{"id":3781,"date":"2018-07-01T10:40:59","date_gmt":"2018-07-01T15:40:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.technologyiowa.org\/?p=3781"},"modified":"2020-04-16T22:16:03","modified_gmt":"2020-04-17T03:16:03","slug":"kate-washut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.technologyiowa.org\/kate-washut\/","title":{"rendered":"Kate Washut"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Kate is a Partner & CEO at Far Reach<\/a><\/strong> \u2014 a custom software consulting and development company based in Cedar Falls. While growing her business, she has helped build a vibrant and supportive tech community in the Cedar Valley. Kate is committed to building a culture and work environment that is focused on relationships and believes empathetic leadership is the ideal method to guide teams and add value for clients.<\/i><\/p>\n

Describe the path you took to where you are now.<\/b>
I came to technology relatively late. I was in my early 30s, so I\u2019d earned a psychology degree from the University of Northern Iowa and sort of bounced around to some jobs that were not the right fit, not the most fulfilling. I wasn\u2019t finding a career. I went back to UNI and got an MIS degree and it was through that that I really discovered my love of technology. As soon as I started working with computers and getting into the business side of things a little bit I just knew that was what I wanted to do. I graduated with my MIS degree and got a job as a programmer, and that\u2019s where I met my four business partners. After about eight years or so of working together as developers, we decided to jump out on our own. That\u2019s what brought me to Far Reach, and eleven and a half years later, here I am!<\/p>\n

What is Far Reach, and why did you and your partners start it?
<\/b>Initially, Far Reach began out of a sense of frustration and a desire to make a difference. When we originally started, it was the very early days of tablet computing, and Microsoft had a tablet computer that I can\u2019t even remember the name of anymore. A couple of my partners had kids with autism, and we wanted to create educational software for kids with special needs on that platform \u2014 but we thought to get into the industry, maybe it made sense to do something a little more mainstream.<\/p>\n

We did some research to see what was out there and what opportunities might be available, and we decided on a student information system. There was a very old, very antiquated system that something like 60 percent of schools in Iowa were using at the time, and we thought, \u201cwe can build something way better than that!\u201d We spent about a year building a business plan, doing a lot of analysis, interviewing teachers and school administrators, and really just trying to do our due diligence and plan before we made the leap. The one thing we didn\u2019t do before we quit our jobs was market research. We did that afterwards, and our research came back and said it\u2019s a pretty red ocean and it would be a whole lot of work for not a great payout.<\/p>\n

At that point we pivoted to consulting, which we had been doing to bring cash in the door while we kept planning the product. We were a little early to that market, because now education apps are everywhere. We were maybe four or five years ahead of the curve, and by the time the tide shifted we were pretty entrenched in something else, which was the consulting side of the business building custom software.<\/p>\n

Over the years, we\u2019ve evolved a few times; we built our services to include more websites and marketing services, and now we\u2019ve circled back around to our beginnings and we\u2019re really focused on custom software consulting and development and using our strengths to help people solve their problems using custom software.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\tThis is our home, and it just never occurred to us that we would need to go somewhere else to build a business. Once we started involving ourselves in the community, the support we got was tremendous.\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Can you tell us about any exciting projects you\u2019re working on right now?
<\/b>Right now we\u2019ve got a lot of cool projects, but what we\u2019re most excited about is the opportunity we see as a result of of work we\u2019ve been doing internally. We\u2019ve been clarifying our vision, which is that our team looks forward to coming to work every day and that at the end of the day they are fulfilled by the work they\u2019ve done for our clients. Along with clarifying that vision and moving our team in that direction, we\u2019ve also circled back and started focusing on custom software development, and that has helped us identify the kind of clients we can help best \u2014 and provide the most value too.<\/p>\n

We spent a good amount of time and effort zeroing in on who those clients are and how we can best add value for them. We\u2019re starting to see, after having devoted a full-time resource to business strategy and business development, that those efforts are paying off. We\u2019re really connecting with people we feel are a good fit. <\/p>\n

Over the next 12 to 18 months we\u2019re going to see some great progress in bringing in the kind of work that our team loves to do and that they\u2019re fulfilled by. It\u2019s hopefully a symbiotic situation where the team can fulfill our vision and our clients are ultimately the ones who are going to benefit from that.<\/p>\n

