*Photo of the CLT Toolbox sign in the main lobby of Base Camp
“Base Camp,” our office on Java, Indonesia is officially open
They say, “if you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together”. This anecdote was shared by Ikshan Agustian, our CTO who along with Ari Yulianto were the original team members of CLT Toolbox who helped make the beginning stages of the CLT Toolbox vision into a reality.
Ikshan & Ari are skilled and humble leaders, who from the very beginning have had a can-do attitude which has enabled our multi-disciplinary, multi-cultural team to go all in on the idea that we can build software that changes the world.
*Ikshan helping teammates set up their machines on their first day
Equal opportunity is one of our core values. For Ikshan, Ari and the team having the opportunity to create an office, and a safe space where people can come in to learn and be connected to global economic opportunity was a dream that has been made true.
What are the skills the team are contributing to the mission?
We believe that when people are experts at what they do, it makes all the work that flows on from there easier. Build it once, use it many times is another one of our key values, and the work that the team in Indonesia do is a pure embodiment of this.
To successfully take extremely complex spreadsheets and turn them into software is no easy task, however Ikshan and Ari have spent the previous 10 years mastering the art of no spreadsheet or formula being too complex to be hosted in a web app on our calculators.
This experience is being used to generate the most advanced structural engineering calculators in the world for mass timber. Currently structural engineers are required to use excel to perform the structural design of their buildings. With software infrastructure, we can go far beyond the capabilities of excel with an elegant user interface for design ease, educational videos and text to fill the void of university education and powerful computation routines that empowers engineers to design sustainably.
We are also blessed by the inclusion of Estiana Prastiowati, the wife of Ikshan who has come to join us from experience managing HR and general operations for 1000’s of people in a garment manufacturer. Her skills in operations, financial management, HR & the energy she will bring is a blessing.
This was also an exciting day for us because we were able to share with Corey Jones, the wife of Adam Jones who has joined us recently to support us with administration & customer success after an exceptionally successful career as a professional athlete with the Australian Ballet.
*Full CLT Toolbox Indonesia team on opening day, Tuesday 15th August 2023. With Adam Jones, Corey Herbert & Ringo Thomas
* Sharing a moment to get to know each other on day one
How does the opening of this office help us towards our mission?
Our mission is to bring sustainable building materials into the mainstream, and we are building software that makes it easier to design with mass timber than concrete or steel. Without an incredible team to build this software and dedicate themselves to this mission, it would be impossible.
We believe that across the world when you look for good people who have talent and have applied that talent to extend themselves and their communities and operate from a position of trust, kindness, and curiosity then you can unlock the potential of true diversity, working across borders to achieve a common goal.
What it will mean for our users and partners is better software, more frequent releases, the ability to ask for things that you get and most importantly software that makes you successful in your job.
If you have made it this far, thank you for reading this blog post and for being a part of our journey.
