Emerge

We sure had a blast at our annual friends- and family-focused holiday party, which included a visit from the Big Guy himself. Pictured with Santa, from the left: our CRO, Jesse Kegley, our CEO, Richard Brown, and our COO, Clark Earick. Celebrating at year’s end is even more special when it’s been a great year for business. For that, we thank our remarkable, hard-working team and our customers for the trust they place in us. Here’s hoping your holidays are also filled with good cheer!

Joe Pomeroy, one of our Tier 1 Systems Engineers, has some interesting credentials. For starters, he holds two bachelor’s degrees from the University of Cincinnati, one in Cybersecurity and the other in Networking Systems and Administration. He’s also earned professional certifications from Network Plus and Logic Monitor. As if that weren’t enough, he’s also an Eagle Scout and certified by the Federal Aviation Administration to fly drones. How cool is that? Joe (pictured here with his girlfriend, Emily) says the best part of his job is “the ever-changing things he gets to do and the constant learning.” We admire that because, in our business, adaptability and an eagerness to learn new things are essential to success. Joe also says that, for him, our company’s purpose—to help people—is all about making people’s days better and their lives easier with technology. We like that. An engineer through and through, Joe even tinkers with computers at home. He also enjoys hanging out with family and friends and serving as the Chair of Trustees at his church. You’re an impressive person, Joe, and we’re pleased to call you a colleague.

FEI Cincinnati is hosting a member event on January 30th called “Cybersecurity: Practical Advice in the Age of AI.” The presentation will be led by two of our team members, Chief Revenue Officer Jesse Kegley and Cybersecurity Manager Jeff Aiken, along with representatives from U.S. Bank. We’re looking forward to discussing the biggest topics in IT today—cybersecurity and AI—with the FEI members. To learn more about the event, visit: https://bit.ly/49C7UIk BTW...We always welcome the chance to share our expertise. If your organization is looking for a speaker to share insights into an IT topic, don’t hesitate to reach out.

Ho, ho, ho! Over the past few weeks, we’ve had a blast playing Santa Claus and buying Christmas gifts for needy families in our area. A big thanks to the Howell and Lindeman Family Resource Center for identifying the families and tipping us off to the items they need, as well as some fun stuff they’d love to have. Also, a big shout-out to our colleagues who generously purchased the gifts. They will make the recipients’ holidays brighter—just as helping out has made ours brighter!

Darren McNew, a Senior Systems Engineer at Emerge, is a Cleveland Browns fan. “Seriously, please don’t ask me why,” he says. “I think I hate them as much as I love them.” He also cheers for “The” Ohio State University. A ten-year member of the Emerge team, Darren focuses on Microsoft’s Entra, Intune, SharePoint, Exchange, and Security. His certifications include Cisco CCNP, Meraki Solutions Specialist, and Microsoft Azure Fundamentals. He’s a graduate of ITT Technical Institute and Sinclair Community College. He lives with his wife, Elisha, and their two daughters (Baylee, 16, and Ella, 13) in Brookville, Ohio, a suburb of Dayton. The family includes three pets: a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Callie and two cats, Teddy and Lucy. Darren McNew embraces our company’s purpose, “To help people,” in his personal life, too. But don’t ask him who he’s helped. He prefers that his good deeds go unrecognized, and we respect that. We consider ourselves fortunate to have you helping our customers, Darren. (Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone.)

Yesterday's cybersecurity forum hosted by the Cincinnati Business Courier was most informative. Our CRO, Jesse Kegley (pictured third from the left), was a featured speaker. Among the topics discussed was how cybercrime, because of its invisible and anonymous nature, can create a mindset in which it’s easy to ignore or to believe it won’t happen to your company. But with annual global damages at $10 trillion and growing year over year, cybercrime couldn’t be more real. Jesse reminded the attendees that effective cybersecurity is an ongoing process, not a one-off project. Bad actors get smarter and craftier by the day. As such, daily diligence is a must. The Business Courier will publish a forum transcript in the coming weeks.

Our annual employee food drive for GO Pantry was another success. We collected nearly 12,000 items, about 800 more than last year! We’re so proud of our employees’ generosity and eagerness to live our company’s purpose: To Help People. This food will help ensure that fewer kids in our communities go hungry when they’re not in school during the holiday break. If you’re looking for an organization to support this holiday season, we encourage you to consider GO Pantry, they do fantastic work. You can learn more and donate at https://bit.ly/3YNIgg7.

We gathered on Thanksgiving weekend to ice, decorate, and package dozens and dozens of holiday cookies, which we hand-deliver to our customers along with a personalized note. This sweet tradition of ours is now in its 17th year. It’s one of the ways we express our gratitude to our customers and the trust they place in us all year long.

We have so much to be thankful for here at Emerge: - Amazing colleagues who never tire of helping our customers. - Wonderful customers without whom we wouldn’t have a business. - Partners who make what we do and how we do it better. - Our new headquarters in Florence, KY, that encourages collaboration. - Rewarding opportunities to live our company’s purpose: “To help people.” We could go on. And on. May your Thanksgiving be full of gratitude, too!

Zac Coffey, a Tier III Operations Engineer at Emerge, gets a kick from playing video games with his kids. He says they still can’t beat him at any Sonic or Mario game, but he stands no chance when it comes to “MLB The Show” or “NCAA Football 25.” He brings that competitive spirit to work and gladly embraces the fact that every day presents unique challenges to be conquered. He’s a graduate of Lindsey Wilson College and holds a bucket-full of industry certifications, including Linux+, SUSE CLA 11, Project+, HPE Hybrid Cloud Solutions, and Microsoft Azure Fundamentals. Zac lives in Russell Springs, KY, with his wife Jenni, their three kids (Boston, 10, Berkley, 6, and Banks, 6 months), and their Goldendoodle (Boomer). In his free time, Zac enjoys playing the drums in his church’s band and cheering on his sons’ baseball teams. He’s also a fan of the University of Kentucky and the Philadelphia Phillies. We’re so pleased that you’re part of our team, Zac! Thanks for all you do for Emerge and our customers.