Every Monday we’d like you to meet someone new around here at JustBats.com. Get to know us a little better! Meet Nick! Nick is our UX Designer and makes sure that everything works when you visit JustBats.com! Here is what makes Nick tick.

1. How long have you worked here at JustBats.com?
I've worked at JustBats.com for about 8 months.
2. How long have you been a web developer?
Well I've been designing and building web site's since 2002, so roughly 10 years.
3. I hear you are pretty good at racquetball, how often do you play?
I don't know about that, but I try to play a few times a week. I've improved quite a bit since I first started playing 6 months ago, but I still have a long ways to go to get better.
4. Any tips for someone just starting to play racquetball?
Aim low & practice, practice, practice!
5. How do you know if someone has what it takes to become a web developer? What is it you look for?
That's a great question. I think it takes someone with good problem solving, patience, and communication skills because they are absolutely critical when working on a team. Being able to figure out what is (or isn't) working with everyone's code can be challenging and sometimes it just take's a little patience and time to figure out. If you're like me, and focus more on the presentation and functional aspect's of web development then it's also critical that you are also knowledgeable about design, composition, and layout. Having experience working with Photoshop & Illustrator (or any desktop publishing applications) are also going to be very helpful for any web developer.
6. So you're a big KU fan, give us the top three reasons KU is #1 in your book.
Yeah, I make it pretty clear that I'm a KU fan. I don't know if I have a top 3, but here goes.
1.) I grew up pretty close to KU, and have always loved watching them dominate the Big 12 (in basketball at least).
2.) Most of my family is actually K-State fans or graduates, so it makes for some interesting "discussions/jokes" at family get togethers.
3.) Although I did not attend KU, I have been on campus many time's and it's a beautiful place to take photo's and attend a basketball game.
7. What kind of stuff do you enjoy doing in your free time?
Free time? What is that?? Just kidding, I've got two wonderful children who keep me pretty busy building Lego's, drawing, playing with dolls, etc... Other than that, I enjoy watching & playing sports, outdoor activities (guns & 4-wheelers), and the occasional video game or two.
8. Web development can be exhausting work, what do you do to stay focused and on track?
Normally it's just a matter of throwing on the headphones, figuring out what exactly need's to be done and attacking it! If I need a short break, I'll check out a few web site's for inspiration or to keep up on trends in the industry.
9. What do you love about working at JustBats.com?
What's not to love about working here? All of the employees, leadership, free meals, workout facilities, comfortable atmosphere, and other benefits make this truly one of the most amazing places to work in Kansas City.
10. If you run into an issue when developing a website whether it be with code or anything else that might cause problems, what's your process for figuring out the issue?
Well considering that's open-ended and I deal with all sorts of problems I'll try to generalize... I would normally review the code that's in question and make sure I didn't make any mistakes. Once you isolate the problem, rewrite the code and try again! Google and StackOverflow can also be very useful when dealing with difficult errors or problems as well.

In the month January, JustBats.com employees competed in an inner company Health and Wellness Challenge. The goal of this challenge was to help create healthier habits. It is said it only takes 30 days to create a new habit, so appropriately our challenge was exactly 30 days long.

What's innovation mean? Innovation is the action or process of innovating. What's innovating mean? Innovating means to make changes in something established, by introducing new methods, ideas, or products. Now we are getting somewhere. What does innovation mean to us at JustBats.com and how to we go about quantifying our innovation decisions? Sometimes, innovation actually starts out with, "wouldn't it be cool if we could…….," but most of the time there's a process JustBats.com uses.

Every Monday we’d like you to meet someone new around here at JustBats.com. Get to know us a little better! Meet Adam! Adam is our graphic designer and insists on making sure you have pretty things to look at when you open your emails from us and go to our websites! Here is what makes Adam tick.

1. How long have you worked here at JustBats.com?
I have been working at JustBats.com for a little over a year now.
2. Who are you listening to right now?
Some of the bands I have been listening to a lot lately are: We Were Promised Jetpacks, This Will Destroy You, Banner Pilot and Cold Cave.
3. What keeps you inspired to keep making and designing great work?
I do a lot of research to understand what trends are popular with a lot of our clients. Without understanding the trends going on in the advertising/design world, I would be a huge step behind. I also have a great team that helps critique my work on a weekly basis.
4. So rumor has it you like horror movies, can you give us your top 3 favorite horror films?
Where are you hearing these rumors hmm?
In no particular order, I would have to say 1. The Shining (Kubrick is a genius) 2. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (the original obviously) and 3. The Evil Dead
5. Give us a couple of your favorite designers?
Two designers that I love are David Carson and Art Chantry. Whenever I feel I have a "designers block", I go back and look at their works to find inspiration.
7. You have seen a lot of bands play, are there any concerts that stand out from the rest?
Once I drove three hours to go see Andrew W.K. When I arrived at the venue, I saw two great big words that almost brought me to a tear: SOLD OUT. After much waiting and talking to the bassist from his band, I was let in on Andrew W.K.'s guest list. I sweated, I sang, and I lost a contact. Best night ever.
8. What do you like most about working at JustBats.com?
I love everyone that I work with. I am so blessed to be working at a company that cares about their employees and goes out of their way to make sure everyone has the best experience when walking into the building.
9. Have you been in any bands?
I used to be a vocalist in a punk band 5 years ago, called Crooks. We were a band for about a year, recorded about 5 songs, and played around 15 shows.
10. What's your favorite thing to do outside of work?
I like to paint, collect vinyl, and venture to new food/beer places around the metro area.
11. What is your favorite sport and team?
My favorite teams are Sporting Kansas City, KC Royals, KC Chiefs and Liverpool F.C. I would say that soccer is my favorite sport, however there is nothing like going out on a summer evening to see the Royals play at Kauffman.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrJfPoZvCTw

