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Brian Reichow
Sales / Operations / Infrastructure / Macintosh IT / Project Management
Minneapolis, MN 55411
(Email address obscured to foil spammers)
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OBJECTIVE
Full-time IT support, administrative, management or sales engineering position that is challenging and allows me to work as part of a team that provides a superior customer experience while expanding my own base of knowledge.
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SUMMARY
Versatile, charismatic technology professional with more than 18 years of service, sales, and project/team management experience. Familiar with a variety of environments, having worked with hundreds of small business, publishing, creative, advertising/marketing, pre-press, medical, and education (K-12 and higher ed) customers. Desirable combination of sales savvy and service practicality with the ability to weigh the merits of multiple points of view, identify cost-effective solutions and streamline internal operations and processes.
EXPERIENCE & ACHIEVEMENTS
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June, 2001
to present
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Escape.
Technology systems integrator.
Chief Escape Officer/Principal Consultant -- Ringleader, Cheerleader and Fearless Leader
Retained key customers cultivated during tenure at Cybernet/WAM!NET.
Successfully guided startup business from traditional "consultant" model to broad-based systems integrator with $200,000 in yearly revenue
Responsible for all aspects of the business, including prospecting, marketing, accounting, billing, client development/management, sales, accounting
Selection and oversight of three staff and a team of subcontractors
Managed the concurrent needs of more than four dozen ongoing customers comprising more than 400 seats
Developed IT capital budgets for customers
Provided a complete range of outsourced IT services for customers, network engineering, product recommendation, and server/storage/backup (infrastructure) planning and deployment
Acted as on-site project manager for customer deployment and integration of related services and equipment by outside vendors such as web hosting, firewalls, teledictation systems, or telecom (voice-over-IP) systems
Minimized customer IT expenses by recommending and placing solutions that tend to require minimal ongoing maintenance (lowest Total Cost of Ownership) and identifying/eliminating budget-draining everyday expenses
Specific expertise in mass system imaging, RAID storage, high speed networks, VPN, workflow automation (AppleScript, etc.), wireless (Wi-Fi) network deployment, and end-user color management needs. Disaster recovery and business continuity planning. Software focus on Mac OS X, Mac OS X Server, cross-platform directory integration (Open Directory & Active Directory), FileMaker Pro, Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Suite, Windows virtualization (Parallels Desktop), remote access (Apple Remote Desktop). Apple Certified Technical Coordinator, 2002-present.
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June, 2000
to April, 2001
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WAM!NET.
Premium file delivery and digital asset management for major media companies via a high-speed private network.
Sr. Software Engineer, WAM!NET Professional Services -- Lead architect for workflow automation initiatives
Headed AppleScript integration of Canto Cumulus, FileMaker Pro, the Macintosh Finder and WAM!NET's own proprietary end user software in support of various product teams (customized as needed for each client)
Web integration of database back ends
Setup of digital asset management for key clients across the U.S.
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October, 1995
to May, 2000
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Cybernet Systems.
Macintosh systems integrator
Service Manager (1998-2000)
Responsible for management of 12 direct reports
Developed automated means of tracking technician usage, enhancing scheduling efficiency, determining profit & loss, and calculating incentives paid to staff
Rewrote internal service/help desk database to tie in with Sales, Purchasing, and Accounting, eliminating processes that had been dependent entirely on paper
Reduced telephone response time for all customers to levels previously guaranteed only to contract customers
Improved technician efficiency by routing technician calls geographically as well as giving morning assignments the day before (technicians need not report to depot each morning)
Set client expectations based on what could realistically be delivered
Addressed problems with late returns of service parts to Apple's central depot (and associated penalty fees they assessed)
Created web-based means for customers to submit job tickets and track status of projects and repairs in real-time
Created automated fax-blast system for delivering promotional and discount messages to the customer base
Employee reviews and development
Developed staff equipment budget requests
Trainer (1997-1999)
Cultivated a staff of eight young Mac techs into a team with consistent methods, ethics and skills -- "the Cybernet way." Apple Computer subsequently made three of them their first hires when launching the first Twin Cities Apple retail stores in 2001.
Established broad curriculum and documentation.
Reached goal of all Mac technicians achieving Apple hardware and software certifications.
Sr. Systems Engineer (1995-2000) & Account Manager (1995-1998)
Straddled the line between service & sales staff
Consistently the most profitable, most-scheduled, and most-requested field engineer on the Cybernet team. Also maintained the highest gross margin on equipment sales, largely due to the trust customers had in my service work.
Consulting and support for creative and prepress companies, ad agencies, commercial printers, and Fortune 1000 firms.
Developed web content management system to automate web publishing and job concepting/versioning for ad agency (1998). Design allowed for customized branding and security on a per-client basis. Achieved savings of one full-time webmaster position, as account staff could publish content by dropping files into "hot folders."
Automated display ad "preflight" processing for a regional newspaper chain via AppleScript, QuarkXPress, and FileMaker Pro. Saved client $26,000 annually by reducing operator time required each week from 3 days to 3 hours.
Created Electronic Press Room mass-emailing system for advertising agency (1999) -- a web-based tool for sending press releases, electronic press kits (EPKs) and other rich text emails to selected addresses, generally culled from Bacon's Media List, and tracking response rate (clickthroughs).
Areas of expertise: networking, color management, workflow automation, digital asset management, Mac/PC integration. Internet routing and connectivity, file servers. Backup, archive and RAID solutions; disaster recovery planning. Extensive familiarity with most Mac software packages. Apple Hardware Tech certified, A+ certified.
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1992-1995 |
Apple Computer.
Campus Marketing Intern, University of Minnesota
Tasked with building a four-person "Student Rep" team to market the sale of Apple products via the Student Bookstore
Helped raise Apple product sales by 50%, prompting Apple's interest in cloning my methods on other college campuses
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EDUCATION |
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1991-1994,
2003-2004 |
University
of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN. B.A. Journalism/Advertising. |
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