The comings and goings of staff are a part of every dynamic organization; therefore, it can be challenging to get to know our coworkers better as people, especially during a time of social distancing. We have to be mindful that our company culture thrives on our exceptional people as much as their outstanding technical skills. As such, we are finding that our periodic interviews with associates allow us to acknowledge and celebrate the beautiful life stories, extraordinary professional accomplishments, and even the little quirks that make us uniquely beautiful human beings.
We are thrilled to pay tribute to Justin Schwilling, who started off as an intern in 2004 and is now one of Edafio’s Sr. Systems Engineer and our esteemed associate spotlight for February,
We hope you find each Edafio associate story as inspiring as we do in gathering and sharing them.
Get to know more about Justin by watching the video or reading our conversation below :
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
My name is Justin Schwilling. I’ve been married to my wife Hannah for 11 years (married September 2009), and we have one son Everett who just turned 6. I’ve lived in Little Rock since 2006. I grew up in Hot Springs and graduated from Arkansas Tech University in Russellville in 2004.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I enjoy listening to music. My wife gave me an excellent turntable for Christmas in 2019, so we have been slowly building a vinyl record collection. I also enjoy backyard grilling and smoking meats. I’ve been smoking many Memphis style dry-rub ribs during COVID, and I’m hoping to branch out some more soon. I inherited a green thumb, so I enjoy working in our yard. I’m also trying to keep a collection of succulents and other houseplants alive with varying degrees of success. One of my favorite things to do is enjoying the outdoors with my family. We have enjoyed many of the various trails in and around the Little Rock area, especially in the past year, as we try to find things to do while staying distant from others. We have enjoyed Pinnacle Mountain state park trails, Rattlesnake Ridge, Allsopp Park, and always love Petit Jean State Park. And I am always down for brunch, and there are some great places to get it here in Little Rock.
When I’m creatively stuck, I…
I either listen to music or watch a show to take my mind off of the current situation for a bit. have also been known to make sarcastic jokes until I get in a better mood.
It’s been an honor to work with Justin since 2004, when he started on our NOC. Since then, he has taken over several key clients, completed many projects, and still to this day, he helps manage Edafio’s core infrastructure. Today, as a Senior Systems Engineer on our Projects Team, he has taken his career to a whole new level from where he started. From substantial projects to supporting several key clients, Justin is truly a one of a kind! Committed to Client Success, Unquestionable Integrity, One Team with Humility and Respect – This is Justin Schwilling, and I am proud to be on the same team!
Paul Peterson, Systems Engineering Lead
If I had one core message for the world, what would it be?
Treat other people with respect and kindness. I think respect and kindness get forgotten in today’s society too often. Putting in that effort to show others compassion and dignity can go a long way to improving your day-to-day interactions with people and providing a pathway toward better communication and understanding.
What would be impossible to give up?
It would be impossible for me to give up chocolate, specifically dark chocolate. I could give up white chocolate because come on, that’s not real chocolate
Who or what made you smile at work today?
More than likely, it was a joke or meme sent to me on Teams by a coworker. I will usually laugh at anything that Greg, Paul, Chris C or Chris S sends me.
Everyone at Edafio has a story about why they joined the team. What’s yours?
When I graduated from college, I looked for somewhere to get that elusive “work experience.” I had applied for a few internships at various places, and my young adults Sunday school teacher told me about the IT support group his company used, named Edafio. I interviewed with Edafio and another firm in the IT world but wasn’t focusing on the same things Edafio does. I received an offer from both companies. Edafio’s was a paid internship, and the other firm was not. So, of course, I went for the paid gig. Once I got here, though, I realized the team was great to work with and made bonds with colleagues and mentors I still work with today. I learned so much in those early years and have grown in my skills along with the company. I have been here since 2004, so I have seen Edafio transition from 8-10 people (crammed in a space the size of our conference room in our current office) to the 100 or so employee strong company we are today.
Edafio is always looking for exceptional candidates to join our team. For an opportunity to work with folks like Justin, be sure to visit our careers page to learn more.
