Meet…Tom
IT Manager, Marshall E. Campbell Company
Tell us a little about your role and key activities:
As the IT Manager for Marshall E. Campbell Company, I am responsible for the company’s communication and data activities. This includes any hardware, software, maintenance, and operation of the company’s land and mobile communications as well as the company’s main and ancillary computer operations.ity assessments through the eyes of first time visitors, agritourism, cultural tourism, and nature-based tourism, as well as planning, civic engagement, and leadership.
What do you like best about your employer or job?
I enjoy working for a company who not only exhibits and promotes trust among their employees, but also has a genuine concern and invests in their employee’s professional and personal lives. I also enjoy a profession that makes each day’s activities unique. The challenges change each day depending on what is presented that day.
Have you ever left the region for work/career or thought about leaving? If yes, what brought you back to St. Clair County or keeps you in the region? After graduating from college in 1980, the economic conditions in Michigan forced my wife and I to find work outside of Michigan. I was offered the opportunity to move to Arizona where I started my career in IT. We moved back to be closer to family. I have had opportunities since then to work in the Detroit area, but didn’t want to sacrifice family time for commuting time. Also, we had started a family and believed St. Clair County was a better place to raise our children than moving them to Macomb or Wayne county.
If you could give advice to a high school or college student about career or education choices.... or "I wish I had" moments, what would it be?
In the past, I’ve had opportunities to speak to high school students about choosing a career. I use my own experience to explain to them that they need to find a company that balances their professional and personal lives and a career that they have a passion for. This may not happen for years after graduating. I had one IT class in college and didn’t like it. Fortunately I went to work for a company right out of college that invested in me and trained me for a career in IT which fit my passion for analyzing problems and discovering solutions to those problems. As my career progressed I have worked for companies that didn’t fit my personal goals and beliefs. I soon discovered it affects you both professionally and personally.
What is your favorite thing about living and/or working in St. Clair County?
Living: Access to Lake Huron Coastline and close proximity to metro-detroit and Canada.
Working: Be able to share examples from this region to other MI communities, states, and, in some cases, countries.
What recent changes or improvements in St. Clair County are you most happy about?
As someone who has lived in a larger city (Phoenix/Mesa), there is a lot to be said for being able to live close to where you work. St. Clair County offers that opportunity. Good neighborhoods exist close to the places you work in St. Clair County. Being able to both work and live in the same area allowed my wife and I to be more involved in our children’s lives in a safe, family-friendly environment. Efforts across the county as well as further up the coastline and new downtown redevelopments.
Why should a job seeker consider making St. Clair County home for work and life?
The drive to attract more business to headquarter in St. Clair County is encouraging. The incubator program working with young entrepreneurs is especially encouraging. It is my belief that this area needs to concentrate on attracting more professional jobs to the area by encouraging companies to headquarter here. This allows those who leave to attend college, the opportunities to come back to St. Clair County after graduation.
