An interview with Phil Groth, longest-standing Charter Solutions’ employee
When you look across the timeline of Charter Solutions’ history, there is a constant presence, and his name is Phil Groth. Phil joined Charter Solutions just months after Dee Thibodeau and Bill Leonard founded the company in May 1997 and he remains an integral part of the Charter Solutions team. To help commemorate the 25th anniversary of Charter Solutions, we sat down for an interview with our longest-standing employee.
When did you start at Charter?
I joined Charter Solutions in November 1997, so just months after the company was launched. I came to Charter along with a friend of mine who I had worked with at a previous company. I like to joke and say that we were brought in on the ground floor, because our first office was in the lower level of the building.
What was your job title then?
I started at the consultant level, and I believe my actual title was associate consultant. At the time, Charter was looking to find good people and secure clients so we could start developing work. I had two years of experience in IT, so I was fresh in my career, but I wasn’t trained in IT. My training was in science and math. When I initially got into IT, the industry was booming and basically, if you could type, you could get into IT. But it was my personal contacts that brought me to Charter.
What is your job now?
Now I am a senior consultant. It’s been a very interesting 25 years, because obviously technology has changed a ton since I started. The internet was a new thing then. It’s hard to think of all the things I’ve done. I’ve worked in many areas, including website development and web services, early on. Then, I got a lot into data and analysis, even though that wasn’t really a “thing” back then – it didn’t have the neat wrapper around it that it does now. Being in a small company, it was more about what opportunities were available and not so much what I wanted to pursue. This was good for me because it exposed me to a lot of things and expanded my skills in different ways. Then, when Y2K hit, the aftermath was devastating for a lot of companies, but Charter was able to weather that. Throughout all these changes, I not only picked up a lot of new technologies, but I got into the world of business analysis, which gave me experiences and insights into how the whole process works for our clients. Then I was able to learn AWS and now I’m back on the data analytics side of things. Over the years, I’ve worked extensively with data and it’s really come full circle, and my current role is kind of an ETL (Extract Transform Load) role that has data analytics built into it.
What keeps you coming back everyday?
Number one was Bill and Dee. They are great people and are great to work for. I have good stories about both of them, for another day. But it’s also been the work. I’ve always had good projects and have been able to work with clients that are engaging and that allow me to learn new skills. I’ve never been bored and never had a concern about what happens when one project ends. Charter has always been more than willing to work with me so that I can stay working remotely, which is important for my family. I’ve worked remotely for 12 years now and it’s worked out quite well.
Do you remember the first project you worked on?
Yes, I remember it very, very well. It was for Transport America. I was assigned to that client with the friend who joined Charter at the same time as me. For the first few weeks, it was a little dicey because they thought the job would take a couple weeks and that it was pretty straightforward. But after we started looking at the situation and asking questions, we realized what they had asked for wasn’t going to work. So, we had a discussion and suggested what we thought they should do, and they agreed with us and said, “let’s do it.” Within six months, we had probably 10 people from Charter working on the project and we basically redesigned the whole software platform that ran their business, from the front end to the back. I ended up working with that client for three years. I learned so much from that client and project.
What have you learned about yourself from working at Charter?
One thing I really learned was what I didn’t want to do. In most cases, people start in IT and work their way to management. I found out that I’m an IT guy, and I want to stay an IT guy. I got my degree in engineering and math, which is why the whole data side fit for me. It also gave me the opportunity to be the technical person, while also working with end users and to see how we have an impact on someone’s daily life. I have the opportunity to see the results and see how our work makes users’ lives easier. That feedback is great, and a lot of times people in IT don’t get to see that. It makes it so much more rewarding.
What milestones in Charter’s history stand out most to you?
When we first started out, we went to Belize as a company. And the following year, we went on a cruise. Those things obviously stand out, but that was the late 90s as a young company and when IT was booming. Overall, the big thing is that Charter has not become a staff augmentation firm. Yes, we help clients fill staffing needs, but we’ve focused on partnering and not just placing people. Our goal is to be a true partner with clients and to fill a strategy role. Even though I’m on the execution side, I still see the strategy that goes into it and that’s important.
What do you think sets Charter apart from other technology consulting firms?
We hire good people. I’ve worked with a lot of people over the years and can say that I would work with all of them again. And I’ve learned so much from the people I’ve worked with. No one ever acts like a gatekeeper or tries to keep anyone else from expanding their skills. It’s a very open, communicative, and supportive group. I feel like the people I’ve worked with have been top notch, and that makes my life a lot easier. The Charter team is always the 20 percent in the 80/20 rule.
Do you have any wish or sentiment you’d like to in honor of the anniversary?
I’ve thought about this alot and it’s really a big thank you for giving me opportunities and for giving me a stress-free career. Knowing that Charter has my back and that I don’t have to worry about what’s around the corner if a client cuts funding; that removes the stress and allows me to focus on the work. It goes beyond security to knowing that I’ve had a successful career because of Charter and the opportunities they’ve given me.
What are you looking forward to in the next 25?
I don’t see myself doing what I’m doing right now, because I don’t know what’s next in tech, but that’s the benefit of working at Charter: I don’t have to worry about where I’m going to be in two years or five years. It has just worked out. Change has been a good thing for me and Charter has helped manage that change for me.
Do you have any fun stories to share?
One that stands out is the day I showed up at my desk and there was a six pack of beer waiting for me. I thought that was a little strange, but it turned out it was from Bill’s wife who remembered that I liked this type of beer that you can only buy in Wisconsin. They were in Wisconsin and she remembered that and bought some for me. That shows you what kind of company Charter is. Although Bill has now retired, that has not changed the culture at Charter. Dee never wants to be seen as “the boss.” We are a family and we all know that the leadership team has our backs.