About
About Greatest Ventures LLC
I build data systems. I lead data services at a community bank, and I spend a good share of my own time building tools, data products, and web applications. Most of it comes down to the same thing: taking scattered, unreliable information and turning it into something people can actually use.
Who I am
Data, systems, and the business behind them.
Most of my work comes down to the same problem. Information is scattered across databases, spreadsheets, files, and business systems, and somebody needs it to be accurate, current, and usable. I connect those sources, clean and model what comes out, and build the reporting, pipelines, applications, and automated workflows that turn it into something people actually trust.
The part I care most about happens before any code gets written. Understanding how a process really runs, where it breaks down, and what someone is actually trying to decide usually changes what should get built. Skipping that produces technically impressive work that nobody uses.
Process improvement is the thread through most of it. I look for bottlenecks, repetitive tasks, manual handoffs, disconnected systems, and reports that take longer to assemble than to read. Then I build something that makes the work simpler, more reliable, and easier for the next person to maintain.
My career has been in community banking, where a reporting decision affects employees, business customers, and families in a fairly direct way. That has a lot to do with why I care whether a solution is understandable and maintainable, not just whether it works today.
What I work on
Four areas, and they usually overlap.
- 01
Data & Analytics
Connecting source systems, modeling the data, and building reporting people can rely on.
SQLPythonData EngineeringBusiness IntelligenceData WarehousingData ModelingData QualityETL - 02
Automation & AI
Removing the recurring manual steps in a process, and using AI where it genuinely helps.
Process AutomationWorkflow AutomationGenerative AIAgentic AI - 03
Applications & Development
Internal tools, APIs, and web applications that put the data in front of the people using it.
Next.jsJavaScriptAPIsDatabase DevelopmentFull-Stack Development - 04
Business & Process
Understanding how the work actually runs before deciding what should be built.
Process ImprovementFinancial AnalysisProject ManagementCommunity Banking
Background
How I got here.
- Now
Leading data services at a community bank
Data analytics, data engineering, business intelligence, automation, AI, and internal application work. I also help the organization use generative and agentic AI in practical, responsible ways, and support financial and strategic discussions where the data matters.
- Before that
Data Analyst, then a stretch through Accounts Payable
Roughly six years building data warehouses, ETL, reporting, dashboards, and automation with departments across the bank. I also covered Accounts Payable during a staffing gap, which included helping define a new policy and implement new software. Running an operational process is a useful education in why process improvement matters.
- Getting started
Management trainee, and before that a family electrical contractor
I joined banking through a rotational program covering operations, lending, deposits, finance, IT, and customer-facing work, which is still the reason I ask about the process before the requirements. Earlier I managed inventory, purchasing, and materials for Brite Lite Electric, a family-owned electrical contractor, where small-business operations were the whole job.
- Education
Winona State University, and a banking data certification
Data Science major and Finance minor, 2015 to 2019. Certified Community Bank Data Analyst (CCBDA) through ICBA, issued 2025.
What I build on my own time
Things I made, put online, and keep running.
A lot of what I find interesting does not fit inside one job: data products, small web applications, everyday tools, and the occasional experiment that turns into something people use every day.
Everything in the project directory is live and maintained, built end to end from the data model through the interface. It is also the most honest version of a portfolio I can offer, since you can open any of it and judge it yourself.
For a public example of that work, see GreatestCalculators: free calculators where every formula is its own tested module and the official marketplace-fee, AI-price and tax sources are checked automatically every day.
I also take on consulting work. If your reporting is assembled by hand, your systems do not talk to each other, or nobody quite trusts the numbers, that is the kind of problem I like.
Away from the keyboard
The rest of it.
I am a husband and a dad. Most of my time outside work goes to family, getting outside, cooking, travel, and golf. I am usually learning something new or building something that did not need to exist yet.
Connect
Good ways to reach me.
Questions about a project, a data problem you are stuck on, or work you think I would find interesting are all welcome.
Greatest Ventures LLC is the independent data consulting practice of Will Henschell, based in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and working remotely.
Start a conversation
Have a data problem that should be easier?
Whether you’re rebuilding the same report every week, working around messy data, or trying to get multiple systems to work together, let’s talk through it.