Get to Know Core10: A Q&A With Joel Legg

Core10 is founded on the belief that, given the opportunity, people should be able to thrive in the place they call home. The opportunity is where we step in. 

Core10 is headquartered in Nashville, TN, with flagship offices in Huntington, WV, and Martin, TN. Across each of these offices, there are opportunities for individuals to grow their skills in development and advance in their careers. One great example of this is Joel Legg’s career growth while at Core10. 

Based out of our headquarters, Joel Legg is the Engineering Manager and a Senior Software Engineer focused on company strategy and solution architecture for our clients. Since starting with us in the fall of 2018, he has risen from an E3-level engineer to senior level (and manager!) as a result of his work on numerous projects, as well as his can-do attitude toward whatever is asked — often before it’s even asked of him. 

“Core10 had a need for dev management and solutions architect work. Joel stepped in proactively and just started filling the gap on both fronts. He saw an opportunity to contribute in new ways at Core10 and grow his own career and opportunity, as well. This led to Joel’s promotion to dev manager after just a few months. His contribution was so significant, the promotion became obvious.” – Tony Nigrelli, VP Customer Experience

We recently asked Joel a little bit more about himself. Read on to learn more about this integral part of our team, in his own words.

Why did you choose to work at Core10? 

I chose to work for Core10 because I wanted to work in a fast-paced environment where each project has a new set of challenges. I also chose Core10 because I wanted to work somewhere I felt appreciated. When I interviewed, I met with Lee Farabaugh, a co-founder of the company. She enlightened me on the vision for the company and made me feel like I was already a part of the team. 

What did you do before joining the team? 

Originally, I received my master’s degree in Petroleum Geology and worked for Schlumberger as a Petroleum Geologist. I was part of a team that completed petroleum assessments across the globe. It was an exciting time, and I learned a lot. However, during my time with Schlumberger, the oil and gas industry was hit hard with low oil prices. I decided then that I wanted to change directions with my career and focus on the technical side. 

At Schlumberger, we were working with data that was scraped from public websites containing oil and gas data. We then had to import the data into our SQL database. In addition, much of our work involved predictive modeling using machine learning to determine trends in the rock formations. When thinking about new careers, I knew I wanted to be more involved in building the technology rather than just using the technology. 

To make the transition, I went to the Nashville Software School to learn to be a developer, graduating from there in 2017. Then I worked remotely for a company out of Jamestown, NY. We primarily worked on case management systems for government agencies. My favorite project was an application that was designed to track free-range cattle movement and alert the owner when the cows crossed a pre-determined boundary that was set up through Map Box. 

What is your favorite project you have worked on at Core10?

My favorite project so far has been for Accrue. We’re building out a loan origination system that integrates with dozens of third-party fintech solutions. It’s been exciting to see how a modular microservice architecture allows for rapid development and integration with third-party APIs. 

Why did you choose to live in Nashville? 

Family. My parents and in-laws both live in the area, and one of my brothers is still nearby. I love being able to spend time with family on the weekends, and we even do a fair bit of camping with my brother and his family. My favorite thing about Nashville is the live events. When possible, I like to go to hockey games, soccer, and live music. 

Family is very important to my wife and me. We have been married since 2012 and are actually high school sweethearts! We now have a 3-year-old boy and another set to arrive in July. We love that the Nashville area allows us to be near our families and grow in our careers through community work, as well, such as local tech events and donating in-kind gifts to The Well. 

Anything else you’d like to share?

I have a major sweet tooth and love a fresh-baked chocolate chip cookie. I enjoy street tacos and margaritas, and I also like long walks on the beach.