Where did you grow up?
The scenic resort town of Cardwell, Missouri.
Where did you go to school?
Southland C-9 in Cardwell, followed by ANC and A-State
Brag about your family.
My wife and I were High School sweethearts and have been married for ten years. We have two wonderful boys, Parker (7) and Hunter (3). My oldest has been gifted with his father’s athletic ability, and my youngest cursed with his mother’s attitude about mornings and nonsense in general. After seven years of my wife being outnumbered by “boys,” she added a female companion to her side in the way of an Aussie doodle named Phoebe.
What do you do for fun?
Fishing, Hunting, Golfing, and Video Games.
What was your first job?
My first job was at ANC in Blytheville. I worked in the Computer Lab and was responsible for maintaining the PC’s and monitoring Web usage. I had a monitoring software that could be used to remote in and view any PC in the lab, and man was that a great responsibility that I was not ready for at 18… Between messing with friends trying to write term papers and sending false “Virus Download” messages to little old ladies trying to print 300 copies of their yard sale fliers on college paper, I kept myself entertained.
What is your dream job?
If I could get paid to hunt and fish, I would be set for life.
What is something very few people know about you?
I love low-budget, simple humor movies/TV Shows. Demolition Man, Without a Paddle, Anchor Man, The Fifth Element, The Three Stooges, etc.…
What quote/motto do you live by?
“This is my command-Be Strong and Courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9
Tell us your Optus story. When did you start, and what position? Have you moved positions/jobs? I began at Optus in June of 2015 in SAT (now Service Delivery), with zero background in Telecommunications and no idea who/what Optus was. From there, I spent a little time as a Project Coordinator and moved to the EHI Helpdesk before spending close to 4 years as the Service Delivery Supervisor. In July of 2022, I pulled a Crocodile Dundee and went for a “walkabout” for approximately five months, but I have since returned to the company I love but moved yet again into an IT Systems Engineer role.
What is your official job title?
Systems Engineer
What SHOULD your job title be?
It’s a close call between “Mr. Fixes it just by showing up” or The Rebooter.
Describe your day-to-day job.
My main job is spending countless hours with Shane Lerma.
After that requirement has been met, the rest of my day consists of ensuring everyone else can do their day-to-day job. Whether getting printers to work, fixing monitor display issues, or aggravating the entire company with random software updates/reboots, I am always happy to help or blame Microsoft for another round of patches that need installation.
What is one thing that Optus does better than any other employer you have had in the past?
Encouraging growth and backing it up with results. I have been at this company for almost eight years and have held five different positions, all for my betterment.
Tell us about one learning or growth opportunity you have had while working at Optus.
With my return to Optus in an IT role, Optus Leadership recognized where I wanted my career to grow and is helping me gain more technical knowledge/skills in the IT industry.
What do you like most about working at Optus?
The relationships that I have built with over 90% of the people here.
Have you received recognition from Optus on a job well done? If so, what was the recognition?
Yes. I have received the VIP award multiple times and several Simple Thank You’s from fellow employees.
What is your favorite part of the community Optus has cultivated?
I genuinely feel like I have family here. There are people who ask daily about my family/life and vice versa. There isn’t anyone in this building that I couldn’t go up to and have a 10-minute conversation with about anything, including Mark or David, and that is something very special about this place.