Frank Stefanizzi - Socket's You-Make-The-Difference Award Winner for June 2014!

Congratulations to Field Services Technician Frank Stefanizzi for being named the June recipient of Socket's You-Make the-Difference Award!

Frank is originally from Guttenberg, New Jersey. (Fun fact: Steve Carrell lived in Guttenberg during his stint with The Daily Show.) In his younger days, Frank enjoyed partying it up on the Jersey Shore (before the show), renting a house every summer with 12 other guys with names like Vinnie and Tony.

Fortunately, his journeys eventually brought him to Missouri in 2001, and to Socket just a little over three years ago.

These Online Ads Are Ruining Christmas!

Online shopping has, in many ways, made it easier to find that perfect gift. However, it’s also made it easier to ruin the surprise, especially when members of a household share a computer.

We’ve heard the same story multiple times now – after purchasing a gift, that item then appears in advertisements all across the web. After getting bombarded with ads for a very specific model of laptop, it’s hard to not guess what just arrived in the mail.

Kurt Bruemmer - Socket's You-Make-The-Difference Award Winner for May 2014!

Described as “one of Socket's best kept secrets,” this month’s winner is Kurt!

After starting as Socket’s Director of Network Operations in 2000, Kurt eventually became Director of Operations, and then Director of Business Improvement and Control.

“Kurt is a crucial member of Socket’s team,” said a fellow coworker. “He’s recently taken on new responsibilities, and is always willing to help his fellow Socketeers however he can.”

Customer Kudos!

Our techs always love hearing from customers they've helped out. Even if it's their job, it's still nice to hear it was a job well done.

Take this email we received about residential tech agent Jesse M., for example:

Dave Sill - Socket's You-Make-The-Difference Award Winner for April 2014!

He is described as the “end all fixer of fixers” – April’s You-Make-The-Difference Award winner is Dave Sill!

Originally from Lexington, MO (like last month's winner!), Dave studied at Columbia College before starting at Socket, where he’s been for over 15 years.

“It would probably be quicker to list the roles I haven’t had with Socket,” said Dave. “Right now I’m the ‘Internal Network Operations Manager.’ Whatever that means.”

Softball Season is Here!

It’s finally starting to feel like spring, which is great news for Socket’s Softball team – it’s hard to get in the spirit when the temperature’s in the low 50s!

The team will be playing on Rainbow Field in Columbia most Friday nights, as part of Columbia’s Adult Coed Softball League. If you’re looking for something to do with the family on Friday nights, come check it out!

Matt Kohly - Socket's You-Make-The-Difference Award Winner for March 2014!

Matt Kohly has been named Socket’s You-Make-the-Difference Award winner for March!

Matt joined Socket’s legal team back in July 2004. In the decade since, he’s worked with other telecom companies so we can provide service in more areas, as well as working with Socket’s owners to determine which services and areas would be best for expansion. He’s also been instrumental in the development of Socket’s fiber network.

“For those of you who know Matt, you can clearly see that he goes above and beyond for everything that is sent his way,” said a co-worker who nominated him for the award.

Mat Harrison: Socketeer of the Year 2013

Mat Harrison, a longtime Programmer at Socket, was recently named the 2013 Socketeer of the Year

The Socketeer-of-the-Year award was started 9 years ago, when Socket's owners decided to honor one of the year’s monthly You-Make-The-Difference-Award winners based on their embodiment of our Core Values and Beliefs.

Mat joined Socket’s tech support team in October 2004 before moving to the programming department in 2005. He writes a variety of applications we use here at Socket to keep our customers running smoothly, and he also develops and improves elements of Socket’s website.