Hello!
Here's a little more about me.

I'm Senior Director of Innovation at Life Time in Minneapolis, where I lead the Life Time Labs team. I'm focused on the fitness club of the future, assessing technologies and trends that can be implemented in the next 2-3 years. We quickly build proof-of-concepts to pilot in our clubs, measure the impact on operations and the member experience, and evaluate the results to apply across Life Time’s 180+ locations.

I grew up in Iowa and graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in Management Information Systems. My goal after graduation was to find a job that would take me far from the Midwest, leading me to California and my first job at Intel as a software developer. In the intervening years I've done some consulting, moved back to the Midwest, earned an MBA, and led teams at Dow Jones, Thomson Reuters and Bloom Health.

I've been married to a wonderful woman for over 20 years. We have two beautiful kids and a delightful goldendoodle. I don't know how I got so lucky.

In 2010 my brother suggested we try triathlon and I was immediately hooked. Things escalated quickly and in 2013 I completed my first Half Ironman and first marathon. In 2017 I completed my first full Ironman. Lately I've been focused on endurance gravel and MTB events. I've found that Training has given me year-round focus and an inspiring community.

Contact

hello [at] brianshoemaker [dot] com
You can also find me on LinkedIn.

Professional History

Feb 2016 - Present
Senior Director of Innovation and Digital Experience
I currently lead the Life Time Labs team and own the strategy for our mobile apps. We provide a safe space to experiment with innovative technologies and ideas, and help our members unlock the value of their membership. Learning something new every day.
Jan 2014 - Feb 2016
Director of Software Engineering
Led the Bloom Health Engineering team to deliver “Bloom 2.0”, greatly expanding Bloom’s product shelf and supporting 50% year-over-year membership growth. Learned how to get “scrappy” and nurture a collaborative team in a fast-paced environment.
Jun 2011 - Dec 2013
Development Manager
Several leadership roles with development teams at Thomson Reuters building web applications and APIs, including thomsonreuters.com, corporate web products, and authentication platform. Learned how to improve and elevate a very geographically dispersed team.
Aug 2007 - Jun 2011
Development Manager
Led development of Dow Jones news and financial services products with an emphasis on content delivery and integration over the web. Embraced the importance of data vizualization and learned how to lead a team.
2004 - 2007
University of Minnesota, MBA
Business degree from UMN's Carlson School of Management. Specialized in technology. Gained a new global perspective via study-abroad in Shanghai, China.
Oct 2003 - Jul 2007
Software Development Consultant
Contract software development for Born, later acquired by Fujitsu Consulting. Joined clients' existing software development group to lead new projects, assist with existing development projects, or review current projects for best practices. Learned to wear many hats.
Jun 2000 - Oct 2003
Software Engineer
Developed internal applications to support Intel's corporate goal of becoming a "100% e-business corporation". Learned how to work as part of a team.
1996 - 2000
Iowa State University, MIS
BS in Management Information Systems from Iowa State University.

Recent Races

I race triathlon, MTB and gravel throughout the year. Check-out full race results on Athlinks.
Scroll
Name Date Location Age Gender Overall Time
Big Sugar 10/21/2023 Bentonville, AR 32 / 172 110 / 569 111 / 645 6:53:17
Chequamegon 40 (with Jack) 09/16/2023 Hayward, WI 227 / 324 896 / 1323 970 / 1464 4:05:32
Big Sugar 10/22/2022 Bentonville, AR 26 / 142 153 / 547 196 / 660 7:10:06
Chequamegon 40 09/17/2023 Hayward, WI 55 / 277 177 / 1166 181 / 1272 2:51:04
Lutsen 99er 06/25/2022 Lutsen, MN 51 / 139 190 / 497 204 / 553 6:49:58
Unbound 100 06/04/2022 Emporia, KS 35 / 236 132 / 851 157 / 1084 6:26:12
Filthy 50 10/09/2021 Lanesboro, MN -- 11 / 415 11 / 554 2:39:50
Chequamegon 40 09/18/2021 Hayward, WI 34 / 282 194 / 1103 198 / 1200 2:50:32

Recently Read

Looking for more? Here's what I've been reading lately.

Bluesky Moderation – Nuclear Block & Mute Lists for Beginners – INCREDIBLY BORING STORIES boringstorybook.com

The Three Pillars of the Bro-Economy theatlantic.com

Peak Thanksgiving Food flowingdata.com

A kakistocracy is “government by the worst people” or, more literally, “government...... kottke.org

Is This The Next Step For Gravel Bikes? youtube.com

Why Are We Here? hbr.org

The 37signals Guide to Internal Communication 37signals.com

Bluesky Is Turning Into a Strong X Alternative nytimes.com

‘The Blurred Line Between X and the Trump Administration’ msnbc.com

The World-Changing Impact of Vaccines kottke.org

Here’s How We Know RFK Jr. Is Wrong About Vaccines theatlantic.com

‘Here’s Why I Decided to Buy “InfoWars”’ theonion.com

I’m a journalist and I’m changing the way I read news. This... kottke.org

Jon Batiste Hears Green Day for the First Time kottke.org

★ How It Went daringfireball.net

What It Takes to Become a Great Product Manager hbr.org