Worksmart IT Services
It may be a short month on the calendar, but we have a lot of team members to celebrate this February!
Our team is made up of people who truly embody what it means to have our three core values: do the right thing, be curious, and personal connections. We wanted to shout out these folks and thank them for their dedication to WorkSmart over the years.
Join us in recognizing these fourteen awesome team members below!
Curiosity, doing the right thing, and striving to build personal connections make up the best kind of team member. All of the folks highlighted below embody all of these qualities and so much more.
We wanted to take the time to celebrate their WorkSmart anniversary and give them the recognition their work deserves.
Join us in recognizing these seven awesome team members below!
When a new year rolls around, many businesses want to capitalize on that new-year-new-you energy. Looking for Q1 to set them up to hit their goals for the year, your team spent January getting to work and crossing tasks off their to-do list. But the new year feeling may start to go away. So, how can you lead your team so that they’re consistently successful throughout the entire year?
This 1-hr webinar features strategic advice on pushing your business’ vision forward, ensuring growth, and maintaining employee happiness.
As a managed IT service provider, you’ll hear from us on how tech can fuel growth. You’ll also learn about creating systems to achieve results and leading highly effective teams from our two expert guests, that you can learn more about below!
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Paul coaches leadership teams to help them get more of what they want from their businesses. As a certified EOS Implementer™, he helps implement the Entrepreneurial Operating System® (EOS®), a holistic business operating system solving problems to achieve the vision.
He’s had the unique perspective of using EOS in his own companies – like BlueHat Mechanical as an owner and Leadership Team member. The real-world experience is invaluable as it helps him understand what his clients are going through because he’s on the journey himself. To contact Paul, feel free to email him at [email protected] |
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Becky Jacobs is a self-described ‘efficiency nerd’ with a passion for driving sustainable change, serving others, and developing high-performing teams. She is the Founder and Chief Engagement Officer of Simple Change, which specializes in identifying the core issues impacting performance and engagement and developing practical strategies that deliver sustainable results. She is a culture-focused operations leader with more than twenty-five years of experience in senior leadership roles across multiple industries. Becky graduated from Old Dominion University with a degree in Business Management and completed her MBA at UNC Chapel Hill. She was recognized by the Triangle Business Journal as a ’40 under 40’ winner in 2015 and received her Certified Diversity Executive designation in 2021. Among her volunteer leadership roles, Becky served on the Board of InterFaith Food Shuttle for 6 years and the Advisory Board of Alexander YMCA for 9 years, also serving as Chair of their We Build People Campaign. To contact Becky, visit Simple Change’s website! |
At the end of each year, our team gets together at our annual Holiday party to celebrate all of the accomplishments over the last year.
It’s always fun getting to spend time with the team, eat good food, and break it down on the dance floor. We also hand out a few awards to folks who best exemplify our three core values: do the right thing, be curious, and personal connections.
Check out the blog below to learn a little more about what these values mean to WorkSmart and join us congratulating this year’s recipients!
We love taking any opportunity we can to celebrate the accomplishments of our team, and this month we’re recognizing two folks who are celebrating their WorkSmart anniversary!
WorkSmart is successful because of our team members. Our team is full of curious, personable, and hardworking folks who strive to help each other and our clients reach their full potential.
Join us in recognizing these two awesome team members below!
We love taking any opportunity to talk about how awesome our team is. In this season of giving thanks and showing appreciation, we wanted to do just that!
Our team is full of skilled, curious, and personable IT professionals that work to provide our clients with the best experience possible, from start to finish. These folks below embody all those traits and more and help keep us up and running on a daily basis.
Whether it’s a snowstorm that knocks out the power or a hurricane that brings floodwaters – bad weather can have extremely unpredictable damage that ensues because of it.
When this happens, it’s important to make sure you take proper precautionary steps to help protect your IT infrastructure and data from the potential repercussions of a storm.
| As a Service Manager, Devon owns the support experience for our clients. He manages the technicians that work on your support tickets as well as the onsite consultant team. It’s his job to ensure that we are communicating effectively and resolving issues quickly.
Devon relocated to the Carolinas back in 2017 and now resides in the Charlotte area with his two kids. He has many years of experience in the IT and Service Management industry, holding a variety of different roles. Devon is a United States Navy veteran who enjoys spending time with his family or training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in his spare time. What folks say about Devon:“Thank you for taking the time to meet with clients in person. Your energy is infectious – in a good way!” “I want to thank Devon for his coaching me, building my confidence, asking important and insightful questions, and always listening!” |
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Chad has been an integral member of the WorkSmart team for over eight years now. Throughout his tenure, he’s been able to gain a great deal of experience and expertise in a variety of different IT areas.
