Meet Kevin McFann: Work, Sleep, Cruise, Repeat

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 Kevin McFann, Jumpmind’s newest business analyst.

In arriving at Jumpmind, this was your first time starting a new job in 35 years. What was that like?  

Prior to coming over to Jumpmind I was at Big Lots and saw the company through three and a half decades of growth. I have to confess, starting a new job after 35 years with my previous employer was “scary as hell” – I didn’t know anything or anyone!

But I had experience working with many of the people who formed Jumpmind, such as (Jumpmind Co-Founder) Chris Henson and (Vice President of Solutions) Eric Long, (Senior Sales Engineer) Josh Hicks and (Vice President, Customer Implementations) Greg Wilmer, who was my boss at Big Lots once upon a time.

After my first-day jitters wore off, I knew that I could not have asked for a better place to work than Jumpmind. It’s a great environment and I love the people here.

You’re a business analyst, how would you describe your role?

For the uninitiated, I always describe the job as being able to interface with dozens of customers and understand what they are asking for – to interpret the business requirements and help translate that into new features and functionality in the software.

The number 35 is also significant in that you’ve been on 35 cruises. When did you first get bit with the cruise bug?

The first time I ever went on a cruise was for my honeymoon with my wife Brenda, and right from the start, we were hooked! These days we enjoy cruising as a family affair – with my mother-in-law, Sue, our 29-year-old son and his wife, and  our 26-year-old son. my Our oldest son, Hayden, has been on 23 cruises and my  our younger son, Holden, has been on 22.

What has been your favorite cruise destination so far? 

I would have to say Alaska. It was so incredibly beautiful and was 10x better than I expected. We experienced so many amazing adventures and once-in-a-lifetime experiences, including drinking a “Glacierita” – where at the base of a glacier, we were served a margarita made with pristine glacier ice.

What are your go-to “pro-tips” for cruising?

Take a water bottle. Don’t overpack, and don’t let anyone else on the ship ruin your vacation.