Everyday Tips & Healthy Living News from SparkPeople Experts & Bloggers

Meet the Man Who Keeps SparkPeople Up and Running

By: , DailySpark Blogger
8/23/2010 11:02 AM   :  172 comments   :  17,038 Views

Editor's Note: By popular demand, our Behind the Scenes at SparkPeople feature has returned.

Name: Josh Knepfle

Position at SparkPeople: Chief Technology Officer

Age: 34

Family: My wife, Julie, and I have 4 kids: Joellen (7), Jacob (5), Janie (2) and Jonathan (7 months, above)

How long have you worked for SparkPeople? I started working at SparkPeople in October 2001, but I had worked with Chris previously at eBay and Up4Sale.

Tell us your proudest accomplishment at SparkPeople or a fun fact about your job: I’m most proud of the efficiency of our team in keeping the busiest diet and fitness site running well 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

How do you stay in shape? I like to take advantage of our small gym here at the office. I’m here before 7 a.m. most mornings, working out on our elliptical machine and recumbent bike before I start work. I also try to incorporate my kids into my workouts (taking them to the park for hikes, wrestling with them, having them sit on my back while I do pushups, etc).

What's your favorite food? I really love crab legs, and the raspberries, blackberries, and tomatoes from our garden taste so good right now, too.

What's your favorite indulgence? I have trouble turning down any chocolate, especially when it comes in a baked good. My mom’s brownies come to mind. But, I also love a really good fruit pie or cobbler, especially blueberry.

How do you feel when you exercise? I find that on the days I have to skip my morning workout I’m sluggish and my brain sometimes gets a little foggy. When I do exercise, I feel like I’m happier and more productive.

What do you do to de-stress? I love to spend time with my wife and kids. We cherish and enjoy taking vacations together, and when I return home, I always feel energized and ready to build new stuff and solve more problems. Our favorite place to go is Disney World!

What is your passion in life? My family is my #1 priority. Chris’ goal when starting SparkPeople was to change the world in a positive way. I can’t think of a better way to make the world a better place than to send four productive, compassionate, happy and healthy kids into it, so my relationship with them and my wife Julie is most important to me.

How has working at SparkPeople affected your life? I’ve really matured personally and professionally since coming to SparkPeople. When I started, I was just a few years out of college and had been working for the internet giant, eBay, where my contributions were a very small part of the company with thousands of employees. Since then, our site has grown to be the busiest diet and fitness site on the internet, and it’s ultimately my responsibility to make sure it’s up and running all day every day. I’ve also learned a ton about fitness and nutrition that has helped me know the right decisions to make for a healthier life.

Have you gained or lost weight since starting here? Like many of our members I’ve always struggled with my weight. I weigh about 30 pounds less than I did when I started here. My weight has fluctuated a lot, but I attribute a lot of the successes I’ve had to all the things I’ve learned by working here--consistency, nutrition, etc.

Have you started any new habits? Yes! I eat a lot more fruit and vegetables than I did before I started working at SparkPeople, and I’ve never exercised as consistently as I do now. I had never run an entire mile at once in my life before I started working at SparkPeople, and I’ve run as much as 2 miles at a time on the treadmill since I came here.

What's your favorite breakfast cereal? Hmmm….when I was a kid we ate breakfast cereal almost every day, so I got a little burned out on it, so this is a tough one for me. I’d have to say either Kashi Crunch or steel cut oatmeal. I really like to make breakfast sandwiches with an egg and some cheese on a whole wheat English muffin.

What did you eat for dinner last night? We had a grill out after swimming all day with my in-laws: cheeseburgers with fresh lettuce and tomatoes, fruit salad, pickles, olives, cottage cheese, and homemade coconut bars for dessert!

Do you have any hidden talents? I like to think I’m a pretty good cook. I love to grill, and I make dinner for our family probably 4 nights a week. When I have some time to myself, you can usually find me trying out new recipes in the kitchen.

What are some of your goals? I’d like to continue to get healthier and lose more weight so I can make sure I’m around a long time for my family.

What's your favorite SparkPeople feature? I have a special place in my heart for the food tracker since I built it. I’ve also been loving the SparkPeople Android App lately.

