Today, we are excited to introduce you to Preston Blackburn. Based in Colorado Springs, Preston brings his passion for coding, deep expertise in Snowflake, extensive consulting experience, and a broad engineering skill set to 7Rivers.
Role at 7Rivers
Preston is a Machine Learning and Data Engineering Consultant at 7Rivers. He works closely with clients to design scalable data pipelines and deploy AI-driven solutions that improve operational efficiency and support informed decision-making. In addition to client work, he develops internal tooling, including 7Rivers’ internal development platform, data migration solutions, and Generative AI accelerators.
A strong advocate for “docs as code,” Preston emphasizes the importance of high-level documentation when building technical products. He explains, “Providing clear, high-level documentation allows others to get up to speed and contribute to a project. Keeping documentation alongside the code ensures it stays connected and doesn’t get lost in a sea of wiki pages.” When collaborating with his team, they prioritize reviewing and walking through the code they produce to ensure it aligns with both business and technical requirements.
Preston is currently working on a proof of concept for migrating multi-terabyte, on-prem SQL Server databases to Snowflake, utilizing Airbyte, Kubernetes, and automation scripting.
Professional Journey
Preston got his degree in Chemical and Bio Engineering. Shortly afterward, he began working in an oil and gas lab, where he progressed from a technician to a specialist and eventually to a technical team lead.
During this time, he expanded his coding skills by teaching himself classical modeling techniques, including thermodynamics and equations of state. This experience led him to explore data science modeling, which sparked his interest in the data field. Realizing he wanted to focus full-time on machine learning and data, Preston transitioned to a competing data engineering startup. Later, he joined 7Rivers, where he could concentrate more on machine learning. In the future, Preston hopes to work on collaborative open-source projects at 7Rivers.
For anyone aspiring to enter the world of machine learning and data engineering, Preston advises having strong fundamentals in a few key programming languages, such as SQL, Python, and Go. He believes that, despite the hundreds of machine learning and data engineering tools available, mastering these core languages will get you 80% of the way to success.
Personal Insights and Interests
Outside of work, Preston has made significant contributions to the coding community. He has worked on various open-source projects on GitHub and has written articles and blogs about technical topics, which you can explore here. Additionally, Preston contributed as the technical editor for The Ultimate Guide To Snowpark, where he worked to ensure the book serves as a helpful and accessible resource for developers exploring Snowflake’s capabilities.
When he’s not at his computer, Preston enjoys tackling DIY projects and spending time with his pets—including ducks!
We are incredibly grateful to have Preston as part of our 7Rivers team. He brings not only years of engineering experience but an incredible passion for what he does. Preston is always eager to learn more, which enhances both his skills and the company’s success. Thank you, Preston, for all that you do!
