Meet Brandon Scott: Behind the Buttons with Jumpmind’s Front-End Maestro

Jumpmind Reveal: Behind the Buttons with Jumpmind’s Front-End Maestro,
Brandon Scott

Welcome to Jumpmind Reveal, a blog series showcasing some of the talented folks we have here at Jumpmind. In today’s installment, we bring you a profile on Brandon Scott, a software engineer who joined Jumpmind in March.

Brandon, can you tell us more about your role at Jumpmind?

I’m a software engineer, and I focus on translating our customers’ needs into software they can use. Most of my time is spent on front-end development, handling things like making sure that every button does what it’s supposed to do, and that the user interface is seamless. When a customer dreams up a new feature that doesn’t exist yet, our team figures out how to make that happen.

How did you find Jumpmind and what drew you to the company?

I’m originally from Columbus and I recently moved back here after living in California for 15 years. I had been working in software engineering at an audio technology company there, so I knew I wanted to find a similar computer science role here. The timing worked out perfectly because Jumpmind was looking to expand its team, and my background meshed really well with what they needed. It felt like a good match from the start.

What was it like coming back to Columbus after so many years away?

I spent most of my life in Ohio—I grew up here, and then I attended college at Bowling Green State University—but after being gone for so long, Columbus feels new to me. Some parts are just as I remember, but so much has changed. For example, Jumpmind’s office is located very close to Polaris, which is like a mall area with shopping, dining and entertainment. There’s a ton of energy here with lots of people out and about, and it’s nice to have our office right in the middle of it. I also enjoy the size of Jumpmind, we have a strong sense of community, and the culture is fun. We recently had a team outing at Activate, which is like an arcade near the office where you play fully immersive games and solve puzzles with your group. It was a blast.

Do you miss the West Coast at all?

Honestly, I love California, but I’m appreciating being back in Columbus—especially the seasons. There’s something calming and serene about a rainy day. The move had some challenges, but it’s good to be near family, reconnect with old friends and rediscover the familiar aspects of home while building new routines.

You’ve been settled in at Jumpmind for several months. Can you tell us more about what the experience has been like?

At first, there was a big learning curve in terms of the complexity of the retail industry. As a retail customer, I came in with some preconceptions about how things worked, but
I was blown away by Jumpmind’s depth of expertise. Jumpmind supports major retailers, including many Fortune 500 companies, and it’s incredible just how much goes into their point-of-sale and omnichannel operations. We also have such close partnerships with our clients; many of them have teams that we work with on a day-to- day basis and grow together. I also deeply appreciate Jumpmind’s pragmatic approach to technology. In a recent All Hands, the topic of AI came up, which has created a sense of panic or chaos at many companies. At Jumpmind, we have a sense of calm when it comes to new technologies. We acknowledge the effect AI will have on our customers and our work, but we’re using it intelligently and prioritizing solving real problems over short-term hype.

Can you tell us more about how you’re staying ahead of the curve with new technologies at Jumpmind?

Our team has a strong learning culture. Our manager allocates the first two hours of every Thursday for us to explore new technologies and tools we are curious about. Often, that time is spent experimenting with new AI tools. On Friday, we share what we learned with each other, and we also have a spreadsheet where we share the topics we have learned about so you know who to go to if you want to learn about something specific. It’s almost like a book club. I really appreciate that Jumpmind normalizes professional development as part of paid work time.

So, what can we find you doing for fun in Columbus outside of work?

On a Saturday morning, you’ll usually find me doing yoga, one of the activities I got into on the West Coast and brought back to Ohio with me. Columbus has a great selection of indoor and outdoor practice spaces for all levels. I’ve attended yoga retreats in the past and I’m comfortable in some more  intermediate and advanced classes, but I also enjoy classes for beginners, too. I’ve also been seeing a lot of movies. Columbus has excellent variety in theaters—you have the AMCs of the world where you can catch the summer blockbusters, but there are also theaters showing classics and other specialty screenings. We also have movies in the park on Friday nights. I recently watched Freakier Friday in the park with a picnic of snacks—it was really fun.