The new associate spotlight recognizes the people-powered stories of the incredible individuals committed to our clients’ and Edafio’s success and fundamental to our vibrant culture. From consultants and engineers to sales leaders and administration and beyond, we’ll get to the heart of our team so you can get to know us a little bit better and find out what makes us tick. Today, we are delighted to introduce one of our most recent hires, Ben Nickles, a Senior Network Engineer stationed at the North Little Rock office.
If you have a moment, be sure to send Ben a message welcoming him to our rapidly growing company!
Tell us a little about yourself.
![Edafio associate in Arkansas](https://teamascend.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Texas-Camp-300x225.jpg)
I was born and raised in Central Washington State on an apple orchard. Because of the farming lifestyle, my parents chose to homeschool me. This gave my family the freedom to have many outdoor adventures. Homeschooling allowed me to pursue my interests. I realized very early on that I enjoyed technology much more than farming! I’m thankful my parents saw that too and encouraged me to study computers instead of taking over the family farm. After working as a VW mechanic in high school, I started my first IT job as tech support at a dial-up ISP during college. After college, I was hired at the local power company and have worked there for the past 20 years. During that time, I also married my childhood friend, and we have two kids, ages 14 and 12. She has homeschooled our kids from the beginning while working as the marketing manager of a curriculum company. My wife and I have had a photography business for the last 12 years doing commercial and wedding photography.
What do you like to do most outside of work?
I enjoy playing board games with my friends and family. I also love wrenching on cars, 3D printing, hunting, fishing, and shooting sports. Our family also enjoys traveling anywhere we have an opportunity to go.
Do you have a favorite newspaper, newsletter, book, blog and/or podcast?
My favorite books are books that I can learn from. The latest books that I have enjoyed are A patriot’s History of the United States and The Phoenix Project.
Are you interested in working with an awesome associate like Ben? Check out our Careers page to learn more about Edafio and our current openings!