What made you decide to establish and grow this company in the Cedar Valley?
<\/b>Maybe we were naive, but we never thought about doing it anywhere else. This is our home, and it just never occurred to us that we would need to go somewhere else to build a business. Once we started involving ourselves in the community, the support we got was tremendous. We got comfortable here, and we have proximity to enough other markets that we could easily expand our reach. We spend quite a bit of time in Des Moines and some time in Cedar Rapids; we have clients throughout the state and a few clients outside the state. Any more with the way technology works, we don\u2019t need to be in Chicago or Minneapolis \u2014 we can do what we want to do right here. That\u2019s been great, because we love it here. Hopefully, as we continue to grow and work with folks outside the community, they will get exposed to the Cedar Valley and all it has to offer too.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s no secret that the Cedar Valley entrepreneurial community is incredibly close-knit and supportive of those who have chosen to grow their companies here. <\/p>\n

Can you tell us about your involvement in this community?
<\/b>It\u2019s true, we\u2019re pretty tight-knit. Even though some of us compete for business, it\u2019s not a real competitive environment. It\u2019s very supportive. We know each other\u2019s strengths, and we work together in a lot of cases, and we refer business back and forth. Everyone is so generous and really wants to help the community grow and bring attention to it. It\u2019s been really rewarding to be involved and to continue to interact with others in the tech community here. Cedar Valley has been a great place to grow our business.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the biggest risk you\u2019ve taken in your career?
<\/b>I have a couple of them. Maybe the first one was going back to school in my late 20s to undertake a career that was sort of out of left field for me. Fortunately, I had the support of my husband, and it was probably the best move I could have made. Beyond that, leaving a stable, well-paying job to start a business is, no surprise, probably right up there too. Again, I was lucky that my husband supported me the whole way. I was also lucky that he was gainfully employed and I had some support to fall back on. I also had four other people I was going into business with, and they had my trust and respect and I just knew that no matter what happened, we could figure it out. It was a big risk, more so for them than me, because most of them were sole breadwinners for their families. But I think it\u2019s a risk that each of us would take again knowing what we know now.<\/p>\n

How has your education at UNI served you in your career?
<\/b>I\u2019ve been really fortunate to have great teachers going all the way back to high school \u2014 and elementary school, really! \u2014 people who instilled in me a sense of curiosity and determination and who helped me build confidence. In my time at UNI, I really felt like my professors left an indelible mark on me. They were so passionate about what they were doing, their careers, and their involvement with students to help them learn and grow, and it just really stuck with me. The confidence I developed at UNI allowed me to take the risks that I\u2019ve taken. Without that experience I don\u2019t think I would have had the guts to start a business.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\tEmpathy is really critical no matter what your job is \u2014 the ability to relate to other people, to put yourself in their shoes, makes you a better contributor all around. Technical skills are great, but those soft skills are what really differentiates people who have the technical skills.\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Have you had any mentors along your way?
<\/b>Absolutely. In addition to some of the teachers I\u2019ve had, since we started Far Reach, I\u2019ve had so many great people who\u2019ve been generous with their time and advice and support. They\u2019re always there to answer questions, to make connections for me, to give me that shot of confidence when maybe it was lacking, or just help me sort of find my way. I\u2019d say there is a handful of people I\u2019ve relied on over the past 11 and a half years who have been, and continue to be, an important support system for me.<\/p>\n

What advice would you give a young person considering a tech career path?
<\/b>I would say don\u2019t ignore the development of your soft skills. It may sound trite, but things like good communication and collaboration skills, self-motivation, drive. Empathy is really critical no matter what your job is \u2014 the ability to relate to other people, to put yourself in their shoes, makes you a better contributor all around. Technical skills are great, but those soft skills are what really differentiates people who have the technical skills. Beyond that, don\u2019t assume you know what a career in tech looks like, because there are so many opportunities that you would never have thought of in technology. You have to experience technology roles for yourself and make an effort to seek out different examples to see what\u2019s out there. It\u2019s not all sitting at a desk coding all day. A lot of people do that and love it, and that\u2019s awesome, but there are other opportunities beyond that. Don\u2019t rush to judgment.<\/p>\n

