alongside Toys for Kids Founder and friend of RedCloud Rick Rizzs. To read about the fall scholarship surprise at Emma’s high school, the full article in the Yakima Herald is here. We wanted to check in with Emma now that the excitement has calmed down to see how she is doing and how her New Year has kicked off. What is new? Tell us all about what you've been up to academically since you won the RedCloud Scholarship. Lately, I’ve been applying for more scholarships, and I’ve been working hard to keep my 4.0, and it definitely takes some extra effort in my AP Calculus and AP English classes. I strive to graduate with the title of valedictorian, and after high school, I’ll be attending Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, AZ. I’ll be majoring in Cyber Security and Intelligence and plan on becoming a forensic accountant for the FBI. What are your goals and aspirations? Are they the same as they were when you won, or have they changed? Those have remained the same since I received my scholarship. One major way that winning the scholarship has helped me go after my big goals is that it shows I really am capable of doing great things and earning even better achievements. How do you use technology in your everyday life? What piece of tech can't you live without? EG: I use technology in my everyday life to complete assignments for school, search the web when I have a random question, watch movies to keep myself entertained and stay in contact with my friends. I’d say out of all the types of technology, my phone would be most important because I use it most often. If you could solve one problem in the world today, what would it be and why? If I could solve one problem in the world, it would be to have proper mental health support systems that people are 100% comfortable with. When someone has a reliable person or group they can go to for help and to rant, that can better their state of mind, and sometimes that can give them the courage to confront their obstacles and personal problems, whether it be at home, at school, or be in relationships with people in their life. Is there anything else you'd like to share with us about you, your experience, or advice you'd give other young people about pursuing higher education? As for advice to younger people pursuing higher education, I know that it’s hard to find what you want to do truly, but that’s ok. Many people struggle with finding their true dream job or their purpose. Just try to picture yourself doing that 20 years later and imagine if you’d still be happy or not. If you don’t have a drive for that line of work or idea, then change it to whatever you need to. Procrastinating can really sneak up on you, and I’ll admit I still do it often, but through school and even life, if you’re able to find a system or a routine, that can help a lot. Even if you set smaller goals about what you want to complete that day, and you accomplish those goals, give yourself a small reward, like hanging out with friends, or you can have your favorite candy bar. Just do what’s best for you and what makes you happy, and you’ll do great! Thanks for the sound advice, Emma! We admire her tenacity and know she will do great in the future. Look for future updates once she starts her college career next year!

Welcome to Team RedCloud, Tonia! An actress in her early career turned expert account manager over the years, Tonia brings a creative spin to her work and we can already tell how much of an asset she is to our team. She comes to us from Denny Mountain Media, which you may have heard we recently acquired. As she settles into our team over at RedCloud, she brings a multitude of skills from content management, web, print, research, and even writing and editing. We can’t wait to see what she does here (we’re certain it will be amazing), and we’re lucky to have her. Read on to hear her initial thoughts directly since transitioning to our team. Briefly describe your role and how long you've been in the consulting industry. I’m an Account Manager, a role that requires both client and consultant focus. I’ve been working with Microsoft clients off and on since 1996, either as a consultant myself or as an Account Manager to support Microsoft's business. Given your background and other experiences, what stood out to you initially with RedCloud? I’m stating the obvious here, but account management is largely about relationship-building, and good relationships are built on traits like trust, transparency, and clear communication. I’ve worked with numerous organizations—both established and start-ups, nonprofits, and for-profits—in which one or more of these traits were missing. I’ve been with RedCloud for just a few weeks, but it’s already obvious to me in the way my RedCloud colleagues interact that these are core values, and the fact that clients and professionals continue to come back to RedCloud speaks volumes. Where do you see the future of consulting (or the future of RedCloud), particularly with the impact of Covid, remote work, etc? An opinion piece in Inc. published back in the spring of 2020 declared that “the rapid adoption of remote work and related technologies that occurred during the pandemic will stick. As a result, clients will demand their consultants and consulting firms shift delivery models to the digital world.” Fortunately, RedCloud and many consulting firms in this space were already well-positioned to respond to remote work requirements imposed by COVID. RedCloud had built a network of professionals both familiar with and ready to work productively from home, allowing for quick and relatively easy flexibility and adaptability when clients could no longer provide onsite options. Of course, a small percentage of clients may request that their consultants be back onsite, placing consulting firms in the position of negotiating for hybrid scenarios to keep both clients and talent happy. But I think the primary challenges will be staying on top of the technologies that enable remote consulting solutions and recruiting professionals who can deliver with the latest technologies. Name one piece of technology you couldn’t live without and why? I expect that everyone’s first thought is their cell phone, and of course, that’s a critical piece of tech I use daily. But I wouldn’t be functioning daily at all without good, quiet nightly sleep, so I’ve got to say I couldn’t live without my husband’s CPAP machine. I realize I’m outing him for peak snoring, but since he got his CPAP, we both sleep like babies. What are you looking forward to the most about your projects and the people here at RedCloud? “New” sparks creativity, and learning never stops. Many of my RedCloud colleagues have—like me—been in the consulting and staffing business for a long time, and I look forward to tackling new projects and learning new things from this talented crew. ​ Is there anything else about your background we should know about your work, your approach to client service, or anything else? I actually started my professional life as an actor. This is less of a stretch than you’d think. Actors need to know how to read people, pick up cues, and rely on collaboration. Account Managers do, too.