FRONTSTEPS is thrilled to welcome Ryan Padilla to the team as the newest VP of Operations. To get to know him a little better, our Marketing team sat down with Ryan to ask some questions related to his professional and personal history and future aspirations.
Sam Grabel: Thanks for joining us today, Ryan, and welcome to FRONTSTEPS.
We would you would love to learn a little bit more about your background, so I’m curious where have you come from in your career? What has brought you to this point?
Ryan Padilla: Thanks Sam. Excited to be here. My background is a mix of leadership roles in management consulting and technology operations. I spent most of the last decade in the software space working for GHX – the largest cloud-based supply chain network in healthcare.
I’ve always considered myself an operator at my core and I have deep strategy and operations experience. Most recently, I was the General Manager of a SaaS business unit at GHX. Prior to that, I was responsible for leading global strategy execution and transformation.
In evaluating what I wanted to do next in my career, I had one of those epiphany moments. I’ve always loved real estate, both as a homeowner and as an investor. I’ve had significant exposure to property management and HOAs through these experiences so I thought “what if I could combine my personal passion with my professional background in SaaS?” After some quick research, I discovered FRONTSTEPS and it fit key criteria for me. Denver-based? Growing market? Opportunity for me to create meaningful operational and strategic impact? Check, check, check. It’s a great fit all-around.
SG: Well, we are thrilled to have you. As you learned more about FRONTSTEPS, what stood out most about the company?
RP: Easy answer – the runway for company growth. There is compelling demand in this market space for tech-enabled solutions. These software services and automations help management companies, and their resident communities realize operating efficiencies while also elevating their collective customer experience. That’s a big win with big benefits for them. As I did my due diligence, it was clear that FRONTSTEPS is uniquely positioned to deliver the market-leading software platform to serve the Community Association Management industry. I’m excited to help the team advance our solution capabilities and execute on the promising growth opportunities in front of us.
SG: What are you most excited to accomplish at FRONTSTEPS?
RP: I’m here to win! To that end, I’ll be directing my focus toward two key priorities. First, and most importantly, we are deeply committed to delivering an exceptional customer experience at all touchpoints with our customers. This directly translates to value realized which subsequently creates platform affinity and loyalty. Adopting a customer-centric behavioral mindset across our Ops teams can – and will be – a competitive differentiator for FRONTSTEPS. And second, to support our continued growth, we need to strategically and intentionally scale our operational infrastructure. This means we’re best-in-class with the efficiency and performance impact of our business operations.
SG: Let’s shift gears a little bit and get to know you personally. Where are you from originally?
RP: I’m a proud Colorado native. I grew up in Loveland. I spent time out east for college and work post-graduation, but ultimately, I knew I was going to find my way back to Colorado. Home is home. I grew up experiencing this awesome lifestyle here, heavy on recreation and adventure in the Rockies. My time on the East Coast was formative and fun (minus the humidity!) but I missed it here. I’ve been back in Colorado nearly 20 years now.
SG: You mentioned your love of exploring the Rockies in your free time. Do you have any specific activities that you really like to do?
RP: You bet – you’ll still find me getting my heart rate up running, cycling, skiing and hiking. Fun fact, I’d climbed all the 14,000-foot peaks in Colorado by the time I was 30. It was a great way to see the state and realize just how wild and vast the landscape is in Colorado. I also ran competitively in college. Running continues to be a staple for me. What’s been the most fun the past few years is getting back to my roots with skiing and enjoying the slopes with my 8-year-old twin daughters. They started skiing at 4 and love it – they’re almost as good as Dad now. We did our first black runs and bowls this past winter. They skied ‘em like pros.
SG: What would you say are your top three bucket list items?
RP: Speaking of skiing, I recently visited Japan for the first time and would love to make another trip back to visit the Hokkaido area. The powder and ski terrain look incredible.
I’d say #2 is a trip to Monaco for the Formula One race. It looks like it’s quite a spectacle, especially given the legacy of that famous street course.
And #3 would be a dive trip to an historic shipwreck, somewhere in Southeast Asia or maybe back in Hawaii. I say back in Hawaii because years ago I was fortunate to have a consulting project that allowed me to spend several months on Oahu. While I was there, I got scuba certified and I’ve had it on the list to incorporate a dive expedition into a vacation.
So the bucket list is a nice mix of snow, sea & sun and speed!
SG: Very cool. What would you say that your best experience has been so far?
RP: Without hesitation it’s being a Dad. It’s such a cool and transformative experience. Watching my daughters grow up and having the opportunity to teach them and show them so many of the influential experiences I grew up with – really nothing compares. As you can imagine, they have a special bond as identical twins. It’s been fun to see them develop together but also come into their own personalities.
Outside of family, I’d highlight a trip I took this past fall in the Dolomites, the Italian Alps. I did a weeklong hut-to-hut route traversing 120 miles through some of the most spectacular scenery you can imagine. The best part after long days on the trail? You stay at these incredible high alpine mountain huts that serve up delicious Italian cuisine, you meet people from all over the world and you start the next morning fueled up with the best cappuccino I’ve ever had. It’s my version of paradise and I’m already planning a return trip. Can’t wait!
SG: That sounds amazing. Well, thank you for your time, Ryan.
I really appreciate it and it’s been great getting to know you a little bit here.
RP: Of course. Thanks, Sam. I’m energized and excited to see what we can accomplish at FRONTSTEPS.
