UpSpring Baby isn’t just another baby product company. We are a small but mighty team of fascinating individuals who bring our best to work each day. Behind each employee here is a story, a family and a history that makes each of us unique and valuable to the team. In this, our first “Our Team” blog post, we want to introduce you to Matthew Pope, our Chief Operations Officer.

Matt grew up just outside of Raleigh, North Carolina and went to North Carolina State University where he earned both a Bachelors and a Masters degree in Materials Engineering. He spent most of his career to date working with manufacturing processes, which is what led him to Austin in 1999 for a 9 year stint in the tech field. In 2008, Matt started working with UpSpring Baby.

I sat down with Matt and asked him some burning questions that I was certain the public needed to know about him:

Q: UpSpring Baby makes innovative products for parents and babies. As a father, how do you think your experience and perspective contributes to the success of the company?

A:  I think my perspective as a father helps me visualize which products parents will actually want. My perspective as an engineer helps me figure out if we can make them and if we can do it at a price where parents will still want to buy them. We have some pretty wild ideas come across the table sometimes and it helps having a varied background to sort out the ones that look viable vs. the ones that don’t.

Q:   What are you most proud of about the work you’ve done so far at UpSpring Baby?

A:  That I’ve been able to jump into a totally different industry than where I was working before, apply some of the same principles that I used in that job, and produce measureable benefits for the company by doing so.

Q:   What has been your greatest challenge since you’ve started at upSpring Baby–something that really forced you to push your own limits?

A:  Having to become a technical expert in a totally new field. Wow….I never thought I would learn so much about breast milk, urine, and poop! It’s been exciting to learn about these new things but my friends still ask the question of ‘You do WHAT at work???’.

Q:  Your oldest son is 3 1/3 and you recently added a new addition to your family. How’s it going?

A:  It’s going great. We’ve been so proud of our oldest son for how he has accepted his new little brother and how well he has adapted to having him at home. With the little guy, we’re dealing with lots of reflux and some difficulty sleeping, but he’s doing well and growing so fast!

Q:  What has been the most rewarding thing about becoming a father for you?

A:  Watching my kids grow up and the unique aspects of their personalities. A day never goes by where I am not totally amazed by something new that my older son does or says. He is the best problem solving 3 year old that I’ve ever seen and has a solution for everything! He’s at the same time one of the most caring kids that I’ve ever known. Seeing such a balance in personality is definitely rewarding and shows that our hard work has been worth every minute of it.

Q:  What advice would you give to men who are about to become a father for the first time?

A:  It’s going to be hard…..probably the hardest thing that you’ve ever done by far…..but it’s worth every minute of it. You will get frustrated at times, believe me, but it all goes away when you come in from work and your child comes running to you with open arms the minute you’re in the door.

Q:  What is your favorite book to read to your sons?

A:  My favorite book would probably be ‘The Bear Snores On’ by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman. It’s a great children’s book with a fun rhythm when you read it. However, this book doesn’t make it into the reading scenario much anymore. My son’s favorite books seem to be Curious George series at the moment. We bought the Curious George library last Christmas and I think that I’ve read the entire thing at least a thousand times by now. That George sure is a curious monkey, but he has good intentions.

Q: Do you have any recommendations for books, websites or other resources that have been particularly helpful for you and your wife in your journey through parenthood?

A:  I tried to read a couple of books about parenting before our first son was born but found that they were a little too sappy for me. I have found a ton of great articles at www.babycenter.com that have been pertinent over the years. They are very factual and informative and geared towards the topics you need as your little ones grow.

Q:  What is your favorite children’s charity and why?

A:  Picking a specific childrens charity is a difficult thing to do. I think that one of the best missions that I’ve seen from a charity organization is from Madisons Foundation. Their mission is to improve the quality and availability of information for parents of children with rare or life-threatening diseases, and also to help them create a support network by putting them in touch with other families who are either going through, or have gone through the exact same situations.

Q:  What is your own father’s best quality?

A:  That he will always stop anything he is doing to help someone else.