As Ephesoft continues to grow, employees are a critical part of who we are as a company and represent our values, brand and drive innovation. Get to know one of our team members and enjoy many more interviews to come.
Chris MacWilliams, Sr. Sales Engineer
6 years at Ephesoft
Chris MacWilliams, who is commonly known as “CMAC” around the office, is an Orange County native and currently leads the sales engineering team in the United States at Ephesoft. He attended Principia College in Illinois and graduated with a degree in Business as his major and two minors in Economics and Asian Studies. The Asian Studies program included a 10-week study abroad program in Mongolia and China, so he gladly packed his bags.
Mongolia means the “land of blue sky” and he described the land as big open space with skylines that went as far as the eye could see. Part of the trip was an unforgettable experience where he intentionally wanted to get pickpocketed in their renowned black market. He set out with a cheap wallet and not much money with a friend on the program. It took six pickpockets to create a distraction, take his wallet and pass it off to other people in on the theft. In the end, since he had been expecting it, he confronted the thief who admitted he was caught, and then returned the wallet without the money.
In college, he was captivated and intrigued by alternative energy, and began experimenting building his own prototypes. After graduating during the recession in 2009, he found it challenging to find a job in business, so he set his sights on reinventing himself as an entrepreneur. He began tinkering around and developed a wind turbine made from sails. Unfortunately, that didn’t take off.
In 2012, he joined Ephesoft when it had only about 4 people in a tiny, start-up space and he squeezed into an office with Ike. Since that time, the company has grown, and he’s seen Ephesoft move locations four times. After a few years, Chris craved new experiences outside of Orange County, and with the need for Ephesoft to develop representation and customer support on the East Coast, Chris found himself with an opportunity to move. This took him to a remote, country lake area in Georgia, followed by the Research Triangle in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and then to St. Louis where his sister lived, and his son was born.
When Ephesoft’s first round of funding from Mercato Partners finalized in 2017, Ike asked him to move back and lead the US sales engineering team. “My favorite thing about Ephesoft is the people are top notch,” Chris explained. “Since Ephesoft recently defined our core values, it resonates with me and helps me find the right talent in interviews. I consider myself a ‘builder and a fixer’ and really like the culture here.”
As a Sr. Sales Engineer, Chris not only manages his team, but he works closely with customers, prospects, does live product demos and holds a deep understanding of Ephesoft technology. “In my role and department, you have to love the technology and love the customer. I’m always looking for team members who enjoy the challenge of being both passionate about customer success, and get a thrill from selling software.” Chris explained that it’s a challenge to find the right people due to this unique mix of skills. He’s currently focused on building his team to support the company growth.
One quote that Chris strives to incorporate into his professional and personal life is from a podcast by Jocko, a retired Navy Seal, “the more disciplined you are, the freer you can be.” Chris explained that he knows when you work hard and keep being diligent, it pays off, so he looks for ways to incorporate this goal.
Similar to his work, Chris says he’s “always building and tinkering with stuff” in his free time. For example, he used Raspberry Pi technology to build a baby monitor. Woodworking has become a fun and therapeutic hobby and he focuses on 3D modeling before building. “It’s a cool way to decompress. Unlike software that has hidden problems, woodworking is more straightforward,” stated Chris. He likes learning about the many types of wood and its texture. Another podcast by Guy Roz called “How I Built This,” interviews creators and entrepreneurs, and pushes Chris to embrace his creative, technical side. Best of all, outside of work, Chris loves being a dad to his 11-month-old son with his wife and taking advantage of their season passes to Disneyland.