You've Been Heard

Amit Gaur is Chief Information Officer at On Campus Marketing (OCM). He has been working in IT for almost 20 years and held a variety of roles from Software Developer, to Vice President of Engineering, to his current role as CIO. He graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science from Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya and an MS in Computer Sciences from Utah State University.

Join us to hear Amit discuss how OCM survived the pandemic, what true collaboration between departments looks like, and how to motivate and get the best out of your people.

Ryan Gruver is the IT Director at Banner Health. He has been with them for over 14 years, working his way up the ladder from Data Center Operations Specialist to Director of IT. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in Network and Systems Administration from the University of Advancing Technology, and a Master’s of Science in Information Management and Management Information Systems.

Listen to our conversation to hear Ryan’s thoughts on how he ended up in IT, his journey through Banner Health’s IT department, and how to bridge the gap between the IT world and the business world of upper-level management.

Joining me for this episode is Eric DiTillio, Head of IT at Stockmeier, as well as a US Army veteran. He has over 25 years of experience leading enterprise-wide transformation and operational improvement programs, leveraging industry-leading technology and business practices. Eric has a Diploma in Leadership/Management, is a Microsoft Certified IT Professional and Technology Specialist, and also holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science plus a master’s degree.

In this episode, Eric discusses his unlikely journey into IT and his experience in the US Army. We also talk about how his OCD affects his day to day and why he believes many IT people are afflicted with it. Our main topics of conversation are team building and security, and Eric shares what is most important in leadership.

Randy Kellum is the Director of Information Technology at ARC Automotive. ARC manufactures airbag inflators for automotive safety. Randy graduated from Charleston Southern University with a BS in Physics and obtained Advanced Leadership Certification at Eckerd College. He has been working in IT and leadership since 1997 and has a wealth of experience in project management and systems implementation.

Listen to today’s episode to hear Randy discuss how he went from dreams of being a physicist to IT, and how he learned on-the-job people skills and confidence in presenting. Learn about the importance of adding value and how to make your department heard.

19+ years of combined experience directing, managing, building, implementing, and optimizing a broad range of IT infrastructure technology systems and services (including in a global capacity) has taught Cedric Wells one main thing: The world is changing way too fast to hold on to yesterday’s decisions when all the variables used to make those decisions have changed.

As a millennial business-driven IT leader with 10+ years of managerial experience, his greatest asset is knowing when to embrace something new and pivot.

…is a CTO & CIO. He is an experienced IT leader with a demonstrated history of working in a variety of industries, including pharmaceuticals, oil and gas, energy, life safety, and consulting. Phill graduated from the New Jersey Institute of Technology with a BSME in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA in Management of Technology.

Phil Volltrauer who is a CTO & CIO. He is an experienced IT leader with a demonstrated history of working in a variety of industries, including pharmaceuticals, oil and gas, energy, life safety, and consulting. Phill graduated from the New Jersey Institute of Technology with a BSME in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA in Management of Technology.

Listen in to the show to hear Phil discuss how he went from mechanical engineering to IT and ended up climbing the ladder of management. We also talk about money management and how it can help you in both your job and your personal life.

…is a technically sophisticated and business savvy Senior Leader with a pioneering career reflecting strong leadership qualifications coupled with hands-on IT and networking expertise. Rising technology executive, noted for cutting millions in IT expenses and driving business innovation, leveraging information security, applications, networking, operations, sharepoint administration and risk management leadership to accelerate business growth and gain competitive edge.

Our guest on this week’s show is Mike Johnson, an IT executive who has spent the last few years working on finding his worth and making others understand the value of the IT department that they may be taking for granted.

Listen in as Mike discusses how he came to understand his and his work’s worth, what it took to make his previous boss also see it, and what companies need to understand about IT departments and the bottom line.

IT manager at GEOCON, Inc, Jakob is an Astaro Certified Administrator as of November 2009 (ACA), and has completed the Tekelec T6000 Service Administrator Course as well as the Tekelec T6000 Installation & Maintenance Course. His phone call with Phil is an honest consultation with the aim to improve the phones system and beyond for his company.

Phil Howard invites you to join a unique consultation call that wasn’t originally a podcast episode. Listen to what became “one of the best ever; people are going to love this!” (Phil Howard), where guest Jakob Ragnarsson touches on the frustrating points of being an IT leader. But stand by! Because Phil will show Jakob and the listeners of Dissecting Popular IT Nerds how one call with him can result in 80% savings (you heard right) in their monthly telecom costs, providing clarity on what Microsoft Teams has to offer and sharing additional resources–free of cost.

is a seasoned and credentialed Fortune 500 IT leader with over 20 years of enterprise level experience in the CPG, manufacturing, public service, banking, retail, QSR, telecommunications, and consulting industries. He has shown strong leadership in IT Vision, Strategy, and road mapping, as well as Program and Project Management. Rusty is a cost consciousness and results-oriented leader with an eye steadily trained upon continuous process improvement and cost benefit analysis/ROI. He has a proven a track record of remarkable hires that made immediate and measurable impacts in the ability to deliver with incredible velocity and pinpoint accuracy.

Today’s guest on Dissecting Popular IT Nerds is the example of how IT leaders should handle their operations. Rusty Everhart is an IT manager of an over 500-user, 2 million square foot campus and furniture capital business, where their sales increased during the pandemic. And the craziest part: they don’t do a lick of online sales.

Don’t miss today’s episode on proper IT leadership, specifically why you need to start getting everybody in the room when it’s time for an IT solution (and we’re not talking about your IT team), train your employees to stand with confidence, and work consistently on communication to ensure a flawless user experience.

is an IT Management professional with over 15 years of experience in the fields of information security, enterprise architecture, cloud infrastructure, systems administration, and project management. He strives to stay on the forefront of new technologies and constantly looks for ways to effectively execute within current budget means.

It’s an off-of-the-cuff episode today on Dissecting Popular IT Nerds, where host Phil Howard and his guest, John Carter Gillespie, talk how they surf between work/life balance and on the waves in general from their coast-centric locations. Take advice from a company manager who’s created 80% growth in the last two years in the operations sector. Establish the crucial trait that your IT customers are asking for and onboard personalities who will undoubtedly bring it to the table.