[0:30] What does Stockmeier do?

We make chemicals like urethane products and plastics.

[01:00] What’s the daily grind like over there?

When I came on board, we had a lot of projects around security and processes. We are a building procedure. Security is primarily what I and my team are working on. Disaster recovery and business continuity are our focus.

[01:55] What are the end-user conversations like for you?

A large part of issues within networks can be due to end-user error. Education is a huge part of what I do. I send out questions and quizzes to familiarize people with the language. I tell my team to know their audience and to avoid lots of acronyms.

[03:58] Were there any battles with executive management regarding what you needed?

None at all, our CEO is very security-driven and understands the need for technology.

[04:45] Why do you think that is? Because often that isn’t the case.

On the management side, they are educated on technology. They see it as a force multiplier. We have offices all over the world and our CEO just likes technology. We don’t compartmentalize like other companies.

[06:48] How did you come to learn the business language?

I’ve been in the industry a long time and I worked with companies around stocks. Stocks, accounting, and technology always seem to get lumped together, so it does get picked up over time.

[09:00] How did you get started in IT?

I was in the US Army for 10 years. I was an airborne paratrooper, and I was at Fort Meade in Maryland involved with intelligence, and it was time to go back to school in the mid-90s. IT seemed like a good bet.

[10:08] How do you turn off from work and stress?

When you care about what you do and your organization, it’s almost impossible to turn off. It’s like being a parent; you always worry. Once I got backups and protocols in place, it negated some of the worries.

[13:16] You weren’t a computer nerd growing up?

Not really. There was a computer at school in the 80s, but otherwise, no. I worked in technology while I was in college, which was the most helpful.

[14:03] What was helpful about it?

Being immersed in it is just like learning a language. IT is best to learn hands-on. I have OCD, so learning and keeping a regimen helps in that respect.

[15:00] Where does OCD get in the way?

Honestly, I have severe OCD, and if my bed isn’t made a certain way in the morning, the world is ending. I have to do things in a very specific manner. I think a lot of guys in our industry are dealing with OCD.

[18:55] How big is your team?

There are 3 of us. A network engineer, a technician, and me.

[19:30] How do you work together as a team? Do you have any insights into team building, goal setting, etc?

Learning the strengths and weaknesses of your team as well as their personalities. As a manager, my job is to back them. You have to lead, be accountable and do what you say. Think of yourself as a leader, not just a manager.

[21:50] How do you create ways to negate stress and issues with the workload?

If your team is ramped up and knows what you know, it helps. IT guys tend to hoard knowledge, and that isn’t the way to work.

[32:12] How did COVID affect you guys?

We had masks in the office and staggered shifts. There were no big hiccups, honestly. The snowstorm that hit Texas affected us more delays-wise.

[33:10] How is IT involved in the production process?

All the systems run on our network. Reactors, machines that mix chemicals, etc. It runs pretty smoothly, and we haven’t had any major problems.

[34:15] When you started in IT, what was one of the biggest hurdles you had to deal with?

Just getting internet in the building. Getting T1. Security wasn’t a big thing. Speed was the biggest issue at the time, but that was all down to tech. Picking up the language and software as it was brand new was hard too.

[42:40] What’s your current biggest concern?

Security and ransomware.