Today we have a BIG reason to celebrate – John has been on the Howard team for 10 YEARS! We are incredibly honored and thankful to have John leading our IT Team. Not only is he an expert at what he does, but he’s gracious and sincere with team members and clients alike. Read about his decade at Howard and how he’s evolved as a person and professional below!

What’s your ‘and?’

(What keeps you feeling refreshed and rejuvenated outside the office?)

Spending time with my grandkids and playing music.

What’s your favorite memory from working at Howard?

A decade is a long time with various memories, but a time that stands out the most would have to be early 2020, right at the beginning of the Covid pandemic. Who can forget that, right? Luckily, as a company, Howard had already established the ability for nearly all of our staff to work from home. However, it was interesting and challenging to see the total transition from “wanting to work from home” to “having to work from home.” I am proud to have been part of the extraordinary effort of our Howard team that came together to make the transition possible.

Team member’s note: We also wanted to share one of our own favorite memories of John! Last year, John’s wife, Cindy, was an intern on our Admin Team. During this time, we saw a side we hadn’t seen of him before! He opened up in a whole new way, and we got to know his fun-loving, kindhearted personality even better. It was a wonderful time for us all!

How do you use the Howard values regularly in your role?

I would say the Howard values that hit home the most for me are Actively Listen, Be Clear to Be Kind, and Practice Compassion. Being in the IT industry for over 25 years, it is almost a daily requirement to work on actively listening, investing and showing compassion and empathy for each given situation, and then doing my best to be as clear as possible with each response. Being a techie nerd, these values are hard to live up to!

Team member’s note: John goes above and beyond to live up to these Howard values. Whether he’s serving a client or supporting one of our team members, he is known for meeting people where they’re at to take care of them. This is a rare yet key quality for IT professionals to have, and we are proud have someone as compassionate as John on our team.

Who is a fellow Howard team member that’s made a positive impact on you and how?

Although there are many outstanding individuals here at Howard (way too many to mention), I would have to say that Chris Barnes has had the most positive influence on my tenure with the company. Although no one is perfect, professionally, Chris lives many positive characteristics that over the years I have tried to mimic. I could write a book describing Chris’ “positive” influences, but the biggest things that stand out are his commitment to continually better himself and help uplift and encourage others as they do the same. In my opinion, this is a quality that is rare in people, and I try to mirror that every day in myself.

Team member’s note: The feeling is absolutely mutual between Chris and John. Chris has had the pleasure of watching John soak up all the knowledge and experience he could when Chris previously led our IT team. He felt nothing but confidence when John accepted the challenge of stepping into that role.

How does working at Howard help you accomplish your personal and/or professional goals?

Before Howard, most of my professional history came from working in a large corporate environment. Information Technology within larger companies is very structured and siloed. For example, one person may be the “network guy” while another just fixes printers.

Howard is and has been the complete opposite. Over the past 10 years, Howard has afforded me the opportunity to support and learn anything and everything Howard IT related that I could put my hands on. Although many times this presents difficult challenges, those challenges and the exposure have also allowed me to grow my technical knowledge and understanding of the world of IT in a way I couldn’t have imagined in April of 2013.

We could go on for days about what an integral and impactful team member John has been for the last 10 years. For now, we’ll say congratulations, John – here’s to another 10 years of growing together!