Life at OPENLANE: Q&A with Jesus Ramirez, Data Analyst
Closing out Hispanic Heritage Month, we have Jesus Ramirez, Data Analyst at OPENLANE and co-lead of SABOR@OPENLANE. Jesus joined us in 2020; since then, he has gone from designing dashboards and tracking metrics to solving more integrated and complex data projects, such as forecasting. Read more about his story below.
Can you tell us about your background and what you like most about your culture?
I was born and raised in Mexico and then came to the US five years ago to study and work.
My favorite part of my culture is the food – so much good stuff. But also, how there is a culture around being kind. Even when most Hispanic and Latin American people don’t know you, they will still be warm and welcoming to you.
You’re co-lead of our employee resource group SABOR@OPENLANE. Tell us what is most rewarding about this role.
Connecting with other people from my culture. My team is very diverse, but I am the only Hispanic person, so this group has given me the opportunity to meet more people of different cultures who are from Latin America. It’s given us a space to share our stories and wins.
What has your journey at OPENLANE looked like?
I joined OPENLANE in March of 2020, about two and a half years ago.
There is a ton of diversity in the work that I do. I am a Data Analyst and I started off creating dashboards and tracking important metrics. Now, I also do statistical experiments and forecasting for marketing and sales problems, as well as AI problem solving. So there has been a ton of growth.
What is something you are most proud of during your time at OPENLANE?
My team. I’m very proud to be part of such a diverse, supportive team.
What do you like the most about working at OPENLANE?
Having the flexibility to work from home. Before joining OPENLANE, I worked about 10 hours a day, not including commuting time. It was very difficult to do much outside of work. But now, I have the opportunity to have more of a balance. I have time to take care of myself and my family while also providing quality work.
What is your favorite part about analyzing data?
You sometimes find things you’re not expecting—something new. I think that’s important because before analyzing the data, you usually have an intuition of what is happening but sometimes you’re completely surprised. It allows you to better ground your business decisions and get a bigger, better picture of what is happening.
What is your piece of advice for newcomers to the company?
The simplest resource is the experience of other people. Make sure you talk to your leaders and team. That is how I’ve learned about new technologies, new programs, and so on and so forth. They’re a great source of information.
If you could have dinner with any historical figure, who would it be?
Alan Turing. He’s a very famous person in the technology and IT world and was part of a minority in 1942 as he was openly gay. I think that would be a very interesting and intriguing conversation.
