This month is Women’s History Month, a time to celebrate and honor women’s contributions to U.S. history, culture and society. IronEdge Group is grateful for our talented group of women who keep our company thriving day in and day out. In this post, Shelley Savage, Haylee Feil, Lara Norman, Cassondra Richard, Rebecca Pfennig, Abigail Benge, Annie Vallejo and Amy Cantu share about their role at IronEdge and what led them to work in the tech industry. Come meet our team!
How long have you been working at IronEdge Group? What is your role?
Shelley: I’ve been the Accounting Specialist for IronEdge Group for four wonderful years!
Haylee: I’ve been at IronEdge for three and a half years as the Marketing Coordinator
Lara: I’ve been with IEG since August of 2018 – Will be three years in August. Inside Sales / Marketing.
Cassondra: Two and a half years; Senior Sales Executive
Rebecca: Two years; Project Coordinator
Abagail: A little over a year now. I started as a First Responder and recently moved into the Tech Lead position.
Annie: One year; Service Coordinator
Amy: I’ve been working at IronEdge as the Marketing Associate for under a year and am loving every minute of it!
What is your favorite thing about your position and working at IEG?
Shelley: The feeling of family and the true level of teamwork. Everyone looks out for everyone else, whether it’s technical or emotional. There’s always someone at IEG who is ready to have your back and make your day better, and that makes the whole company better.
Haylee: I love the culture and the team at IronEdge. It’s fun to get creative and be so collaborative with awesome people. It’s been amazing watching the company grow over the last few years.
Lara: I love the event management and execution aspect of my current position. Favorite thing about working for IEG has to be the culture. The culture here is so unique and the people make it the best place to be!
Cassondra: I love that sales gets to work with pretty much the whole company to ensure client success. I get to interface with the ops, marketing, accounting, and account management teams, so every day feels different. I also get to evangelize the value our awesome team brings to clients. It’s an easy sell when you believe in the work that the team does. The culture we have internally definitely makes its way into the sales process.
Rebecca: My favorite thing is the great team of people I get to work with every day! There is a sense of comradery that makes IEG a great place to work.
Abagail: Being able to work on more complicated and unusual issues that arise. Working at IEG is just fun! While there is work to do all of our coworkers make it feel less like a job. This place would not be the same without them.
Annie: Even though everyone has different roles and positions throughout the company, we can all talk as equals and have fun.
Amy: The team, company culture and projects at IronEdge Group are incredible. It’s not merely a job to clock in and clock out. It’s an environment to share laughs, spark creative ideas, lend a helping hand and demonstrate just how passionate each individual is about their expertise here.
Did you always know you’d work in tech? What attracted you to this industry or inspired you to choose your current career path?
Shelley: For some reason, I’ve always dated tech guys, so I’ve been exposed to tech since the ’80s, and I even took the full range of courses for the MCSE myself back in the mid-2000s. However, getting hired into IT was just by chance. I started at another MSP as a temp worker in the accounting department, and they liked me enough to hire me full-time. I became really proficient with ConnectWise over my three years there until Ruben found my profile on LinkedIn and invited me to interview at IEG. The rest, they say, is history.
Haylee: Not at all! I wanted something more challenging. Marketing is constantly changing, so why not pick an industry that’s also ever-evolving? It keeps me interested and motivated.
Lara: The tech industry is a great place to grow and be innovative – the people are smart overall and the casual forward-thinking vibe is something I appreciate.
Cassondra: I don’t have a technical background, so I would have never imagined working in this space. The past couple years have had a huge learning curve to them, but it is so rewarding to finally be able to put all the puzzle pieces together. It is also so inspiring to see how quickly tech changes and to see how we can help businesses adapt to the new tech environment.
Rebecca: My first career was in education, but I have always loved tech and made it a point to integrate technology into my students’ learning. IT was a logical landing place for me as a career changer.
Abagail: Nope! When I was much much younger I wanted to be a veterinarian. Shortly after we got our first PC though I fell in love with technology. Breaking my first PC and rebuilding it got me hooked back in my early teens.
Annie: I’ve loved technology since middle school, being interested in robotics. Never will regret it. It’s always changing in mind-blowing ways.
Amy: Not always. I love art, photography and drawing and thought I’d do something in that realm. My enthusiasm for advertising and curiosity for technology became the perfect creative outlet that led me into the tech world. Like advertising, the tech industry is constantly changing and unfolding new learning opportunities which is something I love so much about both industries. It keeps day-to-day work exciting.
What are your hobbies/interests outside of work?
Shelley: I’m a huge Star Wars fan and I’m involved with the 501st and Rebel Legions, fan costuming groups who go to children’s hospitals in costume and stage fundraisers for children’s charities. I also like to spend time playing board games and role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons and Vampire-The Masquerade with my husband Matt. I’m a total geek!
Haylee: I love reading, binge-watching true-crime documentaries or mystery dramas and being outdoors with my family. Before I started my career in IT, I was a collegiate cheerleader at Navarro College and Sam Houston State University and worked in the industry until 2017.
Lara: I luckily have found a job that is fun! I coordinate all events for my friends and family in my personal time, so it is great that what I do in my professional life and my hobbies are intertwined. I also love to cook, being active, and used to love to travel before Covid! I have lived in three other countries outside of the U.S. and take every opportunity to learn and grow both personally and professionally.
Cassondra: I enjoy lifting weights, hiking, cooking, listening to podcasts & audiobooks, and playing the occasional video game.
Rebecca: I have a degree in music and enjoy playing the flute in church and community groups.
Abagail: Outside of work? Hmmm…When it’s not cold out, I enjoy swimming, spending time with my kids, pre-covid going to the zoo, and still a WoW addict in my free time. That game is almost a second job, but super enjoyable.
Annie: I love playing games and going out to eat with friends. Socializing is a part of my life. Right now it’s all video calls, but good enough.
Amy: I love spending time in the great outdoors and am always eager to add a new plant to my garden or set out on a new hiking trail with my husband and two dogs. I love exploring the U.S. national parks and try to visit a new one every year.
It takes a dedicated, talented and strategic team to drive success for an organization. The brilliant team of women working at IronEdge contribute not only to organizational success but also to a positive company culture, employee morale, performance and thought leadership—making our company stronger and inviting an atmosphere of collaboration, trust and authenticity. Success and inspiration emerge when every voice and perspective is heard and great talent is recognized. To the women of IronEdge, thank you for your leadership and all that you do for our team. We celebrate you not only today, not only this month but every day of the year.
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