What is your role at Phoenix Mecano and has that always been your role here?
I came on board here in February of this year as the company’s system administrator. In other words, I’m the “IT guy.”
What do you like most about your job?
I like troubleshooting and problem-solving, and I find it really rewarding to help people by finding solutions to their technology issues. I like that I get to work not only with the team here in Frederick but also remotely with our staff in California and one of our sister companies in Tupelo, MS.
What has been your favorite project at Phoenix Mecano?
Earlier this year, we collaborated with our German partners to revamp the company’s nightly back-up system. I enjoyed working with our colleagues overseas to create a solution that added security and value to this process. Seeing how much faster and more efficient it is now has been really gratifying.
What is your background?
I was born and raised in Lewisburg, PA, proud home of Bucknell University and a United States federal penitentiary. I moved to Frederick in the 10th grade and finished high school at Urbana. I started college immediately after graduation, thinking I wanted a Business Administration degree…but I learned quickly that wasn’t the right thing for me. I took a year off and moved to Fort Lauderdale to work and live on my own, which was a real learning experience. When I came back to Frederick, I had a much better idea of the career I wanted for myself. I earned an AAS in Information Technology from Frederick Community College and I haven’t looked back.
If given a chance, who would you like to be for a day?
I’d have to say a rock star. Not sure who. I’d just like to be on stage in front of a crazy, screaming crowd.
If you could meet anyone in the world, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
The Dalai Lama. That would be an interesting conversation.
Three words to best describe you:
Outgoing. Caring. Driven.
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
I wanted to be a baker for the longest time. Then I found out that bakers had to get up at 3 A.M. and, well…that killed that.
What’s on your bucket list?
First and foremost, to travel. I want to start with Italy and Ireland, and then explore the southern hemisphere. Japan, Australia, maybe a country like the Phillippines…there’s just something about all that “concentrated culture” that really fascinates me.
What’s the one thing, you can’t live without?
This one’s pretty predictable—technology.
Is there anything else you want people to know about you?
On the lighter side, I love happy hours and singing karaoke– especially “Use Somebody” by the Kings of Leon. I also enjoy being in plays now and then. I was in “Rent” earlier this year at the Maryland Theatre in Hagerstown, and I’m always on the lookout for other opportunities–maybe a little closer to home this time.