How would you describe the culture of Far Reach? When you\u2019re looking to grow your team, who do you look for?\u00a0
<\/b>The thing that stands out to me about our culture now and what we\u2019ve evolved to be is continuous learning. People here love to learn, and they have to love to learn to work in this environment because technology is changing constantly. We can\u2019t ever settle on what we know or what we think we\u2019re good at. We have to get good at new things all the time. We look for people with an innate curiosity and who love to learn and who really want to make a difference. Core value No. 1 at Far Reach is, \u201cMake a Difference!\u201d It\u2019s something that\u2019s been with us since the beginning, and it\u2019s something we still talk about a lot. \u201cHow do we best make a difference for our team, for our clients, for the community we live and work in?\u201d I hope others see it as I do, as a generous culture and a culture of continuous learning and improvement.<\/p>\n

Describe your leadership style.
<\/b>I\u2019d like to think it\u2019s a human leadership style. I try really hard to put people first. I\u2019m not a huge process person, but I\u2019ve learned over the years that a lot of people need a certain amount of structure and guidance and leadership. I try to find that balance where I give people autonomy to do what they think is right, and to do the job in a way that best fits them, the situation, and the client, while still providing the structure and support they need to do their best work and to thrive.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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What\u2019s on the horizon for Far Reach?\u00a0
<\/b>I feel like we\u2019re at a tipping point of growth right now where we\u2019ve spent a couple of years working hard on how we work, and how we work together with clients, and who our clients are, and who we\u2019re best suited to add value for. We\u2019re at the point now where we can lean on the changes we\u2019ve made and the processes we\u2019ve in place and really start to maximize our value and grow the team to where we can serve our clients in the best way possible.<\/p>\n

It can be hard as a small company to manage the ups and downs of a business cycle and to make sure that you have the right number of resources to get the work done in a client\u2019s time frame. As we grow, we can meet those needs better. Being in the consulting business, it\u2019s something we\u2019re always going to struggle with. Everyone I talk to, no matter how big they are, has similar struggles to what we have in terms of business cycles. I\u2019m really excited for the future of our team, because over the years as we\u2019ve focused on our culture and on weaving that into everything, including how we hire and what we look for when we hire, the team we have right now is really committed to the culture and the vision that we\u2019re after. The more comfortable everybody gets with it, the more collaboration happens, and the more excitement is generated. I think we\u2019re on the verge of some fun opportunities and some growth, hopefully.<\/p>\n

What do you foresee as the largest challenges ahead in the industry?
<\/b>There are a lot of them, and there will always be a lot of them! It\u2019s probably not a surprise to say security. We\u2019ve spent a lot of time and effort on security this year. We do quite a bitof work in the financial services and insurance industries and ag and manufacturing, and I don\u2019t think that particular challenge is going away. It\u2019s only going to accelerate. Security is a huge issue. I think too for our clients just the pace of change can be overwhelming. It\u2019s overwhelming for us sometimes. Deciding when to take on a new technology or framework and when to sit back and let things play out a little \u2014 to know where the industry and tech is going \u2014 is a lot to keep up with, and there are a lot of decisions to be made along the way.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\tIt\u2019s important to contribute, because we\u2019ve received so much support from not only the Cedar Valley community but the technology community in general. It\u2019s a two-way street\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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You\u2019ve been serving on the TAI board for a long time. What does investing in Iowa\u2019s tech community mean to you?\u00a0
<\/b>I think it\u2019s been about five years! It\u2019s important to contribute, because we\u2019ve received so much support from not only the Cedar Valley community but the technology community in general. It\u2019s a two-way street \u2014 we couldn\u2019t have done what we\u2019ve done without that support. I feel like it\u2019s incumbent upon us to give back and to contribute in whatever ways we can. The opportunity to serve on the TAI board has been really exciting, and I\u2019ve met a lot of really great people and I\u2019ve learned a lot from those people. It\u2019s also opened up doors beyond the board, which is exciting too. Again, \u201cMake a Difference\u201d is engraved in our culture, so giving back in ways like serving on boards is kind of a no-brainer.<\/p>\n

