Category: Spotlights

Hi there!  My name is Keith Yonan, and I've been an IT professional for the past 30+ years.  I started my career as a mainframe COBOL developer, and over the years, I've been able to experience and learn a little bit of every new piece of technology that was developed and thrown in front of me.  To help further my career as it went on, I also became involved with the management side of IT development teams, Computer Operations Support, and Project Management.  And sometimes that pushes you away from the actual development side of IT.  A short while ago, I thought I was ready to leave the world of IT and settle into some greener pastures.  (Can you tell already that I might have a golfing addition?)But as time…

As ASI’s second official employee (after Scott!), Jim is truly an OG; in fact, he still codes regularly in COBOL and continually amazes us with his knowledge and expertise in any given situation! He can be found with a cup of coffee at any time, and as our resident office ‘Dad’, we can always count on him to provide us with his ‘Dad Joke of the Day’. Let’s see what he’s shared with us...Favorite job growing up? Working on the family farm. It was hard work, but I have my best memories from that time. Hobbies/pets/fun fact that not many people know? I enjoy researching family genealogy for my family, my wife’s family, and others within our families.What music is on your iPhone/Android phone? I like a wide range of music.  Here’s just some of the music you’ll find on my phone: Hits of the 80sClassical…

From starting as a Programmer and now in a manager role, Sue has made many remarkable impacts over the years here at ASI.  In fact, this month marks her 17th completed year with ASI!  Say whaaat!?!!  We appreciate everything she does day in and day out and are forever thankful.  We decided to get to know her a little better and share with everyone!  See if you can spot the ones that caught our eye...Where’d you grow up? West BendAny pets? Dog – Izzie is ten years oldOne thing you can’t resist? DOGS (and sometimes cats)Favorite Quote (movie or life, mantra)? If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change youBiggest pet peeve? When I’m angry and my family doesn’t take me seriously! 😉 See #38What’s the most interesting thing that…

In our next customer spotlight, we?re celebrating one of our fastest-growing relationships; Society Insurance. While we?ve only been working with them since March of 2019, they have quickly grown from one or two ASI folks spending a few hours a week, to a dedicated staff of 6+ by the end of the year! Helping companies stay current with changing technology is our mission at ASI. Converting legacy systems to new technology is often a critical need for insurance carriers, but it is a large, multi-year project. Since their daily business operations rely on their systems to be up and running 24/7, converting systems in one big lump is usually an unacceptable risk. Instead, applications are converted gradually over time. This approach, known as a phased conversion, ensures the system remains…

While it’s technically Nancy’s 3rd anniversary working here AT ASI, she’s actually been working WITH ASI for nearing on two decades! That’s right; Nancy worked for almost 28 years with one of our first insurance customers. And that means she’s been ‘on the other side’ and knows EXACTLY what our customers are going through on a day-to-day basis. Nancy started her career as a teacher (and principal!), but she decided to go in a different direction when a relocation opened some new options. Nancy was hired as a policy typist at a local Sheboygan insurance company and quickly advanced into more challenging positions.Shortly after her company implemented a computer policy system that improved their efficiency, the software company that supported the RS6000 no longer could. Enter ASI!Nancy worked with the…

Happy one-year anniversary to Josh! As one of the most up-beat, positive personalities in the office, there’s nothing Josh won’t do to help out a friend and teammate. Previously, Josh attended St. Norbert College where he graduated with degrees in Computer Science and Math. He was also very active with his fraternity, Phi Delta Theta, and many other groups and clubs on campus.That activism really came to light when we sat down to ask him 20 (ish) questions! See for yourself...Where'd you grow up? School? I grew up in Elmwood, WI, with a population of 814 as of the 2000 census so I was in the same building for school elementary through high school. Talk about knowing your neighbors!Hobbies/pets/fun fact that not many people know? I have a ton of…

Happy workaversary to Nick, who celebrates his one-year with us this week! Nick started in 2019 after graduating from University of Wisconsin-La Crosse with a degree in Computer Science and minor in Nutrition.  He now works on one of our larger customer accounts, tackling the day-to-day management of their legacy system.The one thing we've come to expect from Nick is the unexpected. Read on to see why...What did you want to be when you were a kid? I always wanted to be a veterinarian. Then I discovered you actually don’t just get to play with animals all day.Favorite memory from work? Definitely wearing the dinosaur mask all around one of our client’s offices during Halloween and getting to see and hear all of their reactions.What do you do/what does your day consist of? I’ve always had a schedule in my life and I definitely operate best on one. My…

This week we’re celebrating Steve’s one-year anniversary with ASI! Steve joined us last year after working for over 20 years in a large company’s IT department. We truly treasure his breadth of knowledge and thoughtful mentoring skills. We could write a whole blurb on who Steve is, but honestly he’s quite aptly personified by a quote he gave regarding his first boss: “The original president made sure we knew that everyone would have a bad day and make a mistake. He was adamant that we help each other on that day, extend a hand and pick them up. Fix the issue and move on. That is a lesson that has stuck with me. So many leaders take a harsher approach to dealing with other’s mistakes and that really makes little sense to me.”Steve, we sure love having…

Next up in our employee spotlight series  is Brandon!  Who, you guessed it,  is celebrating his  SECOND  anniversary with us, TODAY!   When not frequenting his favorite KwikTrip, or KT as it's known colloquially around the office, he surprises all of us with his auto knowledge and heavy metal playlist.  Brandon splits his time between a few of our biggest clients, lending a hand wherever it's needed and diving into all sorts of technical problems and fun.  And even though he's the pickiest eater many of us have met (for instance, he won't touch anything remotely ranch-flavored!), we couldn't imagine the office without him.See what we learned about Brandon...Favorite job growing up? I only had one other job before this. I was a lube tech at a dealership in Fond Du…

Celebrating 25 Years 25 years. A quarter-century. A generation, if you will. Just take a moment to think about the ups and downs, the various adventures and milestones that a business could encounter during this period. Creating and sustaining a small business for 25 years takes courage, commitment, passion, and of course, some good old-fashioned luck! But none of this happens without knowledgeable people, dedication, listening, communicating, and an unwavering focus on integrity. Stitch all of these together, and that is why in February 2020 Alternative Solutions, Inc. will be celebrating its 25th anniversary! As we gear up to celebrate this milestone, it is important to acknowledge and express our gratitude to the many customers we have encountered along the way; many of whom have been on this journey since…