Do you like this feature? What other questions should we ask our employees? Whom should we feature?


Click here to to redeem your SparkPoints
  You will earn 3 SparkPoints
 

NEXT ENTRY >   Don't Be a Dry Sponge

Comments

  • MSMONS
    172
    Josh,
    Thanks for all you do! - 10/14/2010   2:38:24 PM
  • 171
    Great interview! I think you do a wonderful job and I say thank you! - 9/6/2010   8:55:12 AM
  • 170
    I'm a retired IT guy so can really appreciate the hidden but invaluable effort you provide. You also seem to have your goals in the right place -- family #1, health and fitness #2, and doing your absolute best at work.

    Kudos for a wonderful job. SparkPeople and the sister sites are impressive, smooth running, well laid-out, and alway-on pages. My personal thanks to you, your staff, and warmest wishes to your family. Glad you were a "Guest Blog".

    Regards,
    John
    P.S.: Keep me in mind if you need an experienced beta-tester! ;-) - 9/4/2010   3:32:20 AM
  • 169
    Hi Josh:

    I read this article & posted a comment on 8/24/2010. Up until that point, I wasn't using the food tracker - except for perhaps posting a breakfast every so often.

    After reading this article, I set a goal of tracking 2x a week for 3 weeks, then 3x a week for 3 weeks, but......I'm happy to say that I've been tracking every day since 8/24/2010.

    After tracking my food for two days, I realized that this is something I need to do every single day. My husband started using the nutrition tracker along with me. I like being able to put foods that I have frequently in "my favorites" - it makes using the tracker much easier. And, if I eat something that I can't find listed, I can add that food, add all of the nutrition information and then save it to my favorites. It's nice having the option to share that information with others, too.

    It's easy to see why the nutrition tracker is a major component of Spark People.
    Thank you again Josh, for everything that you do!

    Wishing you and your family much happiness,

    Denise

    - 9/1/2010   12:21:11 PM
  • 168
    What a great article!!! I feel honored to get to know the man behind the scene and want to thank him for the wonderful work he does on SP.
    Thanks, Josh, love that family lots as the kids grow up sooooooo fast! - 8/31/2010   2:55:39 PM
  • 167
    thank you so much - 8/30/2010   12:37:21 AM
  • BUD_44
    166
    I can't thank you enough Josh for all of the hard work you have done and are doing for Sparkpeople.com. Sparkpeople.com has changed my life in a very positive way. It's the best thing that ever happened to me. May all your paths be bright ones. - 8/28/2010   8:33:02 PM
  • 165
    You built the food tracker?!? You're my HERO!!!! - 8/28/2010   12:27:30 PM
  • 164
    Your efforts to keep Sparks running are appreciated. I also dig how your entire family has first names beginning with the same letter. Each person in my household has a January birthday. Wasn't done on purpose, which makes it even more cool to me! Cheers! - 8/28/2010   2:07:56 AM
  • 163
    Thank you Josh for all you do. Keep up the awesome job! - 8/27/2010   7:29:19 PM
  • 162
    Thanks so much for all the kind words, everyone!!! - 8/27/2010   3:30:41 PM
  • 161
    Great article, good to meet a face behind the keyboard. The food tracker works great - as with anything new it took awhile to get used to it but it really works slick. I just happened to read an article about SparkPeople in April - I joined and immediately cancelled a paid site. I have been successful and very happy with SP - 8/26/2010   11:32:05 PM
  • 160
    Thank You for keeping this site up and going! It is taking me a few bumpy roads to get started but will succeed! I have also noticed that on blogs of success those people track their food to this day. It is great to beable to see how others do it to succeed. Thanks again for this site! - 8/26/2010   9:50:23 AM
  • ESURVIVOR
    159
    Thanks Josh. The food tracker is invaluable! - 8/26/2010   12:55:39 AM
  • 158
    Yo Josh! Thx for all your hard work! Written from my Droid - thx! - 8/25/2010   10:59:23 PM
  • 157
    Can you please make the food tracker print out a page a day instead of a week at a time? Other than that I love it!!! Thank you so much. - 8/25/2010   9:05:13 PM
  • 156
    @POPEYETHETURTLE - Thanks so much for the "Hawaii Time" tip! Tuesdays have been frustrating for me, because I often can't "steal" personal computer time until after work (late shift). :-) - 8/25/2010   8:38:55 PM
  • AMHIGHLYFAVORED
    155
    WOW - 8/25/2010   8:32:28 PM
  • 154
    Thank you so much for keeping everything up and running and for the food tracker! I know you've heard this before, but I had tried all sorts of things, and this website gets it done! And most of the diet sites cost money, which is something most of us don't have right now, so SparkPeople being free is the best gift you could give the world! Thank you, Thank you, THANK YOU!!!!! - 8/25/2010   7:20:33 PM
  • BECKYLYNNE77
    153
    i like this it was interesting - 8/25/2010   5:07:50 PM
  • 152
    Love "Behind the Scenes at SparkPeople" and reading about my "friends". All of you have had such a positive influence on my life. Thank you!!! - 8/25/2010   2:42:15 PM
  • 151
    In defense of Josh (not that he really needs it), the reality of running the largest health and fitness site on the Internet is that with the volume of hits per day, systems require maintenance. While it's 3-4 AM East Coast time, it's 11-12PM on the West Coast.

