Applied Connective in the News

President

As President at Applied Connective, I am responsible for organizational direction and general oversight of all product/service areas.

• My wife, Colleen, is an RN, and we have 3 children. 
• I grew up on a small farming/ranching operation north of Taylor, NE, and received my bachelor’s degree at Doane College.
• Life is crazy busy, but if I get some free time, I like to enjoy it outdoors…preferably fishing or hunting.
• Co-workers love my unrealistic but realistic expectations for task completion…
• My wife would kill me if I volunteer for one more thing. I’m currently involved with or have been a member of Boone Central School Board, Teammates Advisory Board, Albion Citizens Advisory Board, Boone County Fitness Center Board.
• I’m proud and privileged to work alongside some of the brightest and best individuals in the area.

Administrative Assistant

I answer the phone, dispatch our techs to assist customers, and keep track of the work performed by our techs.

• My husband, Cody, and I have two daughters, two dogs, two donkeys, a mama cat, and sheep.
• I’m originally from Albion and am happy to live around all our family and friends.
• I’m fascinated by the medical field. I’ve worked in medical facilities and to keep my interest piqued, I became an EMT.
• I enjoy learning how to fix/build things. All of my family and friends are gifted in a vast variety of things, so I feel I’m always learning something new from them.
• Notification bubbles on phones/computers drive me crazy!

AVS Project Manager

I install surveillance, security, Internet, phone, and audio systems to fit our customers’ needs.

• My wife, Betsy, and I have two daughters, Julia and Emma.
• I graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.
• I play in weekly leagues of golf, basketball, sand volleyball, and flag football throughout the year.
• I am a “beer geek.” When we grocery shop, I spend at least 20 minutes (or until my wife tells me it’s time to go) in the wine and spirits section looking up beer ratings on BeerAdvocate before I make a purchase.
• I am usually around a smoker on the weekends. I love barbecuing: pork butt, brisket, ribs, chicken, turkey, pork loin, etc.

IT Systems Engineer

I support the network and systems team here at Applied Connective.

• My wife, Jackie, and I live near Fullerton with our daughter, Sydnie.
• I have a Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems but that doesn’t seem to matter because this world is making me look dumber by the minute. And by “world,” I mean the team here at Applied Connective. 
• BJ Hunnicutt ruined M.A.S.H. 
• I won’t rest until we bring back belted sweaters. 
• Rush is the best band in the world (second only to Matt’s band). 
• Bugs Bunny is me hero. 
• I love chocolate pudding but prefer vanilla ice cream. Doesn’t make sense…or does it? 
• Love spending time with my family! They love that I run National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation on a continuous loop from Thanksgiving to Christmas!

Level 1 IT Technician

I’m part of the IT team at Applied Connective, so my days are spent setting up new PCs for customers; troubleshooting broken PCs, printers, etc., and installing new hardware.  

• I have experience in large steel construction and general IT.
• I’m from Sioux Falls, SD, and studied political science at USD before moving to Albion in 2017. 
• I enjoy watching the Chicago Bears & Detroit Tigers.
• I’ve been to all of the lower 48 states.
• My family and close friends call me Scoot.
• My guilty pleasure: I love to sing along to Jewel.
• I could not live without Red Bull.
• My favorite singer is Tom Petty, and I’ve seen him in concert three times.

Wireless Technician

My job is to do whatever Ed tells me to. Just kidding…sort of. I am part of the wireless group, performing scouts, customer installations, infrastructure installation, tower maintenance, and wireless troubleshooting.

• I graduated from Neligh-Oakdale high school in 2006 and Wayne State College in 2011 with a degree in K-12 Health/PE.
• I have a wife named Alyssa and a daughter named Hazel. Alyssa is an RN at Boone County Heath Center and is the exact same person as me…only in a woman’s body. 
• I love the sport of wrestling and have been participating/coaching since I was 5.
• I am a proud team member of “Buff’s Dairy,” the 2017 Neligh Men’s Bowling League Champions.
• Until I was about 18, I thought the lyrics to “Smoke on the Water” were “Stone Covered Water.”
• I do not like pizza cheese or cold cheese. All other cheese is fine.

Wireless Technician

I am a wireless technician for Applied Connective. This involves customer installations, infrastructure installation, tower maintenance, and wireless troubleshooting.

