Adam Bockbrader is a lead IT support specialist who works out of our Strongsville, Ohio, office. Although Adam has worked for Portfolio for a mere nine months, he has already been named Associate of the Month!
Adam previously worked for a managed service provider that outsourced IT to car dealerships. “It’s interesting to see the automotive industry from an IT point of view and to see how different dealerships handle technology, whether they want to invest in it or not,” he says.
At Portfolio, Adam is in charge of working with the phone system. “I make sure the phones are up and running, that 5/9 is working correctly.” Adam also handles the escalation tickets for various departments. “The tickets that are giving others difficulty get passed on to me. I lead the team with resolving the day-to-day technical challenges. I’m the extra, fresh set of eyes the team taps when a new point of view is needed.”
As you can guess, Adam works with teams across the entire organization, at all levels. “I have my hands in just about every department that uses a phone system. I get pulled into any meeting with anybody at any time!” he chuckles. One group he works with frequently would be the mechanical claims department, ensuring phone calls are routed to the correct people. He also works closely with the IT operations team to improve the end user experience. “I maintain a line of communication between what IT operations is doing at the back end and what we are supporting at the front end.”
Adam thoroughly enjoys working at Portfolio and says that, although it sounds clichéd, he truly feels like his department is a family. “We all get along, we have jokes, we have a good day working together. IT can get pretty bogged down but even on a rough day we still find time to have fun. Once a week, the entire team comes into the office to work, and we always plan to go out to lunch together on those days.”
His work family also includes his mentor, IT Support Desk Supervisor Chris Rothemund, who initially presented the Portfolio job opportunity to Adam. “Chris hired me for my first IT position right before I graduated from college. He took a chance on me and has guided me ever since, from leadership advice to customer service skills and everything in between.” Chris is not only a mentor, but also a neighbor and friend. “He has seen me through all of my major life experiences. He has been there and seen it all.”
Work is not the only thing on Adam’s mind these days as he and his wife are expecting a baby boy in January 2024. Adam says he is looking forward to all that is to come but knows that very soon his joy of traveling will become a bit curtailed.
“I enjoy spending time outdoors, camping, hiking, getting away from technology. In IT it’s an unfortunate reality that work follows me on my cell phone 24/7, so any chance I get to go camping in the middle of the woods without cell service is just fantastic.”
Once a year, he and his wife take a trip to completely disconnect, relax and recharge. Two recent trips were to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic and Shenandoah National Park. “My dream vacation is to go out west and hit all of the national parks for three weeks. Or to go overseas to visit Ireland.”
We wish our rising IT star warm wishes and the best of luck as his family expands and they welcome a new little one soon. We hope they will find moments to unplug and unwind!