He works on a daily basis to ensure that our client’s needs are being met, and he’s always willing to help out wherever he can. What our clients say about Chad:“Chad did great, as always!” “Chad’s efforts in contacting a support assist resolved this issue. He always gives us 200%.“ “It was very comforting to know that Chad was watching what another company was wanting to add to our system.” |
| Jake has been working in the IT industry for over four years now and currently works to support our clients in the Charlotte area.
In his free time, Jake enjoys playing games, cooking, and going for hikes. He also likes to listen to audiobooks and podcasts. A few of his favorite podcasts are “My Brother, My Brother, and Me”, “The Dollop”, and “Welcome to Nightvale”. What our clients say about Jake:“Jake was absolutely amazing. My computer had a complex issue and Jake was thorough and saw it fully through. He is fantastic.” “Jake was great; friendly, efficient, knowledgeable, great communicator. Very satisfied with my time with him.” |
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Mike has been with the team for over three years now and has an even longer background in the IT world across many different positions.
In his spare time, Mike enjoys reading, playing video games and board games, or hanging out at the pool. He’s also a big fan of Shepherd’s Pie and would love to one day take a trip on a Caribbean cruise. Mike also enjoys hanging out with his dog Dori, and 4 cats: Luna, Tick, Lion-O, and Baby Kitten. What our clients say about Mike:“Mike was very thorough and ensured our team has what it needs to move forward with the new VPN technology. I appreciate his attention to detail!” “Mike worked diligently on this setup. I appreciate his thoroughness and communication. His dedication to getting this done is to be applauded.” |
| Joe works to help support our clients in the Charlotte region and surrounding areas. In his free time, Joe enjoys hanging out with his family, playing Xbox, and watching good movies.
He has two dogs, a Husky mix named Darla and a Mutt named Dudley. Joe is also a big fan of pasta and Dr. Pepper and hopes to visit Japan one day. What folks say about JOE:“The tech support is nice to talk with while troubleshooting my remote PC.” “Thank you so much for coming in and helping us when you were not scheduled to be on standby. We really appreciate you!” |
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Blake is a prime example of our core value of “Be Curious” as he loves collecting any new information and learning about a wide variety of random things.
In his free time, he enjoys hanging out with his family, listening to podcasts, and watching the Shawshank Redemption. He also has two cats, Norman (4 years old) and Henri (1 year old). What our clients say about Blake:“Blake was great to work with in resolving my issues!” “Fast response. Professional staff!” |
| George has been on the team for a little over a year now and enjoys anything that crosses art and technology. In his free time, he enjoys working on cars, wood and metal working, and welding.
He also has four pets: a dog named Cho Chang, and three cats named Ramses, Nima, and Nefertiti. George hopes to one day travel by train from Paris to Hanoi. What our clients say about George:“George handles it all in stride. He’s wonderful to work with.“ “George was very knowledgeable and kind when explaining the issue. Also, his recommendations were very good.” “Thanks for your continued excellent support of the team. Appreciate all you do.” |
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Originally from Pittsburgh, Russ migrated to North Carolina in 1997 for a promotion with the VA. Since then, he’s been a mentor, technology trainer, IT technician, specialist, advisor, and team leader.
Russ is a life-long Steelers fan, but also loves the Panthers now. In his free time, Russ enjoys going to the movies, watching football, participating in sports, and enjoying the great outdoors. Coffee is his beverage of choice and he loves spending time with his family and Jack Russell Terrier, Roxy. What our clients say about Russ:“Quickly resolved the issue for us. Thanks!” “Russ worked hard to get it completed.“ |
| Daniel has been on the team for almost two years and has held a couple different roles. When he’s not working, you can usually find him playing video games or watching sports on TV (his favorites are the Bruins, Patriots, Celtics, and Red Sox).
He’s a a huge pizza connoisseur and loves to experiment with really “out there” types of food. Daniel hopes to one day visit Europe or Hawaii. What our clients say about Daniel:“Prompt and professional service by Daniel. Resolved my issues after one session.“ “Daniel was more than helpful when fixing my ticketed problem which he was able to solve. He also talked me through some of the other issues I have been having off and on for awhile now. Once we got off the phone he followed up on his recommendation almost immediately. Thanks Daniel!” |
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Alec is an NC native with a wide variety of experience in the tech world. Previously, he worked as a nuclear medicine field service engineer and has 10 years experience in troubleshooting and engineering in various modalities.