• I attended Doane and Wayne State for business and economics.
• My wife, Brittany, and I are newly married (since December 2018).
• Brittany and I own a small cow/calf operation together, so when I’m not working at Applied, you can find me farming or indulging my other obsession: my lawn.
• I love puns a little too much. I use Scott as a test subject for those puns. The bigger the growl, the better the pun.
• Heights used to be one of my biggest fears. Now I climb towers for a living.
• I’ve been told that my laugh is unique and can be contagious.
• I like to stay pretty involved locally. I’m a firefighter for the Nance County Fire Department, and I serve on the Nance County Fair Board.

Voice Manager

My duties as Voice Manager include the sales, service, and consultation of all things voice-related, along with the management of the voice department.

• My wife, Megan, and I have two children, Aurora and Miles, and live three miles south of Fullerton. I grew up in Cedar Rapids, NE, and attended Wayne State College, which is where I met Megan.
• Outside of the office, I try to spend as much of my free time with my family as possible. We like to work outside and sit around a fire and listen to music. The cold and snow of winter cramps our style, but we love Nebraska.
• I get to work with my baby brother, Matt, and he enjoys it very much.
• I like bowling, yard games, cards, and board games (even if it’s becoming harder and harder to find people willing to play with me). I am very competitive and have been informed that I am unpleasant to be around when having lost. Luckily, losing doesn’t happen very often.
• During football season, my Sunday afternoons and evenings have been and will be marked as “busy” on my schedule for many years.

IT Systems Engineer

My position as an IT systems engineer means I am responsible for fixing and helping to maintain smooth operating environments for our clients.

• My wife, Ashley, and I are new parents to our son, Greyson. The three of us live in Elgin with our two dogs, Rex and Jayden.
• I graduated from Northeast Community College with an Associate’s Degree of Applied Science in PC Support and Networking (and also had an equal amount of music classes for my degree in college).
• I wish spiked hair and reversed upside-down visors would come back in style.
• In my free time I enjoy cooking, grilling, baking, or anything that involves food.
• One of my proudest accomplishments is passing the Nebraska Firefighter 1 certification.

Creative

My role here centers primarily on creative content development. I do the advertising, design, copywriting, website management, and social media for Applied Connective, and I work with clients in a few other services (website design and cyber security awareness training). I also coordinate our philanthropy efforts.

• My husband Kyle, daughter Kacey, our yellow lab Huckleberry, and I live in Albion.
• I studied Advertising (& English) at UNL and have worked in marketing, mostly as a project manager and copywriter/editor, before joining Applied in 2017.
• I’m an Albion native, mostly Czech, double-jointed in one thumb, a professional fort-builder with my proteges (nieces and nephew), and still patiently waiting for “Mambo No. 6.”
• My husband and I recreate different Christmas movie scenes for our holiday card every year—because we’re the jolliest bunch of [impersonators] this side of the nuthouse.
• Family time is my “happy place.” And I’m a firm believer in the power of faith, gratitude, and 90s power ballads. ;) 

Operations Manager

In my role at Applied Connective, I am responsible for overseeing many of the financial aspects of the company as well as Human Resources and purchasing/receiving duties.

• I grew up in South Dakota, just on the north side of the Missouri river across from Niobrara. 
• I now live in Albion with my husband, Jon, and our three children.
• I was not much of a tennis fan until I spent two years broadcasting the US Open Tennis tournament via satellite from New York City to Europe, South America, and the Middle East.
• The best advice I ever heard: at all times, carry a towel.
• Some of the best food comes from Food Trucks.
• I wish Punky Brewster would make a comeback. She gave all of us freckle-faced little girls an identity.

Telecom / IT Technician

As a Telecom/IT Technician, I work with traditional and hosted phone systems.

• I’m married to my wonderful wife, Kaitlin, and we have two daughters and a son, Jillian, Abigail, and Matthew.
• I have an AAS in Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management and a BS in Information Technology.
• I was a chef for almost 8 years before switching career fields.
• I like to collect ferrite cores to irritate one particular colleague here at work.
• I’ve been serving in the National Guard since 2008.
• I am an ordained minister through the Universal Life Church.

AVS / Infrastructure Manager

As the Infrastructure Manager at Applied Connective, my job is diverse, to say the least. From new data cable and cameras to pro audio and projectors, my group keeps new business fun and challenging everyday.  

