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Spend a few seconds with Martin Michaels and you’ll see that he is welcoming, funny and kind. Spend a few minutes with him and you’ll realize he is interesting, intelligent and has a lot of crazy hobbies (“curling” for example). Spend a few months working alongside him and you’ll see his dedication to excellence, his commitment to the people around him, his religious convictions and the fact that he is an extremely interesting guy that eludes any stereotypes.
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Martin is a network engineer in the Advanced Infrastructure Team at Claris Networks. He’s a full-blooded Texan, rock climbing entrepreneur, amateur “curler,” yoga dude, and Kosher-keeping IT guy who can make you laugh till you cry.
Martin attended Rice University in Houston (a.k.a., “the Harvard of the South”) where he studied physics and religion, and he eventually got into IT. In true Texan style, Martin is part owner of the largest indoor rock climbing gym in his home state. But his “winter sport” is curling. You know, the game where they slowly guide a 42-pound granite block with a handle on it across sheet of ice onto a target. Yeah, he does that. He also studied in Israel for a semester and got to see the sunrise from the top of Masada, an archaeological site of a Jewish rebellion, overlooking the Dead Sea (learn more here). And, among other things, has touched the Stanley Cup.
So how does a physics and religion Major from Texas get into IT in Tennessee?
Physics was interesting to a point, but I didn’t want to progress with it. And you can’t do anything with a religion major, so I was kind of lacking direction for a time. But when my mom was alive, she worked as an IT support technician for the Houston Independent School District. In 2005, she came out of remission from breast cancer. She needed radiation and chemo trips, so I went with her and did the driving and supported her. Then I started helping out at her work as well. As the cancer progressed and she got more sick and weak, I started doing more IT work. After mom died, the principal at that campus offered me her position.
From there I learned more and moved into the network group for the Houston Independent School District. Eventually my wife, who was in veterinary school, got a neurology and neurosurgery residency at UT. So, we came to Tennessee. By a completely random set of circumstances, my father became the Rabbi at Temple Beth El in Knoxville as well, and one of his connections was a client of Claris Networks. He recommended I apply. So, I did. And I got the job. That’s my story. It’s probably not your typical story, but that’s how I got into technology and ended up in Tennessee.
Claris’s goal is to become “Priceless Partners” to the people we serve. What does that mean to you?
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Being in networking specifically is always a fairly hidden, behind the scenes role. We want to be invisible. The best way to serve you is that you don’t know we exist. Being a priceless partner to our customers means making it work right the first time. We’re trying to make life easier and better for the people we serve.
Why do you like working at Claris?
It’s the people and the environment. It’s truly enjoyable and fun to come to work. Despite how tired I am at the end of the day, I still look forward to the next day. I think it’s wrapped up in the core value we have, “Work Smart Play Hard.” The people are interesting, you want to hear their stories, you want to sit and talk with them, they’re smart, good at what they do and determined. I feel like in most people’s careers they may work in a place where there are 1 or 2 people like that, but the fact is that everyone here is like that.
It’s our privilege to have people like Martin on the Claris Team. If you’ve worked with Martin in some capacity and want to brag on him, head on over to our Facebook page!
UPDATE: Martin also makes a crazy good pancake. Today, he donned his apron and flipped flapjacks for the entire company. Madprops, Martin. Madprops.
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