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Meet The Team: Keith D.
BACKGROUND WITH TECHNOLOGY:
"I’ve been involved in computers since I was about five, as my father was a software engineer for ATMs and banking. I never learned to code, but I made it a point to understand how hardware and software worked from a user’s point of view.
I started working in IT during high school in 2000, working each summer to deploy and maintain PCs for each school in town. After graduating, I pursued some other tomfoolery and came back to IT in 2009 working for a small software company as a help desk technician.
I began working at Walker in 2013 as a Senior On-Call Specialist for three and a half years before leaving for about a year, and returning in 2018 as a Remote Services Specialist working with our OnPoint services and on Escalations."
MOST IMPORTANT THING ABOUT YOUR JOB:
"The most important aspects of my job are consistency and efficiency. My role is taking the diagnostic work others have done before me and attempting to reach a solution in a timeframe most convenient for the client. To that end, I rely heavily on our ticketing and communication systems to help me, help you, help us all."
FAVORITE TECH DEVICE AND WHY?
"I recently purchased an Elgato HD60S PCI capture card for my PC to connect my PS4 to stream a recently-released video game; however I also purchased an adapter to connect my older video game consoles with, and capture the audio/video for use in editing videos for Youtube, and streaming to Twitch. It took some technical finesse, but I was able to get those working and look forward to playing some classic games for folks."
WHAT WOULD YOUR SUPERPOWER BE?
"Teleportation because I generally dislike sitting in traffic to get somewhere, but mostly because I am horrifically lazy."
HOW HAS YOUR LIFE CHANGED OVER THE LAST MONTH?
"It has been both a convenience and a curse. The convenience has been not having to travel as much, which saves me time and money at a moment when both are going to evaporate very quickly with my son’s birth soon. The curse, however, is it can be difficult to concentrate and get work done at times, especially not having a dedicated space to work out of. I have to get creative about walling myself away from everything else going on.
The biggest hardship has just been trying to go about normal life outside at the times when you have to leave home. You cannot simply just take your time walking through a store or go into a coffee shop for a change of scenery. When I do have to go out to clients onsite, I often stop at a gas station for a snack, just to go into a place with people and make myself feel like it’s just a normal day out in the world. Not having that natural barrier between work, home and school is, I believe, what is affecting everyone the most. All three are now in one place and, for many, it’s difficult to process. But we’ll make it out of this eventually."
Remote Work Setup with Fur Babies
FUN FACTS:
"I’ve been married for seven years to my wife, who works as a dog groomer. We’re expecting our first child in late-June of this year and we have three dachshunds and one cat."
"I’m an avid video gamer during most of my off-time, but moreso into retro classic systems like the original Nintendo, the original Playstation and old PC titles. I infrequently stream them played on the platform Twitch."
"I often write a lot online, mostly social observations and critiques, television and animation reviews, politics and short stories or poems."
"As a family, we would regularly camp out at a few campgrounds around where we lived in Ohio and Indiana. Our longest camping trip was a week-long tour of Michigan through both peninsulas, including a stop in Frankenmuth to see Bronner's Christmas Wonderland."
"My dream job/career as a child was to become an astronaut or work for NASA. That did not happen, but I maintain a huge interest in space and science fiction. I list not being able to see the final shuttle takeoff/landing in person as an actual regret."
"I had dinner with Peter Fernandez and Corinne Orr, the English dub voices of Speed Racer and Trixie in the original 1967 series, after a convention in Philadelphia in 2006. I don’t really encounter famous people, but I consider that an honor among a show that is part of early animation history."
More Recent News
In 2023, The Walker Group made history as the first business in Connecticut to transition to a Perpetual Purpose Trust (PPT)-ownership model. This innovative structure ensures that the company's values, mission and culture are preserved as it transitions beyond its founders, safeguarding them for future generations. In this insightful webinar presentation, we explore key topics such as: ~ What it means to be a Perpetual Purpose Trust (PPT)-owned company ~ Why The Walker Group chose this unique model ~ The legal and financial considerations of adopting a PPT ~ The impact of a PPT on employees and the community This session features The Walker Group's co-CEOs, Jessica Rich and Todd Bailey, along with founder Kate Emery, and expert insights from Jenny Kassan, President of The Kassan Group. Watch the webinar recording to learn more about this progressive, new approach to business succession!
The Walker Group is proud to announce becoming Connecticut’s first Perpetual Purpose Trust (PPT)-owned company. This innovative ownership model allows us to prioritize a social mission that benefits our employees, clients, and community. co-CEO Jessica Rich discusses this transformation and its positive impact on Friends with Employee Benefits: A OneDigital Podcast. Tune in to learn more about how our purpose-driven approach is shaping a brighter future!
The Walker Group featured in Nick Romeo’s book, “The Alternative”