    With World-wide membership, an hour or so here and there is not really a problem.

    A hint for those on the West Coast, try setting your clock to Hawaii time. It might give you some time after maintenance to get back on and continue to get current day points. - 8/25/2010   1:28:58 PM
  • 150
    Thank you! - 8/25/2010   11:04:14 AM
  • 149
    So YOU'RE the guy that created the food tracker, are you?

    Well, all I want to do is hug you, Sir. It's made a huge difference in my progress and without it I don't think would as successful as I have been.

    Thank-you from the bottom of my heart. - 8/25/2010   10:01:06 AM
  • 148
    You're the one who built the Food Tracker? Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I love that thing. It makes me feel like I have an assistant helping me watch what I eat. - 8/25/2010   8:54:44 AM
  • 147
    I spoke too soon. It is 11PM on Tuesday Night on the West Coast. I was still entering my just-finished dinner, but it now again appears I cannot enter more data until tomorrow, because I get the usual message:

    "We're currently undergoing system maintenance which could cause periodic errors. We thank you for your patience while we continue to strive to make our site even better!"

    *sigh* *being patient* - 8/25/2010   2:08:26 AM
  • 146
    Thank you! We really do appreciate the great work! This site is so helpful to so many people!

    However, one little thing: "running well 24 hours a day, 7 days a week" = NOT QUITE.

    Little gripe: most Tuesday nights for the past several months I have found that the site has been going down for "planned maintenance", and some of us (West Coast) who work late cannot enter any Dinner tracking data or try for daily Sparkpoints again until after midnight on Wednesday (a new day for Sparkpoints, Tuesday's opportunities are lost.)

    I'm hoping this is just a phase! The site seems still up tonight, thankfully!
    - 8/25/2010   1:40:20 AM
  • 145
    Thanks a million!! I LOVE Spark People - and the site is easy to use and full of helpful stuff! - 8/24/2010   10:36:24 PM
  • 144
    Thank you so much for keeping this site up and running and improving our lives! It's a big job and you and your team are much appreciated!! :-D - 8/24/2010   10:14:13 PM
  • 143
    I am loving sparkpeople! Thanks so much for all that you do for me!!! - 8/24/2010   9:43:53 PM
  • 142
    How cool to finally meet you! And I have to say I love the food tracker - I live and die by whether I have tracked my food yet, haha! Thanks for all you do! Angelika - 8/24/2010   9:26:18 PM
  • 141
    You sure do a great job keeping everything running smoothly. That has to be hard with a site this big and active! I LOVE the food tracker. So awesome that you made it :-) Thanks for sharing some of you and your family with us. - 8/24/2010   9:02:41 PM
  • BRUTALPOODLE
    140
    Awesome to get to know more about the people who work for spark.

