Meet Our SpliceNet Team

I never wanted to be a 6-to-9 dad.

When my wife and I had our first child in 1996, I worked as a chemist. I had this fascinating job creating ‘flavor solutions’ for companies like Kellogg, Coke, Pepsi, Gatorade, and Sunkist. I truly loved what I was doing. But I didn’t enjoy getting home at 6:00 pm with only a few hours to be with my family or whatever time was left between dinner, bath, and bedtime. I wanted greater flexibility and freedom in my life to make sure that I could be the kind of dad I wanted to be when I wanted to be on my terms.

While a chemist, I was also running a side business doing IT and web development for small businesses in Cincinnati. It was the early 90s, so very few IT professionals knew how to implement and support technology for small businesses. The tools didn’t exist like they do today, and anyone with a knack for figuring out software like Windows 97, had a huge opportunity.

I knew that if I could take this side business that I loved full-time, it would also give me the freedom to be the best dad I could be. Looking back, it was a crazy decision. We’d just bought our first house, my wife quit her job to be a stay-at-home mom, and a real estate bubble burst, causing a bit of economic turmoil. But I was young and ambitious – and the desire to be there for my growing family was all the motivation I needed.

Life on my terms— that was my goal. For 25 years, that’s exactly what I’ve been doing. Well, more like life on my kids’ terms, but that was kind of the point, wasn’t it?

Over the last two and a half decades with SpliceNet Consulting— throughout the never-ending waves of new technology and IT trends— there’s one thing that has consistently been the same for my clients. At the end of the day, we all want to go home to our lives and families.

If you’re running a business, any amount of downtime that impacts your business is time stolen away from your life. Even if you love what you do like I do, you can’t have your personal life constantly interrupted by work issues. Time with our spouses, kids, dogs, hobbies— whatever it is— that time is sacred.

When I work with a CEO to make sure their company’s data is securely backed up, and their IT is being monitored 24/7 by a highly reliable and communicative team— I know I’m not just protecting the business assets. I’m protecting what is most important to them— their livelihood and that of their employees and customers, too.

I’d be happy to talk about technology all day long with anyone. I love it. But what I love the most about what I do is what it gives back to my clients— their time and freedom to live life on their terms.

Now my three kids are grown, but they still find time to hang out with their ‘ole dad. We like to go out to eat, go to movies, and go shopping. When I’m not visiting my kids at college or spending time with my wife, I like to run, watch Discovery and History Channels (Oak Island and Gold Rush are my go-tos) and support my church.

This is life, and I’m enjoying every minute of it.

Growing up, my dad always told me, “If you have it in your hand to do what is right, but you don’t do it, then it’s wrong.” He taught me that if I’m not doing my best, I’m short-changing someone. I always carry this belief with me at home, church, and work.

I’m a problem solver at heart, and in my 25 years of experience as an IT consultant for manufacturing companies and law firms, I’ve been known to do some unconventional things like climb on top of roofs to adjust antennas or drive to a client’s company at midnight to help them through an IT emergency. Of course, it’s all in a balance between what is safe and necessary (climbing on roofs is rarely necessary). Still, I always carry the thought close to me that if I have the reasonable ability to do what’s right for my client, my team, and our families, I will do everything I can to follow through.

Sometimes, businesses think they are too small for IT companies to care for or give them the time of day. It doesn’t matter to me how “big” or “small” a client is. I tell my clients big or small has nothing to do with it. If technology is important to them operating successfully, then they are important. Period. I don’t climb on roofs or take emergency calls at midnight because I enjoy the adrenaline rush. I do it because I know behind every business, there’s a person’s livelihood. Usually, there are many lives behind a business— families like mine— who depend on a business to run.

But saying you are the most important thing is only part of the equation. As Vice President of SpliceNet, my job is to ensure we consistently deliver on our promise. I rely on internal metrics to keep a pulse on things like help desk tickets and technician response times that tell us how quickly we’re responding to clients and solving issues. If something isn’t lining up or we identify opportunities to grow, it’s my privilege to work with our support and project teams to make it happen. It’s not just something we say; it’s something we’ve built into our systems and processes so every team member fulfills our mission in every interaction.

Outside of work, I spend time with my wife of nine years and our seven-year-old twins. When I’m not with my family, you can probably find me working on my latest blacksmithing project in my in-home shop, growing my collection of wall hooks, ladles, and knives.