In February 2010, Ankit Shah joined the CMI team as the Programmer Analyst for Cesarsway.com. Our resident “computer guy,” Ankit plays an integral role in maintaining the functionality of the website and e-commerce. We recently sat down with Ankit to learn a little more about his time here in and out of the office.

CMI: What is your current role at CMI?

AS: As Programmer Analyst, I work on the e-commerce part of the website. This mainly involves customizing the cart according to CMI needs, querying the database to get the right product information on the website, and keeping track of sending the correct information to our warehouse. I also develop new features related to dynamic content on the website.

CMI: What is your favorite thing about working at CMI?

AS: My favorite thing about working here is the ability to bring dogs into the office. I work on a computer all day, so to get a chance to take a break and play with a dog is a nice relief from the daily grind. I don’t have my own dog, but I am welcomed by the pack here. In addition to the dogs, my co-workers here are energetic and full of fun qualities.

CMI: When not at the office, what are you typically found doing?

AS: I pretty much like to be outside rather than being at home. I love music and dancing, so I normally go to Hollywood and enjoy the scene. If the weather is good, I love going to the beach. I usually complete my weekend by watching a new movie at a nearby theater.

CMI: Anything that surprises you or that you’ve learned from Cesar that you didn’t expect?

AS: When I first joined CMI, I was pretty new with Cesar’s work. It happened that there was a narrow hallway that I had to pass through in the back of the office and a big dog rested in the middle of it. As I wasn’t much familiar with dogs, I made sure I passed the dog at a distance. Cesar saw me and stopped me immediately. He explained to me that we need to be the pack leaders and must assert a calm-assertive energy to gain the trust of a dog. He made me walk past a couple of times until I became aware of my energy. This was a pretty good demo for me to learn about dog psychology and, from that day onwards, I started reading as much as I could about dog behavior in order to better understand.

CMI: Describe the most memorable moment with Cesar so far?

AS: It was at last year’s Christmas party when the entire team got to spend time together outside of the office. We had live entertainment, music and dancing. It was great to see Cesar dancing with us and enjoying the moment.

Read more about our office pack:

Jason Burnham
Jon Bastian
Meret Erni
Michael Mattes