Josh Csapo, GIS Sales Engineer at Avolve, didn't set out to build a career in GIS. Like a lot of people in GIS, he found his way into the field by following the natural progression of his interests, talents, and civic-mindedness.
As an undergrad at University of Michigan-Flint, Josh was studying sustainable and renewable energy when a required remote sensing class cracked open a whole new world. “That first class really opened my eyes to the breadth of GIS and its applications,” he said. With a math background already in his corner, the crossover clicked immediately, and Josh kept adding GIS classes until it became the throughline of his career.
His interest in GIS has taken Josh along some interesting stops, like mapping city infrastructure for the Department of Public Works in Grand Blanc, Michigan; researching how neighborhood upkeep shapes community wellbeing at the University of Michigan's School of Public Health; and building software for an insurance company. But a common thread runs through all of these experiences. “The thing I love, and the thing that's kind of been a through line through all those positions, is that I really like helping other people solve their problems,” he said.
Josh was drawn to Avolve because of its laser focus on solving the challenges local communities face, and its belief that GIS integration is fundamental to modern plan review.
“What I really liked about Avolve is they’re tackling a very specific problem: the plan review lifecycle and the inefficiencies that come along with it,” he said. “Having a dedicated thesis statement about what they wanted GIS to accomplish as part of the product—that’s really what drew me to this opportunity.”
Josh’s experience working in local government showed him just how powerful GIS can be. “I saw the types of process and information challenges cities face, and what a powerful tool GIS can be in leveraging spatial data to help make better, more informed decisions.”
Josh described local governments as full of sharp people who are simply stretched thin. “Nine times out of ten, they really know what they’re about. They’re either under-resourced or they don’t have the right capacity,” he said. “I really like that Avolve is the type of company that can step in and say, here's how we can help you help yourselves.”
Still early in his tenure, Josh said Avolve's work culture has been a highlight. “And I’ve really enjoyed getting to know and working with different teams in my capacity as a sales engineer. I’m working with services a little bit. I’m working with the engineering team, working with product. I’ve got a good, broad exposure to different teams, and everyone has just been fantastic,” he said.
Looking ahead, Josh is especially energized by the AI and feature-creation work happening at Avolve around geospatial data. Historically, keeping GIS data accurate has meant physically verifying things in the field, sometimes literally eyeballing where a utility line might be. “The geo-AI and feature creation aspect that’s currently being worked on is very exciting,” he said, “because that’s going to more easily enable a robust data management workflow for communities right out of the gate.”
For anyone considering a career in GIS, Josh’s advice reflects his own path into it: Find the problem you actually care about first, and let the GIS skills follow. For Josh, that’s been helping local communities solve problems that matter—which is exactly why he’s landed at Avolve. We couldn’t be happier to have him.