Robby on Rails: Tag oregon

Portland is calling... (you)

Robby Russell — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 01:30:00 -0500

We’re not looking for rock stars or ninjas at Planet Argon. ;-)

We’re looking for individuals that share our core values.

COLLABORATION – We believe that an open dialogue between all members of a group helps to produce more reasoned and intelligent decisions.
ENTHUSIASM – We recognize the unique power of people who are passionate about their craft. We believe that fun is an essential ingredient in a collaborative and vibrant company culture. We think happy people make better software.
COMMUNITY – We are part of many communities. Our neighborhoods, our cities, our workplace, and our professional communities. We give back to our communities by implementing socially responsible business practices and sharing our knowledge and tools with our peers.
VERSATILITY – We believe that it is important for our team to be open and flexible, as well as the work that we do. This allows us to adapt to change and encourage innovation.
EXECUTION – We value action and when people make things happen. It is important that we follow through on our commitments, plans, and ideas.

..maybe you’re a .NET/Java/PHP/Python developer (who secretly plays with Ruby on Rails at night/weekends). We’re looking for an intermediate-level Rails developer to join our team. Ideal candidates would be in the Portland, Oregon area or willing to relocate.

If you’re interested, take a moment and introduce yourself.

PLANET ARGON is seeking fresh talent... could it be you?

Robby Russell — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 10:10:00 -0500

My blog has been fairly quiet lately because our team has been busy helping push a few big client projects out the door. We’ll be posting announcements about those launches on the PLANET ARGON Blog soon, so stay-tuned there!

We’ve been growing the design-side of our team lately, but we’re also still seeking some more Rails-talent in Portland, OR. If you’re in Portland or interested in moving here¹, you should introduce yourself to our team. We’re looking for people to work on-site in Portland, so any remote candidates will be turned away… we’re moving into a shiny and new office space in downtown and are looking for another developer to join our Design and Development team.

you’ll fit in really well if you’re into outdoor activities… ;-)

We’re seeking mid-level Ruby on Rails developers that can pick things up quickly. Having some experience with RSpec will go along way with us. Ideal candidates would have great communication skills and be able to work in a fast-paced environment that places a huge emphasis on collaboration between designers and developers (let’s not forget to mention our clients). Bring what you already know and learn the rest with us.

While everyone might have Wii’s in the office, we’ve taken it to the next level with Speed Stacking! :-p

To apply, send an email to af22+8509@c1.catchthebest.com,

Side note: We’re giving Catch the Best a whirl to review job candidates. If you’re hiring people, you might consider giving it a try.

¹ Everybody is moving to Portland… ;-)

RailsConf is coming to Beertown

Robby Russell — Thu, 10 May 2007 13:05:00 -0500

The team at PLANET ARGON is continuing a series of blog posts for all of you who are coming to Portland, Oregon for RailsConf 2007. Allison just posted Portland Revealed: Episode 2: Beertown, which provides a list of places to get good beer in Portland… starting at the PDX Airport to other places around the conference center. We even through in a platial map to make the beer hunt easier for you. :-)

View all Portland Revealed articles

Business of Rails Panel at RailsConf 2007

Robby Russell — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 14:57:00 -0600

Trying to finish my book and running PLANET ARGON consumes quite a bit of my time… so when the RailsConf people announced that they were accepting proposals for talks, I opted to pass so that it wouldn’t distract from my sprint to finish my book. :-)

This decision was even easier for me when Nathaniel Talbot invited me to be part of his proposal for a panel of people that are running companies that specialize with Ruby on Rails. I liked the idea and the other people that were invited were all people that I greatly admired and respected… so I said yes. After all, so much of my time and energy goes into this stuff and there isn’t any doubt that I spend way more time on the business side of Rails… than in code these days.

I just got an email from Nathaniel to let me know that his proposal was accepted.

So, if you’ll be at RailsConf 2007 (US), come see me on The Business of Rails panel session.

The following people are planned to be on the panel.

Moderator: Nathaniel Talbott, Terralien Inc.

Panelists include:

Justin Gehtland, Relevance, LLC
Geoffrey Grosenbach, Topfunky Corporation
Andre Lewis, earthcode.com
Joe O’Brien, EdgeCase, LLC
Robby Russell, Planet Argon, LLC

I hope that you all send Nathaniel some great (and tough) questions… ;-)

Portland Public Transporation and the Zen of Office Management

Robby Russell — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 12:33:00 -0500

One of the coolest parts about my job (aside working with cool people everyday)... is getting a say in where we spend some of our money as a company. One of the things that Allison and I decided that we really wanted to do as a company was encourage sustainable business and growth in our local community. Everyone here loves Portland, Oregon.

This screenshot was taken after we took headshots for our transportation passes.

Our awesome Office Manager, Nicole Fritz has started a blog, which she plans to, ”...not only to let people know what goes on behind the scenes at PA, but to give other startups hints and tips about cool admin things that I have learned along the way (from taxes to how to get the right people “on the bus”).”

Nicole has posted an article, which introduces people to some of the great tax credits that small businesses like PLANET ARGON can take advantage of… in particular how we are now taking advantage of a tax credit for public transportation, bike storage, carpool programs, and more.

If you’re a customer of ours or are running a small business… you might consider subscribing to her feed.