He’s a practicing musician of about 15 years and has an amateur studio where he records his own solo projects as well as mix, edit, and write for brand advertisements. In his free time, Alec enjoys spending time with his family and two dogs, Koji and Yuki. What our clients say about Alec:“Alec was very kind and knowledgable in helping me. We resolved my issue in about 5 mins.” “Alec was great. Seemed like it was a tough issue to resolve but he stuck with it.“ |
| Located in the Raleigh-Durham area, Brian has been working in IT for over 26 years now. Throughout his career, he has held various positions, giving him experience in many different IT areas.
In his free time, Brian enjoys woodworking and leather working. He also has quite an array of animals, including a dog, two cats, four birds, and seven rabbits. What folks say about Brian:“Thanks for all of your help working through some client situations! I appreciate that you were thinking outside of the box to come up with a great solution for our client.” “Just wanted to give you a shout out because you have been a wonderful teammate for me and have gone out of the way to help and be a unified front for our clients – especially in difficult or complex situations.” |
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Located in the Raleigh-Durham area as well, Josh enjoys all things technology and is always willing to learn new things.
In his free time, he likes to play video games, listen to music, and run. He has completed multiple races, including 5ks, 10ks and half marathons. He also enjoys tech videos on YouTube and watching good movies. What our clients say about Josh:“Joshua is so nice to work with. Very prompt service. Thank you so much for your help.” “Patience, persistence and excellent tech knowledge. Thank YOU, Josh.“ “I missed the scheduled call and Josh called me back at the end of a Friday!” |
| Johan currently resides in the Raleigh-Durham area and has been working in the IT industry for about 4 years now. He is also actively pursuing his Bachelor’s degree in Data Management and Analytics.
In his spare time, Johan enjoys spending time with his family, his dog Scooter, and working on small projects with his 3D printer to create new things. What our clients say about Johan:“Johan is always a pleasure to work with.” “Everything completed efficiently and fast! Back in working order.“ “Johan was able to understand the untechnical way I explained the problems I was having and almost intuited what I needed changed to be able to effectively utilize my calendar.” |
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Originally from Harrisonburg, Virginia, Logan has recently relocated to the Triangle area. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his dog Dena, especially when they go to dog parks.
Logan also likes to find new walking trails to explore on, and various other outdoor activities such as hunting and fishing. What our clients say about Logan:“Thanks for rocking the workstation install! You are awesome.” “Logan did a great job sticking with the issue, troubleshooting a variety of problems, and providing guidance.” “Thank you so much for your help in getting involved and making recommendations! Your professionalism and knowledge was extremely beneficial.” |
| Located in the Raleigh-Durham area as well, Winfield has been on our team for over 16 years now. He enjoys all things technology and helping our clients reach their full potential by having the right technology and strategies in place.
He holds a wealth of knowledge and expertise in various aspects of IT, and is always willing to help out when he can. What our clients say about Winfield:“You are always easy to work with and very thorough!“ “We have a lot of trust and faith in you that anything you work on will be done right. You’re also willing to lean on the team for anything that may require further investigation.” |
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Jake is a Durham, North Carolina, native and has been working in small business IT for more than 10 years. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, camping, and cooking (he’s a firm believer that he makes the best chocolate chip cookies in the world).
Jake also likes to spend time with his four cats, play PC games, and go backpacking. What our clients say about Jake:“Jake is super helpful and very knowledgeable!” “Jake was wonderful, he kept researching until he found the problem, fixed it and now I am up and running again remotely!!!“ “Jake continues to provide quick responses to any questions I have regarding our network. He continues to demonstrate customer service is a priority for him!” |
| Josh has always taken an interest in technology, especially since he grew up part of the first generation that had them readily available for consumer use. He even still has his very first PC in his basement!
In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two kids, as well as training for Ninja Warrior. Fun fact about Josh, he currently holds two world-records in Speedrunning video games. What our clients say about Josh:“Josh is awesome!“ “Josh got me back up and running remotely and also explained how to avoid this in the future!” “Josh got on a call with me shortly after I called in and got me back up and running in no time. He explained what all he was doing as he was doing it which I appreciate.” |
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Located in the Raleigh-Durham area, Wayne enjoys all things technology and learning new things. In his free time, he likes to spend time with his wife of 24 years and their three children.
