Dan Antion

Doing the Right Thing – #WATWB

There is a lot of good news being brought to our attention from all over the world, as the pandemic continues to challenge medical and political professionals. We read about heroes almost every day. Unfortunately, we also read about people and companies whose behaviors are selfish, inconsiderate, and criminal in nature. That’s how life is – we exist on a spectrum and we must seek out the good people just as members of this blogfest seek out the good news.

Fortunately, I made a decision almost 30 years ago that aligned me with a few of the good guys. In 1991, I met a man named Ed Laprade. He was a technology vendor, but during our first encounter, I realized he wasn’t like most technology vendors – he cared about the people he had as clients. I was a manager with an insignificant client, yet he went to great lengths to help me solve a problem. I never forgot that simple act of kindness. Later that year, he and a couple like-minded technology professionals formed ADNET Technologies, and I accepted a proposal making our company their first client.

I could share stories from that first engagement and from subsequent engagements every year from 1992 until my retirement in 2020 that would highlight the degree to which ADNET takes their employees, their clients, and their role in society seriously. However, a recent move by ADNET’s management explains that better than I can.

One of the things our Congress did to combat the economic hardships caused by the pandemic was to put in place relief packages for individuals and small businesses. As our Congress often does, they didn’t think this through to the point of considering those companies that choose to exhibit the behavior I mentioned at the beginning. Complaints and protests have resulted about companies who don’t need the financial relief taking it, because they can.

ADNET is the kind of company the relief package was meant to help. To ensure that that help is warranted ADNET, once again moved early to do the right thing:

“April 22, 2020: ADNET Technologies, an IT management and security firm, has pledged to support its employees, clients and communities as local economies across the country continue to be battered by the economic storm caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It was one of the first in the nation to sign the ‘MSP (Managed IT Services Provider) Stimulus Pledge’ – a commitment to protect jobs, contribute to economic stability and build for the future.”

The pledge was started by Greystone Technology, an IT firm based in Colorado, and ADNET signed the pledge before it was publicly launched earlier this week. In making this pledge, ADNET has agreed to use stimulus funds to commit to:

  • Avoiding layoffs of staff and pay reductions
  • Paying bills on time
  • Providing no increase in owner’s compensation
  • Working as partners with our vendors without demanding concessions simply because we can use the leverage of economic conditions
  • Running our businesses in a manner that creates a strong foundation for our employees and clients into a new future

I need to provide a little transparency: While our daughter was only six years old when I met Co-CEO’s Ed Laprade and Christopher Luise, she now works for ADNET as their Director of Marketing. In the announcement that I linked to above, Chris Luise is quoted:

“During these anxious times, we want our team and their families to be assured that we’ll get through this together. We’ll rely on our culture of shared responsibility and mutual stewardship to guide our company forward.”

I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t be happier knowing that our daughter works for a company like this.

The “We are the World” Blogfest is now in its third year. This blogfest’s goal is to spread the message of light, hope and love in today’s world. We are challenging all participants to share the positive side of humanity. This month’s co-hosts, Eric Lahti, Susan Scott, Damyanti Biswas, Inderpreet Kaur Uppal and myself welcome participants and encourage all to join in during future months. #WATWB is a blog hop on the last Friday of every month.

If you want to SIGN UP for WE ARE THE WORLD – Click HERE to be part of the Light.

89 comments

    • It’s a very good company, and the people are amazing. They were a wonderful vendor to have. They were willing to listen and help us find ways to have a big-company presence with a small staff. They made me look good for over 25 years.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

  5. Clearly Faith saw the same qualities in this company as you did. Kudos to ADNET for their high standards and for never losing the human connection between their mission and their employees.
    🐾Ginger 🐾

    Liked by 3 people

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  6. Dan, it is reassuring to know that there are companies out there with a social conscience who have some goals and commitments which are not motivated by profit. My daughter works for a good company too, and is surrounded by good people. It certainly gives me hope for the future. Nice addition to #WADWB

    Liked by 3 people

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  8. That is indeed a blessing Dan. Thanks for sharing such a positive story. I get discouraged that ‘news’ has migrated to mean only bad news, often missing important issue for the sake of sensationalism and skipping truly positive stories like this one for a Facebook feel-good moment.

    Liked by 2 people

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  9. Dan–this is so wonderful. The company I retired from has not done as well. The owner laid off 20% of the workforce and closed all the branch offices. For good. Several departments were also entirely eliminated in the process. I wish them well, but not sure what will happen….ADNET has it all together. Congratulations to Faith. Good people with a good company.

