CJ Fabiano

How did you get started with Salesforce?

I spent the first 8 years of my career in full stack Microsoft .NET with my first foray into customer engagement in 2006 on Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0. In 2014, as my enterprise clients seemingly shifted more towards Salesforce, I made a natural transition into Salesforce as a developer & tech arch building a custom Brand Investment Budgeting solution for a wine & spirits manufacturer on the Force.com platform complete with hierarchical budget transfers and a SAP integration. It was all Salesforce from then on.

What’s your favorite thing about building solutions with Salesforce?

I primarily enjoy building custom solutions on the platform that sit tertiary to your typical Sales, Service and Marketing solutions. In just a few clicks I can conceptualize my ideas complete with data, UI and API layers, and quickly collaborate with others to show the art of the possible. Bake on top of that the many guardrails we have to plan for and design around (e.g. governor limits, de-normalized data equaling better UI/UX, etc.) to bring an idea to production -- it makes for an exciting yet challenging platform to work with everyday.

What energizes you at work?

For me, I don't think there's a better feeling than digging into a customer's business & objectives, helping them solve their challenges & strategic initiatives, and then seeing their faces when it all comes together. I simply get a kick out of solving problems!

Name a work achievement you are proud of.

I've earned ~20 professional certifications across Microsoft, Salesforce, MuleSoft, etc. essentially averaging one per year of my career. As with all things in life, that progress ebbed and flowed over-time but I'm definitely ready for a great 2025 and beyond with Rosetree!

Who or what inspires you?

Good question! Do fictional characters count? When I'm feeling at my worst, I tend to watch Lord of the Rings movies and it helps me recuperate fairly quickly. Unsure if I just love fantasy/sci-fi, or if the Fellowship's struggles and perseverance mirror that of my own and remind me I'm not alone. Shout-outs to my wife, family, and friends who also inspire me (but not like Gandalf and Frodo.)

What’s one thing you recently learned or are learning now?

I've been learning Cardano blockchain & smart contract development for close to 2 years. The UTXO accounting model that Bitcoin and Cardano share is a very beautiful thing. More recently, I'm learning Unity Engine with .NET to try some indie game development. As for Salesforce, Agentforce and Data Cloud certifications are my next order of business.

What three words would your friends use to describe you?

goofy, charming, generous

What's something you love about where you live?

Are you kidding... in Chicago...?! FOOD and summer patios!

What could we find you doing outside of work?

I enjoy billiards, golf, volleyball, events with friends, movies and video games. Wait no... my favorite thing to do is completing my wife's honey-do lists 100%.

What trend do you hope makes a comeback?

JNCO jeans, chain wallets and rollerblades

What’s your go-to karaoke song?

Simple Man by Lynyrd Skynyrd