IT role
IT Manager · Regional HVAC business
Apr 2011 to Oct 2022 · Charlotte, NC
I was the entire IT department for a regional HVAC business with up to 125 users at peak, across three offices and brands. Over 11.5 years, I owned technology direction, architecture, purchasing, implementation, daily operations, and support. That meant building the systems, keeping them running, and helping office staff and field technicians use them.
I designed and built the network and server environment twice, including a complete office relocation: cabling and racks, switching and Wi-Fi, inter-building wireless links, site-to-site VPNs, Hyper-V, redundant directory services, remote application delivery, storage, backups, and monitoring. I integrated two acquired businesses into that platform, moved field service from paper to managed iPads, and developed quoting tools, office applications, data integrations, and administrative automation.
Responsibilities
- Owned technology planning, vendor evaluation, purchasing, licensing, equipment lifecycle, documentation, training, and hands-on support across three offices and brands.
- Designed, deployed, and maintained Hyper-V hosts and Windows Server workloads, redundant Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, Group Policy, SQL Server, IIS, and RDS / RemoteApp, with hybrid Entra identity and single sign-on.
- Provided IT support for office staff and field technicians, triaging requests across accounts, devices, applications, connectivity, and phones. Resolved issues directly, coordinated vendors, and used recurring problems to guide fixes and automation.
- Owned network architecture and physical delivery: Meraki firewalls, managed Ubiquiti switching, voice VLAN, UniFi and Aruba Wi-Fi, point-to-point building links, site-to-site VPNs, Cat6 cabling, racks, and an office relocation.
- Migrated and administered Microsoft 365, including Exchange Online, SharePoint, Teams, OneDrive, mail flow, identity synchronization, and access policies.
- Developed and hosted internal web applications for quoting, office workflows, customer communications, and business-data analysis; automated administration with PowerShell and Python.
- Owned service-management platform selection, deployment, vendor coordination, data validation, staff training, backup, upgrades, and application troubleshooting.
- Provisioned and supported office endpoints and managed field iPads, including mobile work orders, cellular connectivity, applications, and on-site payment processing.
- Designed file access and recovery across AD-controlled Synology shares, Group Policy folder redirection, OneDrive and SharePoint migrations, Veeam VM backups, an immutable local copy, encrypted Backblaze B2 copies, and file-level recovery tests.
- Maintained directory, email, and endpoint security, MFA, monitoring, investigation procedures, and security-awareness training; owned annual PCI self-assessments and compliance for card payments in the field, online, and in the office, and completed insurance and vendor security questionnaires.
- Integrated acquired businesses into shared technology services while preserving their customer-facing brands, phone routing, and websites.
- Owned hosted telephony, call queues, after-hours routing, building access control, camera systems, digital signage, and staff learning tools.
- Provided HVAC technical support for load calculations, duct design, building-performance diagnostics, and Energy Star accreditation.
Skills in practice
Cloud and on-premises systems, office networks, remote access, monitoring, recovery, and the device fleet.
Who can access what, how access changes, and the controls that protect identities, devices, and email.
Designed and delivered the infrastructure at the original office, then built it again for a full relocation. Planned and installed Cat6 runs for office, dispatch, and warehouse areas; laid out racks with power and cooling requirements; deployed Meraki MX firewalls, managed Ubiquiti switching, PoE phones and access points, and a dedicated voice VLAN. Used NanoStation point-to-point bridges to connect buildings without trenching. Connected three offices by site-to-site VPN and migrated UniFi wireless to Aruba Instant On across two sites. Planned cutovers around dispatch and inbound calls.
Built the Windows server platform on Hyper-V, with redundant domain controllers across hosts and a domain controller serving a branch office. Designed Active Directory OUs, groups, Group Policy, DNS, and DHCP; connected the directory to Entra ID with Entra Connect and Seamless SSO. Hosted SQL Server, IIS, and line-of-business workloads, and published service, accounting, and Office applications through RDS / RemoteApp, RD Gateway, and signed connection files. Owned host refreshes, workload moves, Windows administration, and the procedures for operating the environment.
Built departmental Synology shares with AD group permissions, Group Policy folder redirection, and VPN access. Migrated user folders to OneDrive Known Folder Move and shared files to SharePoint libraries, remapping permissions and coordinating the cutover and user training. Repurposed the NAS as the local recovery tier: Veeam backed up the running VMs, an immutable local copy protected recovery data, and Synology Hyper Backup sent encrypted copies to Backblaze B2. Tested file-level recovery, verified off-site copies, and monitored application backup archives for age, size, and readability.
Monitored hypervisors, domain controllers, SQL Server, network devices, storage, and application services with PRTG and role-specific telemetry. Built custom sensors and collectors where standard checks did not cover the equipment or application. Maintained network, rack, and directory diagrams, IP allocation records, device configuration backups, and site-specific operating procedures. Used those records to support troubleshooting, hardware replacement, acquisitions, and office changes.
Built a VB.NET / ASP.NET pricing calculator on IIS with parts markups, labor, travel, tax, discounts, and emailed quotes. Rebuilt the workflow in Python and Flask with Microsoft 365 sign-in, editable rate cards, customer lookup, office review, PDF quotes, and Microsoft Graph sending from the reviewing employee's mailbox. Took the application from business rules through hosting, deployment, and support.
Developed an internal office app for maintenance-contract follow-up, service-call trends, billing backlogs, customer email, and data-quality checks with actionable office instructions. Fed it from a nightly copy of the service system's data, keeping analysis separate from the live application. Added Entra ID sign-in and role-based access through existing directory groups, authorization tests, and automated blue/green deployments with readiness checks and rollback. Also built and validated a commission engine against historical payouts.
Reconstructed relationships in the service application's Visual FoxPro data to support customer analysis and office workflows. Traced an accounting-sync hang to control characters in customer records using process dumps and log correlation, then built scanners and backup-first repair tools. Investigated a .NET backup service and added a PowerShell watchdog with event-log alerts. Wrote and adapted administrative scripts for hybrid identity, Microsoft 365, VPN provisioning, and server-retirement cleanup.
Deployed the service vendor's iPad application, mobile device management, cellular connectivity, and in-field payment processing. Technicians recorded work as it happened and dispatchers gained a live view, replacing the weekly return of paper work orders for office re-entry. Built companion reference and calculation tools, and automated publishing of directory and price-book information through SharePoint and Power Automate.
Brought two acquired businesses onto shared identity, connectivity, communications, administration, and support services while preserving their customer-facing brands. Standardized equipment and platform choices, coordinated vendors, maintained the parent and acquired-company websites, and wrote the procedures and training staff needed to work across the combined environment.
Migrated a Tadiran Coral PBX to OnSIP hosted VoIP and then Zoom Phone. Owned number ports, handset provisioning, queues, menus, business-hours and after-hours routing, voicemail delivery, testing, and staff training. Preserved each brand's caller experience while sharing administration and reducing telephony costs.
Installed and administered physical access control and camera systems across two buildings, including Cat6 cabling, fob access groups, schedules, and recording systems. Deployed digital signage and a learning-management platform, and ran a PhishMe / Cofense security-awareness program. Supported the physical workplace as well as the servers and applications.