    The food tracker on this site is by far the best I have EVER seen on ANY website!! Thanks for all your hard work!!!! - 8/24/2010   8:58:41 PM
  • 139
    Thanks for all you do ... keep up the great work. - 8/24/2010   8:53:43 PM
  • 138
    It's great to read of how Spark has influenced some of the 'back of house' people to live healthier lives. (No disrespect to people like Coach Nicole intended).

    And Josh - the food tracker is awesome! - 8/24/2010   8:13:07 PM
  • SGL1966
    137
    Hey Josh, NICE JOB !!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for sharing your story with us too! - 8/24/2010   8:04:18 PM
  • 136
    Another reason to love Spark People! - 8/24/2010   7:03:25 PM
  • LITTLEGIRLSMOM1
    135
    Thank you Josh... I continue to learn more and more as I navagate around the SparkPeople site... - 8/24/2010   6:52:39 PM
  • DONALD_SIMSJR
    134
    Keep up the good work Josh. - 8/24/2010   6:04:58 PM
  • 133
    This is a great site. Thanks for everything you do. - 8/24/2010   6:02:48 PM
  • LIVINGONMYTERMS
    132
    Thanks for sharing Josh! Your work is greatly appreciated, and thanks for bring back this feature :=)) - 8/24/2010   5:34:44 PM
  • 131
    Josh, we think of you as many people doing one job, but you are one person doing many many jobs. Your family and you are lovely. Bless you for keeping all of us out here on and therefore healthier - 8/24/2010   5:27:46 PM
  • 130
    This website is very helpful! Thank you. Sincerely. - 8/24/2010   5:17:42 PM
  • KAITLYNSNAMMY
    129
    Bravo and many thanks to you and your team for keeping Spark on top. You are a fine young man with the right priorities....family, family, family. I wish you and your wife and four children a blessed life.
    Susie in CT - 8/24/2010   4:31:58 PM
  • HONEYBUNCH24
    128
    A BIG "THANK YOU" GOES OUT TO YOU, FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO TO KEEP US UP AND RUNNING 24/7 - 8/24/2010   3:53:31 PM
  • 127
    Hi Josh,
    Thanks for doing such a great job running this site. I thank God for people like you and Chris, may He bless you now and always. I loved reading about you and your family. Thanks again!
    Blessings,
    Mary - 8/24/2010   3:41:00 PM
  • LUCI2010
    126
    Thanks for introducing yourself to the community, for keeping us all 'up & running' -- & for being the 1st other person I ever heard of who'd burnt out on cereal! - 8/24/2010   3:34:20 PM
  • 125
    Dear Josh:

    I think it's awesome to see the stories of "people behind the scenes" @ SparkPeople.
    Thank YOU and your team workers very much for all that you do in keeping SP up & running 24/7, 7 days/week.

    I definitely need to use the food tracker on a daily basis, everyday -- and not stop at night just because I've gone way over my "calories in/calories out" budget -- those are things that I NEED to face in order to move on from here.
    Perhaps if I start a mini-streak (or goal) of writing everything in my food tracker for 2 days over 4 weeks, that might work up to 3 or 4 days, etc.....
    Being accountable is important!

    Wishing you and your beautiful family much peace, happiness & good health, always!

    Denise

    - 8/24/2010   2:58:20 PM
  • 124
    Josh, Thank you for making such a positive impact in the lives of people who were once unhealthy and who now know that optimal health is not only a possibility, but a reality. You deserve praise for building Nutrition Tracker, using it has transformed the way I nourish my body. My body thanks you, I will be taking care of it for the rest of my life, because now I know how! - 8/24/2010   2:45:10 PM
  • 123
    yes I like this feature...Josh is doing an amazing job - I liked the way he accepted the challenge of keeping the site up 24/7 and still has time to exercise- Woo Hoo!
    I'd like to ask him why the exercise emails look so strange- I unsubscribed because they were so hard to read- the top part was waaay over to the right and the bottom half waaay over to the left....is this some way to envourage finger exercise?
    Thanks!!! - 8/24/2010   2:38:34 PM

Please Log In To Leave A Comment:    Log in now ›


Join SparkPeople.com
Sign up for a FREE SparkPeople account