One of Wayne’s favorite quotes is, “Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless by water.” from Bruce Lee, as he interprets that to mean don’t be rigid in your thinking, but rather open to new ideas and opportunities. He also enjoys doing outdoor activities, such as gardening, lawn care, hiking, and riding his bike on trails. What our clients say about Wayne:“Wayne was extremely patient, figured out the problem and walked me through it. Thank you, Wayne!” “Wayne was very helpful!“ |
| Jose was born in Puerto Rico and raised in the U.S. Virgin Islands, but he now resides in Georgia with his wife, two kids, and their cat named Beanie.
In his free time, he loves finding new things to do with his family, biking on new trails, and playing any old-school games. Jose’s favorite quote is “if it’s not functional, it’s not needed”, and he applies that to his work and personal life alike. His goal is to empower others with the knowledge and technology needed to get the job done and help to further their career. What folks say about jose:“Thank you so much for bringing your great ideas!” “Kudos to you for being willing to jump in whenever there’s a need in order to keep things running smoothly!” |
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With a life-long passion for all things technology and sports, Sam began his career in the sports broadcasting world. He spent six years broadcasting everything from West Text high school football all the way up to Division II college football before beginning his career in the IT industry.
He now resides in NC with his fiancé and their Jack Russell Terrier named Maple. When he isn’t working, he’s usually out trying to find places to explore outdoors. Whether it’s a simple hike or climbing to the top of the tallest rocky outcrop, he enjoys being out in nature. What our clients say about SAM:“Thanks a million! Sam is my hero! He dives right in and diagnoses the problems quickly.” “Sam has done a fantastic job helping with any problems we’ve had. Timely and professional – it’s greatly appreciated.“ |
| Originally from Mount Vernon, New York, Dre moved to Georgia in 2005 for high school and later attended Georgia Gwinnett College where he majored in Information Technology – Systems and Security.
Dre loves learning about new advancements in technology and applying them to his both his work and personal life. In his spare time, he enjoys gaming on his PC, powerlifting, swimming, and spending time with his dog Bailee. What our clients say about DRE:“Andre is consistently always helpful. He has great knowledge and lots of patience. He is a great asset to WorkSmart’s Team!” “It is a pleasure to work with Andre. His calm demeanor makes it super easy to work through issues.“ |
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Randy currently resides in Georgia with his wife, Carla and their new puppy Dakota. In his spare time, Randy enjoys pretty much anything outdoors including, hiking, camping, and taking long walks with his dog.
He enjoys reading the Sunday paper and his car magazines, as well as listening to Rock and Alternative music. Randy has a knack for trouble shooting problems and making our clients feel at ease. He strongly believes in making the world a better place one computer at a time. What our clients say about randy:“On time. Great attitude. Friendly. Spent a few minutes helping a co-worker with an issue. Randy was the best!” “Randy is ALWAYS able to find a solution to my technical issues and is very kind and professional!” |
| Originally from Jackson, Mississippi, Andrew relocated to Atlanta in 2016 where he now resides with his wife and three kids.
In his free time, Andrew enjoys spending time with his family, playing video games, and hanging out with his dog (April) and cat (Kitty). What our clients say about ANDREW:“Andrew does a fantastic job, very knowledgeable!“ “Three (3) Laptops Setup – BOOM! No time at all. Thanks Andrew!!!!” “Thank you for your quick response on our emergency email situation!” |
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Nick currently resides in the Atlanta, Georgia area with his wife and two little girls. In his free time, he loves cheering on his Georgia Bulldogs.
Nick also enjoys disc golf, playing video games, hanging out with his dog Bullet, and tinkering with his own computer set up at home. What our clients say about NICK:“Nick was upbeat and helpful.” “Nick did great! I was expecting to have to purchase a new docking station and he was able to get it to work after about 25 minutes. I am so appreciative!“ “Nick stuck with the problem until it was fixed — I truly appreciated it!” |
| Chloe currently resides in Georgia and has a passion for all things technology, with a wide range of experience in a few different areas. In her free time, she likes to play video games, draw, and play table top RPGs such as DnD.
She also is very skilled at programming and occasionally makes small games, one of which ended up winning the Georgia Game Developer Association’s Best in Georgia for 2022. What our clients say about CHLOE:“Chloe was helpful, flexible and communicated with me through the process.“ “Thank you for a quick response to my ticket. Chole was great and it was a simple fix.” “Chloe is great and such a delight to work with.” |
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Raised in Brooklyn, Ashan has now become fully embraced in Atlanta and is very proud of his Trinidadian culture.
He grew up playing basketball, riding bmx, playing video games & doing karate. In his free time, Ashan enjoys all things tech, anime & video games. What our clients say about ASHAN:“Very fast response! Excellent service.” |
