Meet Brendan, Head of TechOps

Welcome to Furey Stories, a series spotlighting the innovators, problem-solvers, creatives, and doers at Furey. Each month, we chat with a new member of the team to learn what they’re up to. 

First up is Brendan, who heads up TechOps at Furey. Brendan is known for his Excel wizardry and knack for building Furey Tools—our proprietary solutions that streamline how work gets done (more on that another time). Read on to get to know Brendan in his own words.  

How would you describe TechOps at Furey? 

Brendan: The way I see it, TechOps is here to supercharge the accounting team, and build innovative solutions to help our clients make smarter decisions. Our accounting team comes to the table with so much industry knowledge, expertise, and client-facing skills. At the same time, TechOps gives them the tools and resources to close books as efficiently and accurately as possible. TechOps also works directly with Furey clients to take on any challenges they may be facing. We build custom solutions, such as customized reporting packages, financial system best practices, invoicing tools, and purchase order trackers, which allow our clients to move forward with total confidence. 

Our mission at Furey is to set the new standard for how work gets done. How do you bring this mission into your work? 

Brendan: The idea of doing things differently, doing things in a better way—we see ourselves as the champions of that mission. One way that TechOps leads the charge is by embracing a learning-oriented work environment where the focus is not necessarily on the results, but the process itself. Our approach is to always reconsider the way we do things, and through that, find opportunities to grow and develop new skills. We take this approach when it comes to our own careers, and also when it comes to working with our clients and the accounting team. 

Even if we have a process in place that may be working fine, we still challenge the status quo to determine if there’s an opportunity to improve it. At times , this might require picking up a different skill, a new technology, or rebuilding something from scratch. 

What’s a project you’re excited about? 

Brendan: This year, we’re taking our 1099 Tool to the next level! I’d liken it to an app update for our 1099 tech that allows us to quickly and accurately issue 1099s on behalf of Furey clients. We’re always looking for ways to improve the 1099 process, so this time around we're increasing efficiency and accuracy even more. The revised Tool will utilize the Bill.com API, and allow our team to download and consolidate key data sets for 1099s with a click of a button. 

Revamping the 1099 Tool has been an all-hands-on-deck effort, with collaboration across the company. The process has been such a great learning opportunity for everyone on the team, and come 1099 season, we know that the finished product will help us serve our clients in better ways. I’m incredibly proud to work on the next generation of this product. It’s truly a testament to our continued dedication to process improvement and innovation!

 At Furey, you’re known for your Excel wizardry. Can you share an Excel shortcut with us? 

Brendan: Learning how to quickly navigate through a spreadsheet is a must. With control + arrow keys + shift, you can really do a lot. For example, control + up brings you to the top, and if you combine that with shift, this highlights all the data in that range. If you want to highlight the entire data set, just start at the top left, and then control + shift + down + right.

How do you recharge?

Brendan: It’s definitely golf, especially during the summer months. Furey closes at 1pm for Summer Fridays to give our team more time to unwind, so being able to make the 2pm tee time after a long week of work is great. I really enjoy going with my fellow Furey team members and building camaraderie on the golf course. That said, there is some truth in the famous quote “golf is a good walk spoiled.” While golf can be a bit frustrating at times, particularly when you’re still learning. But I still enjoy getting out there!