    Liked by 2 people

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  12. During the Great Depression, the John Deere company refused to repossess farm equipment from families who were in dire financial straits – that is why even today, so many farmers “bleed green”.

    Liked by 4 people

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  17. Great post Dan, thanks for sharing it, and for co-hosting this month for #WATWB. I’m reminded of something from about 10 years ago. We had a lovely young man renting our cottage. Already at that time there were lay offs and this particular company Iain worked for was facing the same problem. He told me that the staff had agreed to take a significant salary cut for several months in order to retain members and not lay them off. It paid off – loyal staff who worked harder to secure clients – but what your post highlighted for me is that there are great employers whose bottom line is not just profit above all and who do and show by their actions their care for their staff ..

    Have a great weekend :)

    Liked by 2 people

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    • Thanks Susan. I was glad to be able to highlight this for WATWB. It’s so good to see a company that, as you say, isn’t “just profit above all” in these situations.

      Co-hosting is my pleasure. I enjoy this blogfest.

      Have a great weekend and stay well.

      Liked by 1 person

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  22. Thanks for sharing this, Dan. I also read about a company that returned their money because they said they didn’t need it and there were other companies that did. That’s decent and honorable as well. I just wish it weren’t so rare.

    janet

    Liked by 2 people

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  24. I enjoyed reading your story very much, Dan. It’s so reassuring to know there are companies like this out there where it’s not all profit margin and bottom line, where employees are valued and treated well. I’m glad your daughter is working for this company. Also, thank you for your comments about the essay and videos I posted, and for volunteering to be a cohost for this month’s WATWB.

    Liked by 2 people

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  25. It’s so important and encouraging to know there are companies that care this much about people. ADNET Technologies is setting an excellent example for all companies to follow. I’m glad Faith works for them.

    Liked by 2 people

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  27. Hi Dan – doing what’s appropriate at the moment is essential … and ADNET – have gone above and beyond … there’s so much positivity, even in these desperate times. Being responsible and being fair – you made a good choice early on … and they were prepared to go above and beyond too … and now Faith works with them … so good to know and understand … letting us know too – thank you … all the best to you three – Hilary

    Liked by 1 person

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  28. sigh I missed this one, Dan! Buggers! Yet I so enjoyed reading GOOD news and knowing there are people in this world who care. That is the kind of news we all need right now! Just lately Buffalo’s major is proposing all who can, to work permanently from their homes and I “think” it is in an attempt to keep traffic down. I hope this goes through! And I hope that people become aware how CLEAN our air is right now. Let us keep that! We deserve to breathe fresh air!! Have a great weekend!! xo

    Liked by 1 person

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  29. It’s always good to know there are companies like that out there, although it does make a blanket curse difficult. Corning Glass used to be that kind of company, back when Mom worked for them. They may still be; I’m out of the loop, so I don’t know. I had one of those “above and beyond” experiences with an IT company many long years ago, when I was working in Accounting at the Red Cross. Our posting machine was so old that, when I called the company for help, they didn’t have anybody on staff who remembered how to unbug the machine. So they called a retired guy and he called me and walked me through the process. I’ve had a soft spot for tech guys ever since.

    Liked by 2 people

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  30. Bravo! There are socially responsible companies out there, we just don’t hear about them enough.
    It sure does make it easy to get up and go to work, even on bad days, when you know the people you work for/with have a conscience and a sense of right and wrong that goes beyond profits, and dividends, and stock valuations.

    Liked by 2 people

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    • It does, Norm. I know companies that are just looking beyond this crisis to the way it will affect their bonuses next year. These guys are real. they are in business, in the community and they understand the value of their family of employees.

      Liked by 1 person

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  33. Thank you for telling us about Adnet. It really was fascinating to read about a company that believes in ethical business, a term that I have often considered an oxymoron. Happy #WATWB.

    Liked by 1 person

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      • Ha – yes – in addition to being good at what they do in tech area.
        And a while ago I watched the series about the “men who built America” And was saddened by so many of poor business practices late 1800s and early 1900s.
        And then even today – businesses can be sketchy and so the one you highlighted here sounds like a gem

        Liked by 1 person

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      • My husband worked for a company like that: Drexel Heritage Furniture. It was once a great company. Then it was sold and most everything was shipped to China and the employees got laid off and the ones who didn’t were treated like crap by the new owners that didn’t know what they were doing. They did my husband a favor when they finally laid him off. Thankfully, he was already on SS. I’m so glad our working days are far behind us!😂

        Liked by 1 person

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    • When other vendors would cold call me for an appointment, I would tell them who we used and how long we’d been using them and they would, “thanks for taking my call” and hang up. I think they will be here for the long term.

      Like

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