Every Monday we’d like you to meet someone new around here at JustBats.com. Get to know us a little better! Meet Steve! Steve works in our Distribution Center and helps make sure you get the right package! He also is the JustBats.com story teller. Here is what makes Steve tick.

1. Hey Steve, how long have you worked here at JustBats.com?
4 years
2. You're a music lover right? What instrument do you play and how long have you been playing?
I play bass guitar and have now for 43 years.
3. Tell us about the most interesting place you have ever been.
My wife and I went to Hawaii on our 25th anniversary. We went to Hana where there is an all black sand beach.
4. You seem to be a man of many hobbies, such as photography, have you taken any unique photos?
I took one of a possum out in front of my house. He didn't like having his picture taken.
5. What else do you like to do in your free time?
I have two 55 gallon aquariums at my house that I sometimes use to relax with. I also love pinball machines and jukeboxes.
6. Tell us about your favorite thing to do with your family.
Just kick-back and relax, talk about what's going on in their lives and enjoy my grandkids.
7. What is your favorite thing about working here at JustBats.com?
The satisfaction that I get from making sure the customer gets the right product shipped to them the first time.
8. Have any good stories for our blog readers?
Got me there. Have to think about that one.

I would first like to extend a big congratulations to everyone at JustBats.com for being nominated as one of the healthiest places to work in the Kansas City area. The criteria for this award is based on the actions taken by a company to improve the overall health of their workforce. Healthiest Employer, LLC is a privately held company that has developed a system of evaluating wellness initiatives within a work site. Their mission is as follows:

Every Monday we’d like you to meet someone new around here at JustBats.com. Get to know us a little better! Meet Trainer Mike! Mike is our Fitness Trainer and his job is to make sure we work hard and stay in shape! Here is what makes Mike tick.

1.How long have you been here at JustBats.com?
February, 2012 will mark the start of my 5th year.
2.What's the story behind how you got connected here?
I donated a training package to St. Therese Elementary School for a silent auction fundraiser. Scott's children went to school there and he had taken note of my donation.Scott had been contemplating bringing a trainer up to JustBats.com to work with his management team and called me shortly after the auction.
3.When did you start getting into fitness?
I was first introduced to fitness during my high school years as part of the Athletic program. Like many, after my sports career had ended, I lifted on and off for years. I was actually 35 years old when I obtained my trainer's certification. I had helped my best friend lose 140 lbs that year and became hooked.
4.What's your number one advice for someone that has never trained before that want's to hit the gym hard?
Working smart is so much more important than working hard. There is some very basic science regarding fitness, that if applied, will allow you to reach your goals much faster.
5.What's your favorite muscle group to work?
It has changed several times over the years, but it is currently back. I use to skip this muscle group all too often. It is the largest muscle group in the upper body and after staying the course, I found it to be a very rewarding muscle group to prioritize.
6.Aside from pumping iron, what do you like to do in your free time?
Anything with my daughter. She is the love of my life and the greatest thing that has ever happened to me.
7.What's your least favorite way to work out?
Over-lifting, or trying to "max out" on how much you can lift. This is just setting yourself up for injury.
8.What's your favorite sport and team?
Baseball is my favorite sport. I grew up in Philadelphia and was a die hard Phillies fan. They are still my favorite team to this day.
9.Staying in shape can be a big challenge for a lot of people, tell us what keeps you motivated and on track?
At age 30, I felt like I was 40. At age 40, I felt like I was 25. Now that I have a daughter, my motivation is truly about health and wellness. Having knowledge and understanding how to work smart is certainly the one thing that helps me stay on track the most.
10.Read any good books lately?
I recently re-read Body 4 Life by Bill Phillips. There are some great fitness principles and tips in this book. Many of these have been incorporated into our 2012 JustBats.com Health & Wellness Challenge.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kBwMIjFcBg

The first weekend in January three members of the JustBats.com team traveled to Anaheim, California to attend the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) annual conference. The conference was held at the Anaheim Convention Center and has always been a very beneficial and enjoyable conference. There are over 500 coaches that participate in this event. There truly is no better gathering of great baseball minds than this event.