How the Technology Department Serves You
Real estate may be a people business, but there’s a lot of technology behind it.
The Texas REALTORS® Technology Department serves you by maintaining and improving the systems that you and the association rely upon.
You interact with the Technology Department’s work almost any time you interact with Texas REALTORS®—the team manages the association’s voice and data systems. That also includes association systems such as MarketViewer.
Junior Data Analyst Becky Weirich compiles data for internal and external use and has created or helped maintain parts of the MarketViewer dashboard. Neil Paveling, Software Developer and Tech Integration Coordinator, oversees the development and upkeep of external applications for members.
The Technology Department helps the association by keeping its workstations and systems safe and operating. The department responds to tech-related issues and lends a hand when local associations need help, too.
Technical Support Specialist Brandon Hooper says he resolves technical issues, maintains system infrastructure, supports technology use, and helps association staff understand and utilize their tools effectively.
In addition to responding to emerging issues, team members are researching potential improvements and developing new systems and electronic resources in-house. Senior Software Developer Joshua Hobson develops code that empowers association staff to be more productive, streamline problem-solving, and simplify daily operations.
One major project the department has been working on is Tangilla, a management software for REALTOR® associations that has elements of membership, finances, and committees.
“My focus has always been ensuring communication, of any kind, flows properly and people have the right tools to do the job,” says Technology Director Pat Wimberly. “Reliability, redundancy, security, and efficiency of both communication and data drive the infrastructure side of the Technology Department. Conversely presentation, delivery, and use cases are driven by the software development side of the team.
“Together we all strive to optimize available resources to provide the best available mix of business tools enabling efficient business processes for the membership and staff of Texas REALTORS®.”
The Technology Department is proud of the fun, relaxed culture it has built in its downstairs offices. The vibes may be laid back, but the team members are focused and goal-oriented, Paveling says. “Most of the time, we’re having small talk and joking around while we work. It’s enjoyable,” he adds.
Every day is something different for the team. “Any given day, we could see an issue with a report that was created a decade ago, to someone not being able to access something, to member issues through HelpDesk, to troubleshooting tech or membership issues, to much larger projects,” says Joshua Hobson.
Weirich praised how well the team works together. “Everybody’s always available to help, to troubleshoot, to answer a question, or help get something where it needs to go,” she says. “Everybody’s very collaborative.”
Here’s some additional info you might not know about the members of the Technology Department:
Ian Barker, Software Engineer, is a published scientist in the field of chemical engineering.
Joshua Hobson, Senior Software Developer, says Loretta Lynn was his grandfather's second cousin, making Loretta his and Landon's third cousin. His grandfather was born and raised in Butcher Holler (Van Lear, Kentucky).
Landon Hobson, Technology Operations Manager, has spent a lot of time in Asia over the years and can understand a good amount of Mandarin Chinese in basic conversational settings.
Brandon Hooper, Technical Support Specialist, says he is immortal. “No one’s managed to prove me wrong yet,” he says.
Quinn Neal, Infrastructure & Technology Support Manager, helps organize and run a 16-table Tabletop Role-Playing Game (like Dungeons & Dragons) every Monday night.
Neil Paveling, Software Developer and Technology Integration Coordinator, says that as a stereotypical Canadian, he grew up playing hockey and is a diehard Toronto Maple Leafs fan. He also speaks French and loves to ice fish.
Becky Weirich, Junior Data Analyst, has been riding horses for most of her life. In high school she showed hunters and randomly competed in a 15-mile endurance race. In college she was in the Polo Club and now does jumping.
Pat Wimberly, Technology Director, loves to play guitar and is grateful for the time the pandemic gave him to dive more deeply into music theory. “During my leisure time, I spend far more waking hours outdoors, rather than indoors, with the goal of one day retiring on a lake or along a river or stream,” he says.
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