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.
A month or so ago an employee reached out to me asking about information regarding arranging a group volunteer event at the Northeast Iowa Food Bank. We’ve done such volunteer …
The DISTek Leadership Team embarked on some summer travels recently, taking it to the streets and visiting each of our primary locations throughout the Midwest to meet, greet, eat, celebrate, and have some fun. With our employee owners scattered across several states, it is important to support teamwork and collaboration. Hosting picnics and yard games seemed to be a great way to promote unity and togetherness while at the same time letting our guards down a bit and taking some much needed time out to have a good time and get to know each other a little better outside of the work place.
Here at DISTek, there has been a flurry of industry events that are taking us around the country and around the globe. A couple weeks ago…
After 27 years of selfless service to DISTek, our founder, Matt Dickinson has taken on a new journey…. RETIREMENT! All of us here at DISTek thank him for all he has done for not only the company as a whole, but for all the individual employees as well. We will miss his guidance, generosity, and fun spirited nature. Here’s to filling his days with plenty of St Louis Cardinals baseball, quality time with the grandkids, and social events around his hometown of Carthage, IL.
