HEROware Hero Mixes Technology with Giving on his Island Home

HEROware Hero Mixes Technology with Giving on his Island Home

November 6, 2013

On the island of Maui, business survival takes on a whole new meaning. There is a saying on the island, according to HEROware customer and Maui resident George Cabanting, that within your first year of business, the island will either embrace you or spit you out.

Fortunately for George, the island has embraced his business, Oxford Computer Services, LLC. This is due to the “aloha spirit” that George brings to all his business dealings. He believes in showing thanks to his community and his clients, which he does through volunteering and providing excellent service to his technology customers.

While Maui is small in sense of community, many parts of it are geographically remote. Through partnerships with companies such as HEROware, George is able to give even clients that are located hours away the type of professional, focused and friendly service that the locals have come to appreciate.

However, providing knowledgeable service isn’t enough to achieve business success on the island. George also donates his time to a feeding program for the needy that is located inside the church building of one of his clients, St. Theresa Parish. The kitchen, named Hale Kau Kau (translated as “house of food”) holds an annual fundraiser for which George volunteers his time to set up, manage and troubleshoot all technology. His role in this fundraiser is critical for the auction and fundraising portion of the event.

While George finds personal fulfillment in helping the less fortunate, he has a more spiritual reason for giving back in this way: “In Maui,” he says, “it is important to give back to the Hawaiian and Catholic gods to thank them for your good business fortune.”

Fortunately for George, he has a lot of business fortune to give thanks for and the reason why is clear. “On such a small island, resources are few so a lot is expected of you. If you aren’t providing a quality business, you can fail very rapidly,” he says.

George has clearly met the challenge of running a business on the island, adding, “In Maui, the cream always rises to the top.”

HEROware Hero Gives Back to His Hometown

In the two years since Brandon Phipps founded Second Star Technologies, he has used his business as a platform to advance his volunteer passions, which center around helping others in his hometown of Bakersfield, Calif.

Brandon founded Second Star Technologies in April 2011, after the company where he was working went down with the local economy. Overnight, what had started as a hobby for his wife and him in their spare time became a full-time career.
As he grows his company and achieves his own career dreams, Brandon never forgets where he comes from. He has actively lent his technology talents to Bakersfield residents who have suffered loss due to a flood.

“By rebuilding computers for families that have lost everything, I make it possible for their kids to do their school work so they don’t get even more behind,” he says.

Brandon also uses the Search Engine Optimization of his own company, as well as his large social media following, to get the word out for other favorite local nonprofits. These include Destroy Illusions Anti-Bullying School Assembly, which raises money to bring free anti-bullying school assemblies to schools that can’t afford them and the Bakersfield SCPA, a no-kill animal shelter.

Additionally, he supports, through messaging to his company’s growing community, two other organizations: I Love Pit Bulls and Students Unite Against Bullying.

“We try to make the messages coming from our company about the community and not just focus on ourselves,” he says.

September Message from HEROware

ANNOUNCING THE HEROware RESELLER ADVISORY BOARD!

The best companies listen to their customers. You know it; we know it. So, as the new president and (still) COO of HEROware (as you likely already know, our dear friend Rob Ryan received an offer that he couldn’t refuse), I’m very pleased to announce the formation of a “HEROware Reseller Advisory Board.”

The HEROware Reseller Advisory Board will be charged with identifying the best practices of our top resellers, and then enabling all of our resellers to leverage them. These best practices will include everything from effective selling of HEROware solutions, to installation and configuration of your client environments, and efficient monitoring and management of all of your customers’ protected devices.

Under the guidance of the advisory, board we will develop platforms to better educate our resellers, especially as to how our largest resellers have used HEROware to help drive the growth of their business. These very successful HEROware resellers often lead with HEROware solutions when meeting with a prospective client. This strategy has helped them significantly increase their close rates, and HEROware’s pricing has enabled them to boost their profits as well.

I’d also like to update you on the availability of our next product release. We are looking forward to bringing you the latest and greatest versions of our high-availability backup and disaster recovery products in October. Stay in touch with us for more information on this release and our upgrade program, as well as many other great things coming from HEROware in the next few months.

Bob Erickson
President and COO, HEROware