We’ve profiled four Upwork professionals with deep expertise in Smartsheet and examples of how they’re adding value to Smartsheet customers. Learn more about our partnership with Upwork, the world’s talent marketplace, and find help for your project with our expert community on Upwork.
Troy Harris
Troy Harris brings over a decade of hands-on Smartsheet expertise to every project. With a background spanning business, government, and higher education, Troy specializes in working with small and medium-sized businesses to maximize their Smartsheet potential. A three-time certified Smartsheet Core Product Specialist, Troy has serviced Upwork customers in construction, online sales, and property management, combining technical mastery with creative problem-solving to exceed client expectations.
Real businesses, real results
Troy’s focus is on leveraging Smartsheet to transform repetitive business processes into streamlined flows that give his clients significantly enhanced outcomes. While Smartsheet is user-friendly from the get-go, working with an expert like Troy helps businesses get a better understanding of advanced Smartsheet capabilities that can take their productivity to the next level.
Some of his successful projects—all completed with the Smartsheet core product—include:
- Revolutionized a luxury home builder's budgeting system, using hierarchy-dependent sheet design, 20+ formulas of varying complexity and related reports to produce automated transaction tracking and high-level intel involving over 1,000 rows of data. Customer feedback included that the outcome was superior to other industry-specific software.
- Reduced a college mailroom's annual reassignment of hundreds of student mailboxes from taking an entire day to just 15 minutes via customized filters, import/export/sort sequences and conditional formatting.
Empowering client success
For Troy, it’s not just about getting things done but building a foundation for further growth. He places importance on preparing clients for self-sufficiency by providing documents with instructions and formulas that they may need. "Instead of having my clients depend on me to get things done—as if I was doing magic in a black box—I prefer to coach them so that they can be inspired to build their own automation or forms in the future," notes Troy.
An Smartsheet pioneer
Troy’s deep involvement in Smartsheet started in 2011—and he now serves as Ambassador, Champion, and Group Manager in various Smartsheet Communities, reflecting his commitment to collaborative learning and knowledge sharing. Beyond his Core Specialist certification, he actively engages with fellow experts, gathering insights and innovative solutions that can only come from hands-on experience. As a member of the Early Adopter program (EAP), Troy tests new features before their public release, ensuring his clients benefit from both proven methods and cutting-edge capabilities. This combination of community-derived expertise and early access to new features means clients work with someone who knows not just what’s possible but what actually works.
Jon Mark Heaner
Jon Mark Heaner's journey to becoming a Smartsheet expert began in an unexpected place—an electrical pre-fabrication shop. Intrigued by its capabilities, he quickly became his company's go-to person for Smartsheet implementation, diving deep into its features to improve and streamline processes. His experience allows him to translate technical solutions into practical tools for construction teams.
Alongside his full-time role in construction, he is also dedicated to helping businesses transform their operations with Smartsheet solutions. According to Jon, Smartsheet fits seamlessly into construction projects because it's "a perfect stepping stone" to digital transformation. "Unlike either Excel sheets or typically rigid construction industry software, Smartsheet lets you customize, automate and manage everything exactly how you want it."
From workshop to workspace
While Jon primarily serves construction clients, he also works with businesses in healthcare and solar power, which range from 10 to 100 employees. Some notable projects include:
- Developing a comprehensive customer relationship management (CRM) system for a solar company, turning scattered spreadsheets into a unified customer journey.
- Creating an end-to-end construction management system that seamlessly connects estimation to execution.
Foundations of success
Jon's approach goes beyond just implementing solutions—he creates systems that grow with his clients. His expertise in automation has helped numerous teams maintain momentum and accountability, particularly in industries where quick pivots and clear communication are essential. One of the biggest solutions he’s implemented is setting up automation that notifies people when it's their turn and follows up if they haven't addressed it. John explains, "With dashboards showing what your priorities are, nothing falls through the cracks—which is crucial in construction where one delayed response can trigger a chain reaction of missed deadlines."
Future-ready expertise
While Jon primarily works on improving workflows, he stays at the forefront of Smartsheet innovations. As a certified Core Product and Project Management expert, he enjoys helping clients through the Smartsheet community.
"Contributing to the community has helped me level up," Jon shares on exchanging knowledge with seasoned Smartsheet users. "Sometimes others use my answers, sometimes I learn from their solutions." For Jon, learning isn't just personal growth—it's participating in others' technological transformations.
