[6/29/2018] Meet the new kid on the block: Brent Klein, DayStarr’s new Construction Manager for Outside Plant Operations. He joined us earlier this year and is quickly catching on to the DayStarr way.
Brent is responsible for managing projects and coordinating with DayStarr’s underground crew, aerial crew, installers, and fiber splicers. He also manages safety/compliance, permitting, maintenance, planning, material purchasing, and customer satisfaction for construction projects. If DayStarr is working on a project, Brent knows the details!
When we asked him what his favorite part of working at DayStarr was, he said, “the culture.” He further explained, “There’s a family atmosphere in the workplace. Each person works to build up the other and, in my case especially, teach the ways of the industry and the company. It has been a life-changing and refreshing experience to work for DayStarr. The mindset is selfless, and customer focused. I know everyone says it, but it’s true – DayStarr lives it and works very hard at keeping it real.
Brent was born and raised in Owosso. While he has been to several other cities and states, nothing fit like Owosso. We asked him what he thought about the recent local growth, and he shared, “I’m very happy to see downtown development and to see students being supported in educational and athletic opportunities through the Owosso Public Schools. The community works to help its citizens like a large city would, but on a small town scale. For example, I love that Shiawassee Hope suspended meals and haircuts in town for those in need. There’s just nowhere else like Owosso.”
On a personal note, Brent is very active in his home church (Owosso First Church of the Nazarene) and will be working alongside his wife (Kari) to build a sister church in Chesaning, MI. Kari and Brent have four children. Reece (14), Ian (13), Anna (9), and Zoie (6). The kids keep their parents busy with their various activities which include showing horses, dance, softball, soccer, cross-country, track, baseball, basketball, and football! Brent coaches several of the sports that his children play, including YMCA basketball, Owosso Youth Baseball, and travel baseball. He is also a founding member and co-owner of the Michigan Pirates Baseball Club.
Brent is a no-nonsense kind of guy, and while our team seems to appreciate it, Brent said that it results in him being really boring at parties. We’ll have to see about that! Commonly the last one in the office after the day is done, Brent puts his heart into making sure projects are completed successfully and on time.
“I’m blessed and thankful for the opportunity to work with DayStarr, in a city like Owosso, providing opportunities for others through fiber internet. I spent 16 years working in the events/entertainment industry designing and building temporary structures for anything from the auto-show to WrestleMania and NFL Super Bowls. It was rewarding and challenging work, but I greatly appreciate stepping away from the corporate world and working with a family-owned company, focused on family culture and community growth.”
[6/29/2018] If you live in the Shiawassee County, Jeff Deason, the President and CEO of the Shiawassee Regional Chamber of Commerce, is no stranger to you. Given DayStarr’s love for local development and supporting the communities in Shiawassee County, we count it a great privilege to work side by side with the Chamber.
We recently sat down with Jeff to talk about the work we are doing together. He explained that the Chamber exists to provide its members with the tools they need to grow and to make this community a great place to live.
Working together enables us to foster growth, connectivity, and prosperity for all of our local businesses, organizations, and residents. And if there is one thing we can count on it’s the fact that people want to be connected!
Jeff shared, “DayStarr is an integral part of our community – it was started here, it’s very much on the cutting edge of technology. We are trying to attract new businesses to the area. What DayStarr offers in terms of their connectivity and the speed of the connection is a great opportunity for tech companies who may use a lot of data. That speed is very important not only when you are downloading information to your businesses but also when you’re uploading information as well. DayStarr is on par with some of the most connected communities in the United States.”
DayStarr is thankful for the partnership with the Chamber and is excited about all of the energy and resources they are putting into our local communities. The Chamber’s mission is to promote business in our community. When local business expands, opportunities for us to assist with communications needs increase. That’s a win for both the customer and us!
[6/29/2018] Does your business still have an old outdated phone system? If you’re like many of our customers, the phone on your desk is not something you think about regularly. Most customers don’t think about it until it fails and you are scrambling, wondering who can repair your phone system purchased in the 80s or 90s! You might be surprised to know that one of the great services DayStarr offers is cloud-based phones. While you still have the option of a physical phone on your desk, the brains are in the “cloud” (our datacenter). Our feature-rich cloud-based phone offering gives you all the latest options like intelligent time-of-day routing, enhanced voicemail, all on our ultra-reliable fiber network!
If you have ever replaced a phone system, you know the cost can be quite significant. One of our great benefits is a lower up-front cost than a traditional system. Additionally, business owners are seeing tax benefits from moving from a capital expense to operating expense.
When you use DayStarr’s cloud-based phones, this is what you get:
Isn’t it about time to retire your outdated phone system? With DayStarr, you can streamline your phone system to better support your internal team and enable them to in turn better serve your customers. If you’re ready to upgrade, contact us to learn about your options.
[6/29/2018] If you’re local to Owosso, you’ve probably noticed that The Armory has been brought back to life. As the most significant revitalization project Owosso has seen in a long time, everyone is pretty excited to see this project completed.
According to The Armory’s website, this reimagined space houses the Shiawassee Regional Chamber of Commerce, Shiawassee Economic Development Partnership, Michigan Small Business Development Center, and the Shiawassee Convention and Visitors’ Bureau. There are also several small businesses and nonprofit organizations that have set up shop in the modernized building. Offices vary from spacious private suites to flexible workstations and common spaces. Whether you have a team of experts or are operating as a solo-entrepreneur, you can utilize The Armory’s many amenities to grow your business.
DayStarr was closely involved in the project and is happy to share that we are the sole communications provider for the facility.
So, what does that mean?
All tenants pay a membership fee, and as a result, receive a variety of benefits. Everyone setting up shop in The Armory is equipped with DayStarr’s state-of-the-art technology solutions including our fiber optic internet. In addition, while not required, all businesses in the building are eligible to purchase our cloud-based phones.
As the website explains, “The beauty of The Armory is the open, shared space that fosters creative collaboration between a variety of businesses.” Given that Owosso is already a strong community focused on connection and the greater good, we are confident that The Armory will have a positive and bright future.
Interested in becoming a tenant? Contact The Armory!
[6/29/2018] There are a lot of mediocre companies with average employee morale and high turnover. In today’s fast-paced business world, it’s easy to focus solely on what’s going on with your clients and overlook the condition of your internal team. However, that isn’t good for anybody.
Last year, we evaluated DayStarr’s company culture. The results showed that things weren’t bad, but could be better. Because of this, we decided to revamp our core values to get everyone on the same page, improve our employee experience, and consistently deliver on our promises to our customers.
Our three core values not only define how we interact with our employees and peers but also our customers.
DayStarr’s 3 Core Values
While there is a lot more detail that goes into what our core values mean, these are the big-picture principles that guide our team. DayStarr prides itself on being a fun place to work – where people can expand their talent, enjoy their family life, and feel empowered to make a positive difference. We want that to be the standard for years to come, and so we thought we should be proactive about fostering an atmosphere of growth.
To make sure these core values are understood and upheld, we created a reward system. We have a bi-weekly team meeting to recognize one individual for exemplary conduct and award them with a gift. The meeting also serves as an excellent way for the team to check in, ask questions, and encourage one another. We hope that by taking care of our internal team, our customers and community will also benefit.