TeamQuest leaders hit the open road
by Michelle Watson
Talk about dedicated employees-- Kirk Groeneweg, Joe Rich and Jim Smith, all of TeamQuest in Clear Lake, will travel 1,550 miles by motorcycle to attend the TeamQuest Technology Summit in Tucson, Ariz. Groeneweg and Rich left Clear Lake on Thursday, April 10, among rain and 30 mile per hour gusts of wind. The duo stopped in Kansas City where they were joined by Smith.
“I thought it would be more fun and certainly more economical than taking a plane,” said Rich. “Plus, it’s a much better way to see the USA and it gives us an excuse to get our bikes out after a long winter. It also builds character and a sense of team among the riders.”
Groeneweg commented on his reasons for making the trip. “We travel a lot for our jobs, 95 percent of the time we’re flying, which has become a real drag with all the rules to remember. The freedom we will have on this trip will be a joy. As far as I’m concerned there’s no better way to travel and see the USA. You can see and smell everything, unlike in a car.”
Once the three reach Tucson, it’s all business.
The Summit, which runs April 14-15, gathers information technology (IT) professionals from around the world to discuss leading performance and capacity management issues. They also share experiences, ideas and network. New this year are product training classes and reseller certification sessions.
Rich, director of Strategic Alliances for TeamQuest Corporation, manages the relationships with the companies’ major vendors, such as Sun, IMB, HP, Microsoft and others. At the summit, he will be meeting with partners and introducing them to clients. He will also be one of the trainers for the reseller certification day.
“I have a responsibility for four partner presentations during the conference, so I will be making sure that they all go smoothly,” he said.
Groeneweg, senior enterprise performance specialist, works in the sales department as a technical person. He spends the majority of his time working with clients who are not current customers. He teaches them how to use software and help them solve problems on their computers.
“At the conference, my job is to make sure my customers have a good time,” said Groeneweg. “I talk with the customers and they tell me what problems they are facing in their work environment and I try to introduce them to other clients that I know have, or did have, those same problems.”
Groeneweg is adding excitement to his trip, by making the return trip in 24 hours or less, in order to attend his son’s first grade school program on April 17.
“There is one more reason to make the trip,” said Groeneweg. “There is a group of riders called the Iron Butt Association that do long distance riding for fun. Some people call it crazy, my wife included, but if I can do that 1,500 miles in 24 hours or less I earn an award.”
TeamQuest Corporation is the global leader in IT Service Optimization (ISTO), specializing in Capacity Management software. TeamQuest is located at 1 TeamQuest Way, Clear Lake.
