10/30/2026
Feel Good Friday: Our Trello Loving, Steady Eddie in IT
I'm stoked to tell y'all about one of our way-behind-the-scenes employees, Austin Hartley. Austin is our IT Systems Administrator at our Las Vegas location. Basically, his entire job requires him to refrain from constant eye rolls when we can't figure out basic stuff on our computers, break the printers, need help with anything software-related, and so on. He helps those of us who can barely send emails to be successful in a tech-heavy world.
I personally love Austin because when I submit tickets, I generally need them turned around quickly. Marketing isn't one of those things that can wait. And Austin is great at grabbing any tickets he's capable of fulfilling and getting them done for me quickly.
As I reached out to the Vegas team for input, Astro, our Wash & Detail Manager, responded quickly and said, "I have to say, having Austin here in Vegas has been nothing but a great thing for our team. Austin brings a lot of experience to the table, and he’s always up for a challenge. No matter what comes his way, he’s always willing to jump in and take care of things in a timely manner. Whenever we run into a system issue, all we have to do is turn on the Batman signal, and Austin comes to the rescue without hesitation! 😂”
"On a personal level, Austin is a kind, professional, and genuinely great person to work with. It’s always been a pleasure having him as part of the team, and I’m glad to see him getting the recognition he deserves. Working in IT often means being behind the scenes, but the truth is, so much of what we do depends on the work IT puts in to keep everything running smoothly. Austin plays a big part in that, and his support makes a real difference across the organization!"
“He’s also been a huge help with Trello, and we all know how much he loves Trello! 😅 His knowledge and willingness to help have made a big difference, and we truly appreciate everything he does. Thank you, Austin, for all your hard work, your positive attitude, and for always being there when we need you. It’s great to see you getting some well-deserved recognition. Keep up the great work!”
(Don't worry ... I googled "Trello," so you don't have to: "Trello is a project management and collaboration tool that businesses use to organize tasks, assign responsibilities, track progress, and keep teams on the same page.")
Paul Morrow, our General Manager, sent me an email about Austin that said, "Austin is the go-to IT guru for our Vegas team, helping ensure everyone is prepared to work, and that technology-related needs are handled efficiently and promptly. Whenever support tickets or requests come in, Austin consistently responds, 'Yes, I will get that handled,' and follows through until the issue is resolved. His reliability, responsiveness, and willingness to help make a meaningful difference to the team. Austin, we are so glad you are part of our team. Thank you for all you do for NIRVC!"
I totally echo Paul's words. I office out of our corporate location in Dallas, but Austin regularly grabs any of my tickets that come in and gets them done quickly if it's something he's able to handle. That kind of initiative is so appreciated.
Our Office Manager in Las Vegas, Suzanne Goins, joined the chat to say, "If I had to give one word for Austin, it would be AMAZING! He is without a doubt the best thing we've ever had here. He is assisting with our issues constantly! Every time I put in a ticket, he is on it. He is always around this building doing something for all of us. I, for one, appreciate him very much. On a personal note, he has great taste in music. We share the love for classic rock! Thank you, Austin, for keeping us running!"
And then Jase Smith, our Service Manager, showed up to the chat with:
"01000001 01110101 01110011 01110100 01101001 01101110 00100000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01100001 00100000 01110100 01110010 01110101 01100101 00100000 01100001 01110011 01110011 01100101 01110100 00100000 01110100 01101111 00100000 01101111 01110101 01110010 00100000 01110100 01100101 01100001 01101101 00101110 00100000 01010100 01101000 01100001 01101110 01101011 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01100110 01101111 01110010 00100000 01100101 01110110 01100101 01110010 01111001 01110100 01101000 01101001 01101110 01100111 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01100100 01101111 00101110 00100000 01011001 01101111 01110101 01110010 00100000 01100100 01100101 01100100 01101001 01100011 01100001 01110100 01101001 01101111 01101110 00100000 01100100 01101111 01100101 01110011 01101110 00100111 01110100 00100000 01100111 01101111 00100000 01110101 01101110 01101110 01101111 01110100 01101001 01100011 01100101 01100100 00101110 00100000 01001011 01100101 01100101 01110000 00100000 01110101 01110000 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01100111 01110010 01100101 01100001 01110100 00100000 01110111 01101111 01110010 01101011 00101110"
HAHAHA. I definitely died laughing, then plugged it into ChatGPT to translate:
"Austin is a true asset to our team. Thank you for everything you do. Your dedication doesn't go unnoticed. Keep up the great work."
His message wasn't long, but Jase wins the input contest, for sure. LOL.
After Jase, Josh Davis, our Senior Software Engineer, messaged to say, "Austin has been critical to our team, and he's been like that since immediately after his onboarding. He has a hunger for learning new things and solving problems. Austin consistently picks up new challenges and completes them while making it look easy. His attitude is consistently positive - even during high-stress moments. Having worked closely with Austin over the last several years on various projects, I can confidently say that he's a strong asset to the IT department, and I'm glad he's here."
Josh also added, "Austin does a great job of being a teammate who makes the work *more* enjoyable. His sense of humor and kind demeanor frequently lighten what would normally be a taxing workday. During some after-hours moments, he has also proved to be a strong and worthy opponent in Tetris ... Thanks for being a great teammate, Austin - couldn't be happier to have you with us, brother!"
I was able to catch up with Brett between calls and meetings earlier, and it's always fun to hear what Brett is going to say about an employee, especially if they are a behind-the-scenes employee. Brett knew exactly who Austin was and that he's been with the company for several years. Then he talked about how, prior to Leigh Tiffin becoming president, the IT department reported to him. "Our IT department is a different kind of customer service because the employees they serve are, in a very real sense, their customers. The rest of us serve our actual customers, while IT serves our employees as their customers. And what stands out most about Austin is that I've never heard his name other than when someone is complimenting him. I know that Paul thinks the world of him, and that speaks volumes to me. Our Systems Administrators keep each location up and running smoothly for everyone who's on-site. I'm grateful to know Vegas is in great hands with a steady Eddie handling their IT problems."
Side note: please enjoy the most classic "IT pictures" we could give you.
