Park Tech acquires business volunteer

Technology professional helps develop business approach, strategy

Park+Tech+acquires+business+volunteer

According to Park Tech adviser Jake Utites, Nathan Thorgrimson reached out to the club in order to help renew the club and its approach towards outreach and business management.   

“So I am still the adviser, but there is a (helper) named Nathan Thorgrimson,” Utites said. “He was one of the original students who founded the club 10, 11 years ago and he now works in IT in a tech office, and he wants to help revamp the club to be more similar to an IT department so that they can use it as a launching pad for careers in technology.”

Club member junior Michael Ramirez said Thorgrimson will help the club transition into a more business-like approach to customers and general policy.

“We just had Mr. Utites, but he did not have much business information to grow the club,” Ramirez said. “As a secondary adviser, (Thorgrimson) tells us how to fix computers and how to properly manage them.”

The club is starting with small steps, such as a focus on new types of advertising, according to sophomore Jasper Hoff.

“We are trying to become like a business, but it’s small steps at a time. We are trying to get there,” Hoff said. “We are working with more people and getting outside of where we usually advertise, which is primarily in the school.”

Utites said the club will likely adopt new policies modeled off of professional tech-help businesses which will help to organize the club’s work.

“We are going to get a ticketing system that is similar to what any other tech office has, so we can see who is working on what projects and when they are completed, when they come in, etc.,” Utites said. “(We will also be) revamping the website, revamping processes within the club so that we can keep a clear idea of the services we provide to the community instead of just saying we fix computers.”

The club is also reaching out to potential clients outside of Park, according to Ramirez.

“We are trying to distribute flyers to nearby companies such as the Nest and we are trying to get to Park Tavern and other local businesses here,” Ramirez said. “We are trying to be more legitimate and have actual credibility for ourselves.”

Utites said he hopes the new business approach will help teach the club participants more about a tech-help career.

“I hope that they get more experience with computers, get better and better at fixing them, preparing them, getting an idea of what a career in IT is like so that when they move on they can use this as a good resume builder to help them get jobs in the next steps of IT,” Utites said.