Nothing about Filene is seen as traditional including the way Mike Kiffel found his way to our front doors. Mike took his degree in Landscape Architecture from UW-Madison and turned it into a technology journey and is now our IT Director.
Finding the connection between landscape architecture and computer technology may not be the most obvious for most but for Mike, working for The DuPage County Forest Preserve in Illinois only reinforced his love for technology and process improvement. Creatively solving problems using data and technological tools was just as much a part of his landscape architecture world as it is now in his ability to solve any, and all, of Filene’s technology concerns.
In the landscape industry, Mike always gravitated towards data and the tech side of his work which eventually lead him to the credit union world when he joined the Sales Process team at CUNA Mutual Group just over four years ago. He dove head first into processes, project management and best practices to support B2B Sales and Marketing staff and their use of Salesforce. While attending numerous Salesforce events, he stumbled upon a few Fileners who inspired him with their passion and energy and he eventually made his way to the Filene team.
Mike now serves as our go-to support for any and all applications used by staff to help us do our job. It may sound boring to you but this is the fun stuff according to Mike. You got a problem? Mike will help solve it.
If you see Mike ordering coffee with his high school sweetheart, who is now his wife, congratulate him on moving away from just ordering hot chocolate at coffee shops. In addition to developing his coffee palate, Mike is either supporting local music, antiquing at flea markets or enjoying his time at home with his three kids and two dogs watching movies.