When Comdisco implemented the Employee of the Quarter award program in 1991, I was the first recipient. I received the recognition from the company founder and president, Ken Pontikes, for exceeding performance expectations and striving to improve efficiency and profitability throughout the company. In 1987, I installed the first local area network for the global technology leasing and disaster recovery company. The following year I led a project to connect the LAN to the corporate mainframe using an Ethernet DLC connection and HLLAPI protocols. I was then able to query the IDMS database and download data into a MS/Sybase SQL Server that was running OS/2. This new ability empowered many users and programmers throughout the company. When I left Comdisco in 1992, the PC network had grown to over 2500 worldwide nodes. I have worked with many vendors that were developing cutting-edge technologies and successfully used their beta software in pilot programs that later showed large returns on investment when they were put into production use. These efforts were recognized by Comdisco with other significant performance awards including "Trailblazer", and "I Have an Idea". Many vendors recognized that I am able to work directly with their developers and be a valuable resource when negotiating sales contracts as well. These relationships continue to benefit me today in many ways. |