What initiatives are you most passionate about as a board member?
<\/b>I believe in all four of the priorities that TAI has undertaken [Developing Talent, Connecting Leaders, Driving Public Policy, and Fostering Diversity & Inclusion]. A couple of them stand out, though, such as Connecting Leaders. There\u2019s so much knowledge in this state, and the capacity we have collectively to effect change in Iowa is huge. I think we\u2019ve talked about Developing Talent if not every meeting in my five years, then almost every meeting. It\u2019s one of those problems that\u2019s been there and is not going away anytime soon. It\u2019s tricky, because it requires both short- and long-term solutions. It requires a lot of energy, a lot of creativity, and a lot of drive. It goes back to having those connections with leaders and really developing those relationships and bringing them to the problem-solving table. We can do more together than any one of us can do alone.<\/p>\n

What kind of groups or activities are you active in outside of your job?
<\/b>A lot of what I do outside the office is still related, whether it\u2019s being on the TAI board or the NewBoCo board, or recently I\u2019ve been involved with the Governor\u2019s STEM Advisory Council for computer science education [a project called Computer Science Is Elementary]. We\u2019re working to provide opportunities to bring computer science into the curriculum of elementary schools and high-poverty schools across the state. It\u2019s been fascinating to get together with teachers and administrators and visit a school that\u2019s actually doing it and see how the kids have responded to it. Beyond that, I love to read and I like to travel with my newly retired husband. Hopefully more of that in the future!<\/p>\n

If you weren\u2019t in tech, or if you could go back and do something differently, what would it be?
<\/b>I think I\u2019d be an archeologist. I think discovering things and the history that goes along with those discoveries would be fascinating, and you get to travel to exotic places.<\/p>\n

What music are you into right now?
<\/b>What I listen to mostly is movie soundtracks, because I\u2019ve found that\u2019s what I can listen to at work without getting completely distracted. If it has words I can\u2019t concentrate. I\u2019m too easily distracted. Other than that, my musical tastes are relatively varied. I don\u2019t listen to country or rap, or even current pop music. I\u2019m more of a jazz, motown, classic rock, indie rock fan.<\/p>\n

Do you have a favorite book or current title that inspires you?
<\/b>I\u2019ve read a lot of books this year! That\u2019s a hard one to narrow down. The one that really hit me is called \u201cA Second Chance\u201d by Catherine Hoke. It really makes you think about the role that luck (or lack of luck) plays in people\u2019s lives. I found it inspiring that the message is really about forgiveness and forgiving yourself before you can forgive other people, and the impact that can have on your life. I was really struck by that book, and it left an impression on me.<\/p>\n

Do you have a go-to food item?
<\/b>I\u2019m a sucker for pasta! I could eat pasta every day. Trader Joe\u2019s pasta is the best!<\/p>\n

Do you have any favorite TV shows\/series or movies?
<\/b>I do a fair amount of Netflix bingeing. Lately I\u2019ve been on the intense drama kick. I like \u201cGame of Thrones\u201d and \u201cHouse of Cards\u201d and \u201cThe Handmaid\u2019s Tale.\u201d I get sucked into those and can\u2019t stop! Movie wise, I\u2019m a little more eclectic. I enjoy a good comedy. Mel Brooks is a genius \u2014 he\u2019s probably my all-time favorite! Anything really with strong writing and strong acting.<\/p>\n

What kind of legacy do you want to leave?\u00a0
<\/b>A legacy of the value of curiosity and learning. The older I\u2019ve become, the more focused I am on continually learning. Reading and listening to podcasts and trying to learn about myself and grow as a person. Professional development is important, too; but I feel like personal growth is just as, if not more, important.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\tThere\u2019s so much knowledge in this state, and the capacity we have collectively to effect change in Iowa is huge.\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kate is a Partner & CEO at Far Reach \u2014 a custom software consulting and development company based in Cedar Falls. While growing her business, she has helped build a vibrant and supportive tech community in the Cedar Valley. Kate is committed to building a culture and work environment that…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":610,"featured_media":3846,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"0","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false},"categories":[83,28],"tags":[81],"acf":[],"ticketed":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyiowa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3781"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyiowa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyiowa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyiowa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/610"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyiowa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3781"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyiowa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3781\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyiowa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3846"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyiowa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3781"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyiowa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3781"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyiowa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3781"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}