• I live with my beautiful wife, Amie, my son, Tucker, our two dogs, Duke and Ruger, and one Siamese cat we call Oreo. We live in a “real” log house, and we love spending time on the patio around our fire pit.
• I went to school for Construction Management after discovering I could make more in less time than going to school for architecture and had a better chance of actually being able to see the projects day-to-day.
• I like to help people.
• I love challenges. New projects make sure I never have a slow day or dull moment. Too often, we find new problems to similar situations and must adapt to them. This sort of problem solving is what drives me.
• I hold a higher attention to detail than most, which may put me in the “perfectionist” category. It can be taxing sometimes, but holding higher standards is what sets us apart from the rest and makes us good at what we do.
• My memory is good—sometimes too good. If you ever need to know how deep or at what heading a fiber optic cable is in Hays, KS…I’m your guy.
• In a world of technology and committing to lighter footprints and paper usage, I am old-fashioned. Whatever I can hold in my hands is TENFOLD better than what I can zoom in on on any smart device.

IT Systems Engineer

As an IT Systems Engineer, my job is to evaluate, monitor, and enhance IT infrastructure with an emphasis on availability, reliability, scalability, security, data confidentiality, and system integrity.

• My wife, Stephanie, and I have two daughters, Annabelle and Claire, and a dog named Cletus.
• We enjoy a variety of outdoor camping activities, including camping and boating.
• I am a former GM and raid leader of a successful WoW guild.
• I’ve been the recipient of multiple Nebraska Master Angler Awards over the years.
• When I was younger, I had a SWEET mullet—of which my coworkers absolutely insist I supply photographic evidence.
• In 2002, I was the Nebraska State Wrestling Champion.

General Technician

My role as a general technician at Applied Connective involves the installation of video surveillance, security, Internet, and phones, along with pathways and running cables just to name a few of our many duties.

• I am happily married to my wife of 7 years, Kelli Ray, who is a PA at Boone County Health Center in Albion.
• We have been blessed with three children, Sawyer, Harlow, and Asher, along with two Yorkies, Louie and Macie.
• I’m ambidextrous.
• I’m an avid hunter and have taken two Boone & Crocket Bucks.
• I enjoy golf, but baseball has always been my favorite sport. Growing up, if you couldn’t find me, all you had to do was look for the closest diamond. Speaking of baseball, I’m a HUGE Cubs fan.

AVS Service Technician

I provide and coordinate technical services and support to infrastructure, access control, surveillance, and AVS clients.

• I live on our family farm near Cedar Rapids, NE (yes, Nebraska has a Cedar Rapids too!) along with my wife, Sarah, our daughter, Reagan, our dog, Wolfe, two cats, and a farm full of cows and horses.
• I have a degree in Architectural Drafting and also have a strong ag background from growing up on the farm. 
• I love spending time with my family, whether it be taking an evening drive, playing with the dog in the yard, or just relaxing at night watching our favorite shows and listening to our favorite music.
• I’m a HUGE Dwight Yoakam fan! I’ve also managed to get my wife hooked and am currently doing my best to mold my daughter to follow me into Dwight Yoakam fandom. This makes family road trips more like a Dwight Concert!
• My hobbies are few, but I can’t get enough of them. Hunting and woodworking are passions of mine. They require patience, adaptability, skill, attention to detail, and the ability to always keep your end-goal in sight—and I apply those skills to all aspects of my life, particularly when implementing today’s high-tech solutions for our customers.
• My mantra is “Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome.”  If you’re ever in a tough spot, just remember those three things!

IT Technician

I’m an IT Technician at Applied Connective, so my job is to provide support in the form of hardware installations and assist customers with their desktop, software, and hardware needs.

• I live on the family farm west of Spalding and am helping out my parents whenever possible.
• I graduated college with a degree in Psychology with a focus on Education and Development.
• I enjoy spending time outdoors hunting, fishing and camping.
• I really like fish, choosing to spend most of my free time out fishing or tinkering on aquariums. Creating a balanced ecosystem and watching generations of fish thrive in it is extremely gratifying.
• When I was little I wanted to grow up to be Elvis Presley. Though I never became The King, I was part of the UNL Varsity Men’s Chorus and spent a summer on tour in Europe.

General Technician

My role as General Technician includes installation and troubleshooting of door access and camera security systems.

• I have been married to my my wife, Jamie, for 17 years and have two wonderful children, Lauryn and Kaleb
• I’ve spent the last 11 years as a residential and small business technician for cable contractor for Cox communications and, recently, Eagle Communications here in the Albion area.
• I enjoy helping coach my kids sporting events and, when not coaching, traveling to watch them play.
• My favorite past-time—besides sitting in my chair—is grilling. There is nothing better then being outside smoking a pork butt or beef brisket all day.

