At Rōnin Consulting, culture isn’t just a corporate buzzword—it’s real, authentic, and built on people who genuinely enjoy working together. From challenging projects to late-night World of Warcraft sessions with teammates, Rōnin is a place where both the work and the camaraderie make a difference.
To get an inside look at what it’s like to be part of this dynamic team, we sat down with Derek Adams, a Senior Software Engineer and Partner who’s been with Rōnin since its earliest days. In this conversation, Derek shares what drew him to Rōnin, what keeps him engaged after seven years, and why this company is different from the rest.
Meet Derek Adams
Julie: So, Derek, let’s start with the basics—what’s your name, your position, and how long have you been a Rōnin?
Derek: My name is Derek Adams. My role is Senior Software Engineer, but I also wear the hat of a Partner here at Rōnin. The journey has been interesting—I was technically the first person to sign a contract with Ryan and Byron, the original founders. At the time, they weren’t quite ready for full-time employees, so I started as an independent contractor. I worked with them under that setup for a while before officially becoming an employee. Depending on how you look at it, I’ve been here either seven or five years. Let’s call it seven, since I’ve been part of this ride since day one!
Why Rōnin Consulting?
Julie: What drew you to Rōnin in the first place?
Derek: It all comes back to the people. I can’t emphasize that enough. Ryan and Byron have been pivotal figures in my career since I graduated from college. I’ve followed Ryan from company to company, and both became more than just managers—they became mentors. They taught me how to grow as a developer, how to think critically and solve problems, and how to be a leader. They didn’t just focus on technical skills; they also prioritized my personal growth.
When they decided to start Rōnin, I knew I wanted to be part of it. It wasn’t just about the opportunity to work on exciting projects—it was the chance to be part of something meaningful with people I admired and respected. They were assembling an amazing team, and I knew I wanted to work with this group long-term. The mix of talent, camaraderie, and shared vision for what Rōnin could be was something I wanted to be a part of.
Projects That Keep Things Exciting
Julie: You’ve been here for a while. What keeps you excited about your work? Are there any standout projects?
Derek: The projects at Rōnin are what I like to call “satisfyingly challenging.” They make you think, stretch your skills, and really dig deep into problem-solving. One project that stands out is something we called “Profitability.” It was one of the most challenging projects I’ve ever worked on—and probably ever will.
The goal was to consolidate data from all these disparate systems. It was 20 to 30 lanes of information from sources as diverse as old-school DB2 databases to literal Microsoft Access files sitting on someone’s desktop. I even had to work with a blue-screen data-entry system that felt like stepping back into the 1990s. The challenge was to take all this chaos and create real-time profitability insights for the company’s leadership to make informed decisions.
It was grueling. A project like that would normally require a team of 8–10 people to complete within a reasonable timeframe. But for the most part, it was just me, with occasional help from Byron. It took a while and wasn’t flashy work, but it was just an absolute blast to work on. There’s nothing like seeing a complex system come together and knowing you’ve built something that directly impacts a client’s success.
Pushing Through Challenges
Julie: Every job has its challenging moments—times when the work isn’t the most exciting or when things get difficult. How do you and the team push through those challenges at Rōnin?
Derek: Every job has moments where you just have to push through and get things done. But what makes Rōnin different is that you’re never doing it alone. The people here make even the tough projects manageable. The team I work with now, the work we’re doing—it’s not always glamorous or flashy, but we push through together. And when we reach those big milestones, like when a project finally goes live, we celebrate it. Those moments make all the hard work worth it.
A Culture That’s More Than Corporate
Julie: What’s the Rōnin culture really like?
Derek: Anytime you hear talk about a company’s culture, we take it with a grain of salt because company culture is still corporate, right? Everybody’s still on their best behavior, you know, to a degree. But, working at Rōnin, I can say it’s the most “real” culture I’ve experienced. We play Dungeons and Dragons; we do these board game nights, we hang out after work. I play World of Warcraft with Chuck almost every night. Over the years, I’ve also teamed up and played games with Chris Bybee, Byron, Ryan, and several other leadership team members.
So when you say, “What’s the culture like at Rōnin?” you are not getting the empty word “culture.” You are getting real people who don’t just show up to mandated corporate team-building activities—you’re getting people who show up to activities because they genuinely enjoy doing them and spending time with other Rōnins. It creates a connection beyond work, and it’s refreshing to work in a place where the culture is more than just a forced get-together.
A Look Ahead
Julie: Rōnin has been doing some incredible things in AI and exploring new areas. How do you feel about the company’s direction?
Derek: I think it’s great. While I’m not directly involved in AI projects or new products, I love seeing us go in that direction. Like, having our Rōnins need a government clearance to do a project and then working on crazy airplane targeting systems—I mean, that is great stuff!
And now, with all of the AI projects we have in the pipeline and winning two back-to-back hackathons—it’s a telltale sign of a company going in the right direction. That, and we’re spreading across multiple sectors. It’s not that we are just doing healthcare migrations for healthcare data. No, We do everything—literally anything. Just look at all these examples coming out! It’s incredibly rewarding to see the company I’ve been part of since day one continue to evolve and grow in these new areas.
Final Thoughts
Julie: What’s your most rewarding experience at Rōnin?
Derek: There are so many moments; choosing just one is hard. But honestly, it’s the little things—the shared laughs during standups when I drop a “pun of the day” from my calendar (courtesy of my kids) or the fun of working through a challenging problem with a team that enjoys solving things together.
But if I had to pick just one, it would definitely be those big go-live moments. When a project finally reaches production, we all step back and say, “Yeah, we did that.” After months—or even years—of grinding, testing, and problem-solving, getting it done and celebrating as a team is just the best. And I can’t emphasize this enough—Rōnin’s culture isn’t just another corporate buzzword that makes you roll your eyes when you hear “great company culture.” It’s real. The people here are real. It makes all the difference.
