Meet Mike Dalton: The World is His Oyster

Welcome to Jumpmind Reveal, a blog series showcasing some of the talented folks we have here at Jumpmind. In today’s installment, we catch up with Mike Dalton, the company’s Director of Implementation. 

Tell us about how you chose a career in tech?

My career path wasn’t super linear. In college, I studied toxicology because I was drawn to environmental work and science. I liked computers, but I didn’t see them as a career at first. After spending time in pharmaceutical research and then sales roles, I realized the common thread was always computers — so I went back to school for IT and never looked back.

How did you come to work at Jumpmind?

I had a neighbor who worked for Abercrombie & Fitch so I went to a local job fair and applied for a position there. Initially, I thought I’d be passed over because they were looking for someone with heavy Java experience. Then they noticed I knew PowerBuilder — the point-of-sale language they couldn’t find anyone for — and they called me the very next day to offer me the job.

Joe Corbin (Jumpmind CEO) and I started at Abercrombie around the same time, and we worked together there and eventually brought Jumpmind in to get a fresh start with POS. Together we implemented this new POS system in stores in 23 different countries around the world. We implemented brand new payment system, a new loyalty program, and a whole new promotion engine. Then later, both Joe and I went to work for Jumpmind.

What are you known for at Jumpmind?

Well two things really – first off, I’m a Michigan fan, which is unique as most of the crew at Jumpmind here in Columbus are Browns or Buckeye fans. 

Also, everyone at Jumpmind refers to me as the “trip dad.” Because, somehow, I’m always the one picking restaurants and figuring out where we’re going next. Even on days with no plan, everyone turns to me — so I try to steer us toward restaurants that have local color and local flavor on the menu instead of the obvious more touristy choices.

What’s your wildest travel story?

In Guadalajara, Mexico, one time I was travelling with a work colleague and our car nearly was washed off the highway into a ravine during a flash flood. We ended up walking through knee-deep water to a restaurant and drying our shoes with fans and towels. I later found out the colleague I was with shares my same exact birthday – so we always joked that we almost had a scenario where our headstones would’ve been nearly identical.

Do you have any pets?

I have a dog whose name is Hank. He’s a rescue; we found him as a half-starved puppy on a farm in Kentucky. He’s four now: a little hyper, very sweet, and honestly more than enough dog for us right now.