Life in the Swimlane with Senior Marketing Program Manager, James Therrien

Welcome to the “Life in the Swimlane” blog series. Here we will feature interviews with Swimlaners to learn more about their experience. This series will give you a preview of Swimlane, our culture, and the people who keep us going.

My name is James. I’ve always been a James, not a Jim – probably because I was in trouble all the time as a kid, and my parents would be yelling, “JAMES”. I’m mostly from Northern California although I lived in lots of different places growing up. My dad was a Peace Corps administrator so we lived in Latin America for some years. I went to college in San Diego.

How long have you been with Swimlane?

Next month it will be four years at Swimlane.

What does your job entail?

I work on a fairly broad range of projects within marketing. My main role relates to overseeing much of our visual representation in print and on the web, and working with Tony Tam Sing, our superlative designer. The swimlane.com website is my primary focus.

What do you enjoy most about working at Swimlane?

I really enjoy the focus on getting big things done, by hook or by crook, even with the limited resources that are required at a startup. A real sense of camaraderie develops when we have to pull together.

What excites you most about your work?

The thing that excites me the most about my work is being part of a really strong marketing group — our CMO and the rest of the team are just remarkable marketers — that is pushing our brand and company through rapid growth and developing maturity.

What do you like to do when you aren’t working?

In my free time, I enjoy hanging out with my family. My wife and two sons are super cool, and we enjoy traveling. My youngest and my wife just came back from a trip to Iceland and my oldest son and I just got back from Argentina in July.

Are there any clubs, volunteer/awareness groups, or social movements you’re passionate about?

I’m a big supporter of the ACLU.

What’s a fun fact about you many people may not know?

In my first job, I worked on the captions for a calendar with Shirley Temple, we talked on the phone several times. She was nice.

Your motto or personal mantra:

Burritos aren’t just for breakfast anymore! 

Three words that best describe you:

Reliable, friendly, silly.

What Swimlane core value resonates with you the most?

Punch above your weight class. In a startup environment, there is no standing ceremony, you just gotta get things done even if you have never done them before.

What type of impact do you want to leave on our industry?

Becoming the most widely-adopted, most-secure automation platform in the world.