I recently sat down with your Community Manager Mike Davis and learned what makes this witty  Iowan tick, and why he loves Workiva and our customers so much. Read on to learn more about Mike.

Written by Mitz Banarjee

I’ve heard you’ve been called ‘The Face of Workiva'. Why is that?

It’s true, I’ve been known to respond to that affectionate nickname from time to time. I can explain:

If you were a customer with us back in 2012, you might remember when the login screen had pictures of Workiva employees. Well, yours truly was the very first person featured. I was up there for something like 3 or 4 weeks, so I developed a pretty strong fan base. In fact, many folks asked if I was actually a Customer Success Manager or if I was a paid actor. I’m here to dispel the rumor—Mike D really did (and still does) work at Workiva.



You’ve been at Workiva for some time now. What other roles have you had and what did you do prior to joining the company? 

Since becoming a Workiva employee back in 2011, I’ve worn many hats, but all of them have been within the Customer Success department. I started out working on the setup and services team before becoming a Customer Success Manager. I spent a little over a year doing that before moving again to assist on the customer support line (which is great, btw). After a few short years there, I was asked to join the community team, and it's been nothing but bliss ever since.

Given that I've hopped around in different roles, I've had the opportunity to get to know all aspects of Wdesk very well and I'm truly an expert in our app. Part of my current role includes making videos, some of which are found in the community. So if you want to give my voice a listen to, check these out: see what Wdesk Mobile can do for you, iXBRL made easy, and mastering your roll forward.

Before joining Workiva, I spent time as a site supervisor for at-risk youth in a non-profit, and later in the guest services department of a local hospital. I’ve always been in some sort of customer service, so it's safe to say I have a passion for helping others. 

You work in the Ames, Iowa office. Do you live in Ames and have you always been in Iowa?

I used to live in Ames until just a few years ago when my wife and I moved our growing family (we have 5 kids) outside of town to an acreage about 30 minutes away. Given all the little ones we have, we needed some extra space to stretch out. Since the move, we’ve added some animals, including 4 ducks, 12 chickens, 8 rabbits, 5 cats and 2 dogs. It goes without saying that there’s never a dull moment at our place.

And yes, I am a born-and-raised Iowan. In fact, I’ve been able to trace my ancestry (I’m a budding genealogist) and my family has called Iowa home since 1870. Even though I hate to perpetuate the stereotype, I’m about as Iowan as they come, though I don’t know how to drive a tractor.

What's your favorite thing about working at Workiva?

This is an easy one—the people and the culture. It’s a fantastic place to be yourself, there’s lots of room for personal and professional growth, and there's always plenty of fun to be had. But what impresses me most about the people and culture at Workiva is how we all have the same goal—to make our customers successful. I know it sounds cliché, but we truly do love you guys. 

Plus we have chocolate pudding available at lunch, like, every day. That's pretty great, too.

What sort of things do you like to do for fun?

I’m sure it seems like the opposite of fun to some, but I quite enjoy running. I’m a pretty avid runner, and I usually rack up 300 or more miles in a year. Though I’ve not done a full marathon as of yet, I have done two half-marathons, so that counts as a whole, right?

I also like to go camping with my wife and kids. We upgraded from a pop-up camper to an RV this year, which has been a welcome change. On our last trip, I taught our oldest two kids how to fish!

The Wdesk user conference, TEC, is coming up. Will we see you there and have you been before? If so, what do you like best about it?

I’m happy to say yes, I will be in attendance at TEC this year! I’m actually co-leading a roundtable discussion, so I hope to catch some of you there. This will be my fourth year attending, but my first TEC in Las Vegas, so I’m terribly excited. 

What I like best about TEC is putting a face with a name. I’ve spent many years talking to customers on the phone or in the community, so I enjoy meeting them in person. Plus, Vegas has some great food options and it’s a great place to people watch. But I am mostly looking forward to doing some dancing with my favorite customers. You know who you are!

Anything else we should know about you?

I am secretly a somewhat gifted singer. In college, I sang in two men’s a capella groups—Shy of a Dozen and All in Moderation—and we recorded two albums while I was in the group. Occasionally I break out my singing talents at weddings or in the office, when we have karaoke. My show-stopper? My Way by Frank Sinatra.