Between company shutdowns and working from home over the last few weeks, some organizations are slowing production and running into various struggles to keep moving forward. For DISTek’s VT Anywhere team, we have been getting even more done now than ever before. While Slack calls and meetings have completely replaced in person interactions, the team has remained focused and very productive.
Today, as we battle the COVID-19 pandemic, for most of us, moving to a “new office” means relocating to our basement, appropriating the dining room table, or occupying an extra bedroom. But in late 2019, DISTek Integration’s excitement over our new digs referenced a traditional brick and mortar office building. Specifically, we eagerly relocated to Suite 420 at 3737 Woodland Ave. in West Des Moines.
I titled this blog post “Staying the Course” because that is exactly what we have been doing here at DISTek, now entering our 5th week of aggressive novel coronavirus response mode. I liken our current environment similar to navigating a fully loaded canoe through high winds – keep the bow pointed toward the destination, anticipate making corrective maneuvers as much as possible, and react quickly and decisively, yet calmly, to sudden shifts in direction and current.
She’s been on the job for two years now. Well, two years four months to be exact and over time she’s become…. shall we say, extremely spirited. You see, things didn’t start out that way, but over time her confidence on the job has grown, which has made her pretty comfortable exerting her opinion in the workplace.
Right now, I find myself sitting squarely in the calm before the storm. The final edits for the new pull up banners have been approved. The tradeshow materials have been shipped. Travel plans and final reservations have been made. Now, all that’s left is to pack our bags and catch a flight to Vegas. Over the next several days, five DISTekians will be making the trip to Sin City for ConExpo-CON/AGG 2020.
I am a Computer Science Major at the University of Northern Iowa and I have been fortunate enough to come across this internship at DISTek Integration through my university’s job board. During my time as an intern, I have gotten to know many knowledgeable people here at DISTek and they have all been very helpful in addressing and answering any questions or concerns that I may have had. I was able to work on several hardware and software projects that have enabled me to grow my skillset as I continue down this field. One particular task that was assigned to me by my mentor, Kevin, was to do some research into Internet of Things and look into how it could potentially be used to innovate and expand future project possibilities.
I just looked back at my Year in Review blog post for 2018 from a year ago, and I see that it was posted in late February with a stated goal to get the next one done on a timelier schedule. So here you go, hot off the press and still in January! In 2018…
The holidays are all about traditions, whether that’s family gatherings at Grandma’s, turkey and stuffing, pie for dessert, or fruitcake from Aunt Eidie. At DISTek, as has been the tradition for the past 10 years, we’ve partnered with a local elementary school that pairs our company with a family in need to provide household supplies as well as a variety of “wish list” items to help make their holiday season a little brighter. This year, our adopted family was a mother and her five children (two of which were 3-month old twins – yes! we purchased a substantial number of diapers!).
In my previous blog post about the C Tool Chain, I mentioned a post about configuring the C compiler, which is what this blog will discuss. Please note that I will not be talking about linkers or linking, just compiling.
In mid-September, the Agricultural Electronics Foundation (AEF) once again hosted a fall ISOBUS Plugfest in Europe, this time in Antibes, France. Antibes is in the French Riviera along the Mediterranean coast – the views were spectacular, the food was great, and the hospitality was fantastic. The conference center facility was well-suited to host the Plugfest and even though it did not have an attached hotel, there was ample lodging within walking distance to meet the needs of the Plugfest attendees.
Arguably, the BEST day of the year at DISTek is Halloween. Now, not everyone would probably agree with that assessment, but it’s one of my very favorite work days of the year. Today has been full of far more treats than tricks with our Annual Halloween Costume Contest followed by a Halloween potluck. Please enjoy a peek at our costumes from today!
In 2018, DISTek began an internal training program called DISTek University, affectionately known as “DISTek U”. This training leverages off-the shelf training resources to develop a common foundation for DISTek’s employee owners to build their careers on. DISTek U promotes collaboration and camaraderie among all DISTekians, regardless of position or geographic location. DISTek leadership strongly encourages all employee owners to participate in these trainings – which help both the employee owner and employer. DISTek can point to numerous examples of promoting individuals to leadership positions after successful course completion and exceptional job performance.
