Matt Krodel has been in the appraisal industry for 15 years, all of those years with a la mode, inc. Although he has worn many different hats at the company, he has star power in the customer service area, according to nominator Eric Thompson of AppraiserTechShop.com.

“Matt is a licensed appraiser and is super technical, but super technical in a way that has patience with those of us less technically gifted,” Thompson said. “That patience gets tested on a daily basis in a variety of ways and yet hasn’t been broken in the 10 years I have known him.

“In addition to his selfless nature and his ability to impart knowledge, he’s interacted personally with probably more appraisers — face to face and over the phone — over the last 10 years than probably anyone else in the whole appraisal industry. From an overhead view, many may not know Matt’s name — as he is not the flashy owner of a technology company or a smooth talking speaker at national conferences. But from a ground level, Matt has done a lot to influence everyday appraisers in their use of technology, in their marketing practices and in their overall daily work.”

I started at a la mode in 1992 when I was fresh out of OU engineering school and the company was just a step past being a startup. Although I was officially hired as a programmer, we all wore multiple hats in those days and did everything from programming, customer service, sales, IT, and even janitorial work for that matter. The multi-tasking suited me well, but I think we do a better job these days with our staff in more specialized positions.

It’s very rewarding to see so many people get their foot in the door by starting in technical support and then moving on to development, IT or management positions within a la mode.

It’s inspiring when you know that something you’re creating — software, documentation, a training course or even a better way to answer phone calls —– is going to affect the daily workflow of tens of thousands of people.

Try to be remembered for what you were for, not what you were against.

There have been too many team efforts for me to even attempt to take credit. Besides, I’m too young to be looking back. The best is yet to come.

Professionally, I owe a lot to Dave Biggers, Jr., the owner and founder of a la mode. First of all, Dave will give you a chance even when you’re not “qualified” for something because he wasn’t technically “qualified” when he started a la mode. Second, Dave is an amazing decision maker, and he’s been a great example over the years of how to get down to what really matters. Third, Dave cares about his staff and people around him; he’s way ahead of the curve when it comes to creating an awesome work environment that encourages people to give 100 percent.



I’d like to think I’m fairly detail oriented, patient and even-tempered. Plus, I can function without much sleep when called upon to so.



Besides obvious choices like Jesus or John Paul II, I’d love to meet up with Bono for some TexMex and cold beer. I was a fan before anyone else in my school knew who U2 was, and his message on social justice gets it right on so many levels. I’m not sure what I could possibly say to him, but I’m sure he’d have some good wisdom for me.



About once a month, I drag out my keyboards and gig with my ’80’s cover band.



NPR.



It’s nice when I can finish up with work in time to go jogging, then come home, pop a bottle of wine and cook something nice for my wife, Julie. (We’re expecting our first child in July, by the way.)


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