Our employee spotlight series introduces you to the people behind Cala’s technology. Each post will give you a closer look at the skills, ideas, and experiences driving the development of our intelligent heat pump water heater. By sharing the stories of our team, we want to show you how their work is shaping a better, smarter way to heat water and why we think you’ll be just as excited about Cala as we are.
We’re proud to feature Dan Budge, Mechanical Engineer at Cala. Get to know Dan:
Q: What inspired you to join Cala and how does the company's mission resonate with your personal values?
A: I generally have three motivating criteria for the companies I join:
- Will the company or product have a positive impact on the world?
- Is the work interesting?
- Does the company have a good chance of being successful?
My conversations with the team throughout the interview process convinced me that the answer to all three of these questions was yes. I was thoroughly impressed with the approach Cala is taking to the problem of energy consumption, the technology being implemented, the mindset of the team, and the quality of the business.
Q: Can you describe your role?
A: As a mechanical engineer I design and test the physical product and its components. I spend my time working to create optimal designs, generating 3D models, testing those designs in the lab, and collaborating with the manufacturing team.
Q: What’s your background or area of expertise? What did you study?
A: I have a B.S. in mechanical engineering, with a focus on product development. Prior to joining Cala I worked at Transaera, an adjacent startup developing a heat pump product. My bread and butter is design thinking, engineering calculation, CAD, prototyping, and design for manufacturing.
Q: What are you currently working on at Cala?
A: Until recently, I’ve been working on the heat pump, the evaporator condensate tray, and various other components. Now that we’re shipping that product, I’m shifting focus to various manufacturing improvements and developing Cala’s next big thing.
Q: What excites you most about Cala's future and the impact it can have on customers and the environment?
A: Cala’s technology just makes sense, and I’m looking forward to Cala water heaters reducing energy consumption and saving people money. We won’t solve the climate issue by proliferating Cala water heaters, but water heating is a significant portion of the world’s energy use and I’m happy to be doing our part to reduce that.
Q: What’s an interesting technical or design aspect of Cala’s product that you think more people should know about?
A: Our focus on quality and user feedback. We’ve involved customers and installers throughout the design process to ensure our product not only addresses the issues they experience with current products but delivers on their wishes for their next product. When we’re faced with a choice between saving a few pennies or improving the user’s experience, we choose the latter.
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