Luis Eduardo Juaristi Palacios
Luis Eduardo Juaristi Palacios believes that no two businesses are the same, and that their workflows shouldn’t be either. That’s why he prioritizes truly understanding his customers’ needs and focuses on creating tailored Smartsheet solutions for them. “I build something out of the box that they can just fit into their processes, so they don’t have to start again from scratch,” says Luis.
Luis has worked with a diverse range of industries—from construction, IT and healthcare to financial services—with small startups to large corporations of over 10,000 employees. He is 2023 and 2024 Smartsheet Core Product Certified and has also earned Product User and Control Center Lead Certifications. These credentials have “definitely helped me get more projects, Luis notes.” Luis’ training combined with his wealth of experience gives him the know-how and applied insights to deliver effective Smartsheet solutions to any type of business.
Smartsheet solutions with heart and soul
Luis believes consulting is about more than just technical expertise—it’s about putting people first. “I believe in taking a human approach—I take time to listen to people, then use that to build something they really need,” explains Luis, whose philosophy has earned him Upwork’s Top Rated and Top Rated Plus badges.
Certified to simplify
A four-time certified Smartsheet expert, Luis transforms complex challenges into streamlined solutions. Some of his most recent successes include:
- Consolidating a construction company's multi-platform project management into a unified Smartsheet solution, saving 100k per year and enabling faster decisions through real-time dashboards.
- Optimizing project creation for a customer by implementing a Smartsheet Control Center blueprint, saving project managers over 7 hours a week on data entry and file creation.
- Centralizing approval processes for a client, eliminating the need for back-and-forth emails, creating transparent workflow tracking, and providing a centralized platform for collaboration.
Empowering clients to own their success
Luis understands that every workflow challenge is an opportunity for a team to unlock its full potential. That’s why he is passionate about equipping his clients with the skills and confidence to become self-sufficient Smartsheet users, an approach that fosters trust and long-term work relationships. “Good data in means good data out,” says Luis. “I don’t just deliver solutions—I teach my clients how to keep them running and growing so they can focus on what really matters: their work.”
Gaithri Raj
Gaithri Raj’s path to Smartsheet began with her desire to teach, not just fix. Starting her career in healthcare, she quickly realized how streamlined systems could relieve organizational bottlenecks. That passion for problem-solving led her to become Smartsheet certified in 2018.
Since then, she has expanded her expertise across diverse industries. She guides literary publishing houses in managing manuscript workflows, helps legal firms streamline their processes, and assists solar companies in automating their operations. Her client portfolio even extends to tax companies and aluminum railing manufacturers, demonstrating her versatility in solving unique business challenges.
Holistic strategies for Smartsheet success
Whether working with small teams or managing enterprise-level deployments, Gaithri’s expertise spans Smartsheet premium features like Dynamic View, Data Shuttle, and Control Center. She also leverages Smartsheet’s connectors with other tools like DocuSign, JIRA, and Power BI, tailoring every solution to her client’s needs.
A good example of how Gaithri delivers transformational outcomes for costumes include her work for an aluminum railing installation company in the commercial and residential real estate spaces.
- Previously, the company relied on Excel, Outlook, faxes, and paper documentation for managing bids, reviewing orders, coordinating workforces, and delivering supplies for the installation. This often resulted in processes that extended over several weeks or months, as there was no centralized location for project information. Furthermore, scalability for new projects was limited due to insufficient insight into future planning.
- With Smartsheet, including CalendarApp and DataShuttle, Gaithri streamlined workflows and provided the company with a single source of data truth so they could take on more new accounts to grow their business. Remote workers could access invoice numbers, site contact information and locations faster leading to quicker turnaround and decreased waste.
From hesitancy to mastery
With a goal of turning inefficient systems into streamlined, user-friendly workflows, Gaithri helps companies overcome what she calls "adoption hesitancy"—being unsure about embracing technological change—into confident system mastery. She understands that teams can feel apprehensive about leaving familiar processes behind, no matter how manual or time-consuming they might be. Her solution? A unique "sandbox" approach that makes the transition both comfortable and engaging.
During the sandbox methodology, Gaithri builds a prototype of their workflow, inviting groups to experiment freely with real scenarios. This learning-oriented methodology creates a safe testing environment where teams can explore their future Smartsheet system—without fear of "breaking anything."
"This approach helps users see the system they'll use tomorrow in a safe space and understand how Smartsheet will benefit them," she explains. For Gaithri, Smartsheet mastery is achievable for anyone—with the right mix of curiosity, guided experimentation, and the freedom to learn from mistakes.