BEMO Welcomes Three New Members

BEMO is proud to our three newest hires of 2023: Jason Banfield, Jose Castelan, and Antonio Ballesteros! 

Jason Banfield has joined our Customer Success team as our new Senior Customer Success Manager. He will be reporting to Nina Cullen, Senior Director of Customer Success. 

Jose Castelan is our new Support and Managed Services Team Lead for our Technical Support team. He will also be reporting to Nina. 

Antonio Ballesteros joins our Product team as an Engineering Intern. He will be reporting to Craig Knowles, Director of Product. 

So who are these new team members? Let’s find out!  

• Jason Banfield 
• Antonio Ballesteros 
  
• Jose Castelan 
  
  

Jason Banfield: Senior Customer Success Manager 

Jason joins us from White Lake, MI, US. Where he lives with his wife Meghan and his two daughters, Brynn and Paige. 
 
Here we can see the happy family enjoying an adventure in the woods, and on the right, it's Jason, Brynn, and the Banfield's furry sidekick, Elliott: 

 In his free time, besides spending time with his family, Jason enjoys playing golf and video games. But he is also passionate about sports. When asked which individuals he'd like to meet the most over dinner, he said: Steve Yzerman, Barry Sanders, Grant Hill, and Ken Griffey Jr. They are four athletes he looked up to when he was younger. 

And while we're on the subject, here's a great picture Jason shared from a Red Wings game he went to. "I am a big fan of Detroit Sports and love going," he admits. 

When we asked Jason where his favorite place in the world is, he said he had not found it yet. However, he spoke very highly of Las Vegas and said it is one of his favorite vacation spots. "My wife and I have been a handful of times and always have a good time."  

It sure sounds like it, since he told us that he once went to a casino with $10 and left with $500! Plus, just look at the following picture - astonishing! 

Some more from our fun Q&A with Jason:   

What’s the coolest thing you’re working on right now? Trying to teach myself how to code, python. 

What’s the most helpful way for you to get feedback? Show me what I did wrong, help me understand, and work with me/teach me what is right. I can help the next person that way. 

What’s your favorite movie? Avengers Endgame. 

Who inspires you? It changes from time to time. Currently Elon Musk. His passion to keep humanity going is something I really admire. Especially since being a billionaire he could sit around and do nothing. 

If you could visit anywhere in the world, you’ve never been, where would you go? The UK.  

Welcome to the team, Jason! We are so glad to have you join us!   

Antonio Ballesteros: Engineering Intern 

Antonio joins us from Snoqualmie, Washington, US, where he lives with his parents and brother. However, he will soon be moving out to Seattle for the university school year. 
 
On the left, we have Antonio with Dubs the Second, the mascot for the University of Washington, and on the right he's at Gasworks Park in Seattle. 
 

Outside of work, he enjoys watching TV shows and movies. His favorite movie is Tenet. "I am a big fan of all of Nolan's films,” he told us, “but this recent one was very well done, and I liked the premise a lot. Not only are the visuals amazing, but the soundtrack is also stellar." 

He is also passionate about languages and technology as well as exploring different life philosophies and cultures. Spain is one of his favorite places -- a love that runs through his veins because his parent's hometown is Alcalá de Guadaíra near Seville. 

He even shared with us some great pictures of his trips to Spain. The first is at the Spain Square (Plaza de España) in Seville, the next is at The Alhambra in Granada. Just stunning! 

Some more from our fun Q&A with Jason:   

What was the best concert you ever attended? A C. Tangana concert in the Starlight stadium in Marbella, Spain. I got to sit in a box area with some family members, and it was also my 18th birthday. 

What’s your secret talent that no one knows about? I can speak some conversational Japanese (Not too much though, I am still learning). 

If you could be any animal, which would you be? I would be a dolphin because they are smart and decently close to human intelligence. 

What's the most helpful way for you to get feedback? Just being told where I can improve and if there are certain tips for how to improve, those are helpful too. 

What's the craziest thing you've ever done? One thing that comes to mind is that I recently got duct taped to a wall by my friends which was something I crazily volunteered to do, and it ended up being very fun. 

Welcome to the team Antonio! We are have to have you join us!

Jose Castelan: Support and Managed Services Team Lead 

Jose joins us from Texas City where he lives with his wife, two kids, and 5-pound yorkie. He likes to watch movies, eat at Texas Roadhouse, and play with his kids.

His love for traveling is no secret after seeing these pictures of him and his wife at the Roman Coliseum and by the Eiffel Tower! 

And his adventurous spirit doesn’t end there. He told us that his favorite place in the world would be either Cabo or the Dominican Republic. We get you; life is sweeter wherever you can enjoy a pineapple dessert by the beach or explore nature. 

We asked him about his work style and how he prefers to get feedback. He answered he likes it directly via a constructive conversation. Just make sure you don't run late into any meeting with him, since understandingly, that is one of his pet peeves. 

Some more from our fun Q&A with Jose:   

What are you passionate about? Spending money on my collection of power tools that I rarely use. 

If you could visit anywhere in the world, you’ve never been, where would you go? Dubai.

What’s the coolest thing you're working on right now? Custom building a house. 

What’s the best meal you've ever had? Lasagna in Venice. 

What are you currently watching on Netflix? Rewatching Narcos. 

Welcome to the team, Jose! We are so happy to have you with us!