Level 1 IT Technician

As a Level 1 IT Tech, I do some IT work for businesses, such as setting up computers on a domain.

• I was born and raised in Columbus, Nebraska. I married the love of my life on June 24th, 2017. We welcomed our first son (Julian) on January 7th, 2018 and our first daughter (Juliette) on June 5th, 2019. 
• I recently graduated from Wayne State College. I am bilingual, fluent in both English and Spanish.
• I prefer Samsung products, especially over Apple.
• Before joining the Applied Connective Technologies family, I would build floors for semi-trailers. Also, I would attach refrigeration units on trailers and install trailer skirts/farings. 
• My perfect breakfast used to be Poptarts and Dr. Pepper.

General Technician

As a general technician here at Applied Connective my role is to work with the AVS team Installing cabling, security, and surveillance systems.

• I was born and raised in Boone County, Nebraska, and graduated high school from Boone Central. I live in Loretto.
• I graduated from Northeast Community College with Precision Ag and Agronomy degrees.
• I’m a photographer. I shoot mostly landscapes, but I’m getting into other types. My favorite landscape shots are of sunsets and windmills. My business name is Manchester Photography.
• Anything outdoors from fishing, shooting, camping, and hiking are things I enjoy doing.
• I’m an Eagle Scout with Boy Scout Troop 155 in Albion. I also received the Vigil Honor in Order of the Arrow also with Boy Scouts.
• Big Husker and Green Bay Packers football fan. My favorite baseball team is the Royals.

Level 1 IT Technician

As a Level 1 IT Technician, I assist our customers with all kinds of digital issues..

• I was born in Nebraska but grew up in SoCal. Missed seeing all the corn everywhere so I came back.
• Not many people are very tech-savvy where I came from, so I would actually help the school with small-scale issues with their computer systems. As I got older, it translated more to helping people and doing IT work by myself, before moving out here to Nebraska.
• I love to ride dirt bikes (or really anything off-road!). Really I like anything with an engine. The faster the better!
• I have three cats. One girl named Ahri and 2 boys named Teemo and Poptart. They’re…a handful.
• I like pineapple on pizza.
• My favorite genre of music is hip hop. Music is art, and I believe there’s something to enjoy in every song.

General Accountant

Some of my duties as General Accountant include payroll, accounts receivable, accounts payable and reconciliation. I am happy that I am part of the Applied Connective Team.

• I live in Albion with my husband Tom. Between the two of use we have six kids, three boys & three girls, kind of like the Brady Bunch.
• I have been doing payroll, bookkeeping, and income tax preparation for nearly 25 years. I enjoy working with numbers and the challenges that go along with it.
• I love spending time with family, cooking, and being outdoors. When all six kids are home, it gets loud, crazy, and fun.
• During the summer, I spend almost every weekend at Calamus lake, boating, fishing, and camping.
• Mikki is actually my nickname. My real name is Antoinette.
• My guilty pleasure is Snickers ice cream bars.

Level 1 IT Technician

I assist customers with IT-related problems by answering questions on the helpdesk and working with customers to resolve the problems they have. I also assist advanced technicians with tasks for experience and faster project completion.

• I live in Newman Grove with my wife Cara and our daughter Caitlyn. I originally grew up in Grand Island and left after high school to enlist in the US Air Force. My wife’s family is from the Newman Grove area, and we love being able to call it home.
• In the USAF, I trained as a Communications-Computer Systems Operator and learned computer maintenance and repair with some network administration. I’ve worked for 12 years as a 911 dispatcher helping the public.
• Ever since leaving the military, computers and computer gaming have been hobbies that I enjoy.
• Genealogy is another hobby I have gotten into the last few years, and it has become more of an addiction than hobby!
• I come from a family with lots of military and public safety history and we are always proud to serve near and far.
• My wife and I have the same cousins. We enjoy the fact that our families have known each other before we were born as my aunt and Cara’s uncle married.

AVS Technician

• I graduated from Elgin Public in 2002 and never attended college.
• I still live in Elgin with my wife Anney of 15 years along with our children Jeslynn, Taylor, and Benson.
• I ran my own trucking business for 14 years until I decided to head in a different direction in life.
• I really enjoy working with my hands, especially building things or taking stuff apart to see how it works and putting it back together.
• I have been a Kansas City Chiefs fan for a long time (even though they were terrible for most of it), so in the fall, I try to spend all weekend watching football!