Sage U Fireside Chat: Todd Ramsburg

Sage is an organization filled with outstanding communications professionals who bring a diverse background of experience and expertise. We leverage this depth of knowledge through our Sage U program, an all-learn, all-teach model, to assist our team’s continued growth.

Our latest Sage U Fireside Chat Q&A series features Todd Ramsburg, Systems/Network Manager, at Sage Communications, who discusses the choices that led him to Sage and the lessons he's learned along his journey.

Q&A highlights:

How did you get into the field of IT?

That's a funny story that goes back to when I was 10. I had always wanted a Go Kart. For my 10th birthday, my mom won a raffle for an Indy-style Go Kart. It was a Go Kart with a fiberglass body that looked like an Indy Car. I was beside myself. I thought that was the coolest thing I'd ever seen. It had a big bow on it, and it was sitting out in the garage. I ran out and tried to get in… but I was too tall. We ended up selling the Go Kart, and with the money we made from it, I bought a TI-99/4A computer. That was my very first computer, and it started me down the road to programming. I've been coding ever since.

While in undergrad, I started in lasers and optical science at the College of Engineering at the University of Illinois. Ultimately, I was having more fun playing with the computers than doing the math. So, I moved to Information Technology as a coder.

I did an internship at Monsanto in Saint Louis. It was a big company, and I did three work terms there before they made me go back to school—I got kicked out of my internship because they said I needed a degree. When I was there, I hung out with the system administrators and got into what they did. My first work term was as a coder and my subsequent two work terms were in system administration and support.

I've always enjoyed technology and people. I've known many brilliant people, but many just didn't know how to talk to people. That's where I've made my career. I can translate technology to people that are not technologically interested. I've worked for major universities, large companies, and non-profits, and the hardest job I've ever done was when I took a year off to be a stay-at-home Dad.

Can you walk us through the transition to hybrid work during COVID from an IT standpoint?

Sage did a lot better than a lot of companies. The transition was relatively hiccup-free.

Two weeks before the lockdown, I got an e-mail saying we needed Zoom accounts, which had nothing to do with the lockdown. I remember talking to our representative about two weeks after the lockdown, and there was a significant delay in getting accounts set up because so many people were trying to get hooked up. So, kudos to Sage leadership—I'm not sure what crystal ball they were using, but they saw it coming. The transition went pretty well; even that first year, everybody was in crisis mode.

The transition's a little more important now that we're moving to a full-time remote and hybrid workforce. We're having to adjust our tools and improve our equipment. Doing a lot of research and talking to colleagues of mine, we handled this transition almost without a bump.

What is one of the best stories you have from your career?

While interning at Monsanto, I learned a lot about politics and how to treat people. The story is still amusing to me because I was good at thinking on my feet, but it was a learning experience. Nobel-level researchers were working for Monsanto then, and I got a call from one of the head researchers who said his computer wouldn't turn on. I checked every cable, and it all looked okay. I wasn't sure what was going on. He's sitting there staring at me, and I finally step back, and you think, okay, let's go back to basics. You start at the bottom.

I went back in and got under the desk, and the computer wasn't plugged in. Now I'm thinking, how do I not embarrass this world-class scientist? I told him I plugged it back in, and it came on. He asked for a diagnosis, and I said, "the power supply had a polarity problem."

What makes Sage unique in your eyes? What is the best part of your job day-to-day?

It really is the people. I've worked for many companies, and I'm awe-struck by the people of this company. Everybody is so bright. It makes my job easier. I'm always so proud when I get to point at something and say, "we did that!" It's so much fun and is just a great organization. I've worked for some good teams, but this is probably one of the best.

Any other last-minute advice?

Don't panic. It's the best piece of advice I can give. Whenever I talk to somebody with problems or time constraints, I tell them to take a breath. Don't keep hitting buttons. Usually, we can correct the problem. This is true of many things in life: take a step back, take a deep breath, and figure out what's happening.

Todd is Systems/Network Manager at Sage Communications.