If you ask Joel Reyes what he does at Tideworks, don’t be surprised if his answer goes beyond his job title.
Joel is a Senior Project Manager, but his work stretches well beyond managing projects from kickoff through go-live and into ongoing support. He regularly helps with sales demonstrations, collaborates with product and QA teams, shares industry expertise with customers, and looks for ways to improve how projects are delivered. Whether that’s introducing new tools, standardizing processes, or helping a customer solve a problem, Joel is always looking for opportunities to make things simpler and more efficient.
That mindset was shaped early in his career.
After earning a degree in Computer Engineering, Joel landed a role as a Terminal Operating System (TOS) Administrator at the Port of Houston. One of his first mentors gave him advice that still influences how he works today: before supporting a TOS, learn how the terminal actually operates.
So, Joel spent weeks alongside operations teams learning gate processes, yard management, vessel planning, container allocation, and the day-to-day realities of running a terminal. The experience shifted his perspective. He wasn’t just supporting software; he was supporting the people who depended on that software to keep cargo moving.
Since then, Joel has spent more than 16 years working with terminal technologies, including seven years implementing TOS systems at facilities around the world. Along the way, he learned that while terminals may share common goals, no two operate exactly alike. Different equipment, business rules, cultures, and operating practices mean every implementation requires listening first and designing solutions that fit the customer’s environment.
That’s one reason Tideworks appealed to him.
Throughout his career, Joel saw terminals invest significant time and money customizing systems that weren’t flexible enough to adapt to their business. He believes strong software should provide a solid operational foundation while still allowing customers to tailor workflows to their needs without reinventing the wheel.
Today, one of the parts of his job he enjoys most is mentoring younger consultants. Joel credits many of his career opportunities to mentors who invested their time and knowledge in him, and he sees mentoring others as a way to return the favor. Helping someone grow professionally, he says, can be just as rewarding as a successful project delivery.
When he’s not working with customers, you’ll often find him on a mountain bike. He races competitively and often brings a bike with him on work trips whenever he can. It’s his favorite way to experience a place beyond the airport, hotel, and office.
The parallels to project work aren’t lost on him. Every trail is different. Plans change. Conditions change. Success depends on preparation, adaptability, and staying focused when things don’t go exactly as expected.
Fortunately, those are skills that serve both mountain bikers and project managers well.