Learn more about Nth's most important asset – its people in our "I am the Nth Generation" series.
What’s your job title? Sr. Solutions Engineer
How long have you been with Nth? More than 16 years
What does a typical day for you at Nth look like? My day at Nth varies depending on projects. I can be helping an SA with a design, installing a new product at a customer site, or helping a customer who has run into an issue and needs help.
Which fellow Nth’er(s) inspire you and why? I am inspired by the owners Rich Baldwin (Founder, CSO) and Jan Baldwin (Co-Founder, CEO) , and the Executive team (Rich & Jan Baldwin; Todd Burkhardt, Co-President, Client Engagement & CIO; Dan Molina, Co-President, Security & Marketing, CTO; Stephanie Moser, VP, Operations; Sara Galloway, Sr. Director, Creative & Marketing; Dwayne Gilliam, EVP, Sales; Steve Jung, VP, Public Sector; Joyce Russell, EVP & CFO; and Karen Wood, VP, Human Resources) for keeping the company going with new partners and services. I am motivated by my colleagues who are always there if I need some help in any area, including my upstairs angels, as I call them: Morya Martinez (Buyer & Operations
Specialist), Michelle Razon (Sales Operations Support), Jayne Locascio (Sales Operations Specialist) who answer my calls, especially when I am out in the field.
What led you to this career/working at Nth? I was working for Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) at the time and had a knack for troubleshooting issues. I also understood customers and their frustration with a product, generally coming from not using the product properly, or trying to get it to work on a Unix box. So, I was tasked with flying around the country fixing issues and customers. Nth let me do the same thing locally, and was highly recommended by a good friend.
What’s one of your favorite things about your job? Working with various customers and learning new technology all the time
What is a work accomplishment you are proud of? When I first started at Nth, a former employee, Casey Burke, sold an XP 24000 to a customer and I was tasked with shadowing HPE on the installation. We hit a bug in the code and I worked with HPE and the customer to figure out how to fix it and not lose data. I was working 100-120 hours a week and even had HPE fly down a liaison to Hitachi to go over what I wanted to do, and he agreed. It was a risky solution, but theoretically would work. My HPE buddy was worried and decided to wait it out at the hotel, but it worked and they are still a loyal Nth customer.
What motivates you at work? My family and the people I work with
What is one of the biggest lessons you’ve learned in your career? If you always come prepared for anything and do your best, you won’t have regrets.
What was your first job? Mobil truck washer when I was 13, given to me by my neighbor. I made real good money for being 13. He told me that he asked me because I was always out looking for a job, like washing cars or mowing lawns.
What is the best career advice you’ve received? My dad told me several:
If you’re on time, you’re late. Never have someone waiting on you to arrive.
Always come prepared for the job you are supposed to do.
He also taught us all logic and how to isolate a problem so it was easier to fix.
What is your favorite place that you’ve travelled to? Hawaii with the family, and seeing the Pope's house (the Vatican) was cool. Really looking forward to take my wife to Nashville, TN and absorb all that culture and fun.
What is your favorite movie and/or book? My favorite movie is Princess Bride or Airplane, and book is “Book of Swords.”
Describe your ideal weekend. Having a big family gathering with the BBQ going and people swimming.
What famous person or historical figure would you most like to meet and why? My wife converted me to country music. I was listening to the radio and Thomas Rhett came on with his song, "Beer with Jesus." That’s was my answer, I would love to talk with Jesus. Nothing philosophical, but just like the song about how to make myself better. If you have a chance, listen to the song.
What 3 items would you bring with you to a deserted island? BBQ fully set up, world's largest stocked fridge/freezer, and a global cell phone
What is your perfect meal? This will surprise a lot of people as most know I love to cook. I like appetizers, Lisa Helsel (Sr. Accountant) knows this from my travel receipts; I just like to snack.
What is the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten? I'm not very adventurous when it comes to food but when I was in the Philippines, we would eat these BBQ satays that were said to be monkey meat.
What do you like to do for fun? BBQ and cook. I love to smoke brisket and pork.
What was your first concert? First CD? My first concert was Rod Stewart's "Blondes Have More Fun" tour. My first cassette was The Who's "Who Are You" and my first CD was Pat Benatar's "Hit Me with Your Best Shot."
What fictional character(s) do you most relate to? Dr. Gregory House from the television show "House." He was great at solving issues, but was very sarcastic like me.