Gabriel Henton is a Portland-based husband, father and tech strategist who leads Unclouded Visionary, an impactful IT consultancy. Gabriel helps companies save time by upgrading and streamlining their technology. Says Gabriel, it’s the people behind businesses that motivate him daily:
“Relationships are what it’s all about — it’s about knowing the people and then finding out how you can help.”
Gabriel discovered a new way to meet people this fall when he saw a friend endorse Shapr on LinkedIn. Curious, he downloaded the app and started swiping with nearby professionals.
One of his first matches was DaGmara Hasse, an art designer and graphic designer who wanted to meet for coffee. The two professionals immediately found common ground as Polish immigrants living in Portland. While the intent of the coffee was just a great conversation, the conversation quickly turned into a collaboration:
“I had it in the back of my mind that I wanted to redo my company’s logo but wasn’t looking for a designer. However, I had such a great conversation with DaGmara that I wanted to find a way to work with her. She listened to my goals and handsketched a few versions of the logo until we found the right look. I was just expecting coffee and ended up with a new business card.”
Gabriel is incredibly pleased and adds that he hopes the collaboration will continue with DaGmara, who he says has “a great personality and is very talented.”
When asked about other connections made through Shapr, Gabriel cites Renaldo, a Chicago project manager. Renaldo is working on a project with Nike and doesn’t have a existing network in Portland, so he started using the app to find friends during his business trips. Gabriel says the two hit it off and have been talking regularly since their first meetup:
“Shapr is about developing a lasting friendship. I don’t know how you’ve done it, but it’s almost as if everyone on this app has been conditioned to meet people the right way. On Twitter and LinkedIn people who reach out are usually trying to sell you things. On Shapr, everyone I met has interesting goals and wants to get to know you as a person, not just a business.”
Asked about his 2017 resolutions, Gabriel says building quality relationships within his industry is the number one priority, and that Shapr is helping him get started. Want to expand your professional network in 2017? Download Shapr and start meeting nearby professionals with common interests.
