Meet CONNECT

Troy Schalm

Owner, General Manager

Troy grew up on a farm in the Cariboo region of BC along the Fraser River. After studying telecommunications at what was then Cariboo College in Kamloops, he moved to the Okanagan in 2000 to work as telecom technician for CONNECT.

He left CONNECT in 2005 to start a different business, but returned in 2011, this time as a CONNECT owner.

Known as a problem solver, there is no task big or small that Troy isn’t willing to take on. This is apparent in his management style and in providing hands-on IT support to all his clients. One of those unique challenges occurred when Troy and his team were setting up a radio on the rooftop of a cable company in Oliver.

“We shot a wireless Internet connection 5 kilometres away to a winery as a temporary solution so they could continue to operate during a road construction project,” recalls Troy, who credits his background for his fortitude.

“What you see is what you get with me. I take that back to my farm upbringing: no games, no hidden agenda. Open communication flows all the way through this organization. Finding IT solutions for our clients is the best part of my job and is a big part of all businesses these days,” he says.

Brian McArthur

Business Development, Telecom Sales Manager

Brian started with CONNECT in 1994 after spending 14 years with Northern Telecom in Ontario. Over the past 40 years in the telecom industry, he has had to evolve along with the huge technology changes that have taken place in the industry.

“I have learned a lot and am still learning,” says Brian.

As Telecom Sales Manager, Brian is responsible for driving Telecom sales and account management. He is also involved with some purchasing and supplier management.

“I really enjoy discussing with a potential customer how their business operates and what are their pain points and then providing a custom solution that addresses their specific needs,” says Brian, who has gone above and beyond in providing business technical support with a recent initiative.

“The market demanded that we needed to be able to offer our customers a hosted telecom solution that differentiated us from our competitors. The launch of our CONNECT In-House Hosted Telecom Solution has been able to meet this demand with great success,” he says.

Terry Bulman

Telecom Operations Manager

Terry has worked at CONNECT for the past seven years.

After two years studying telecommunications at BCIT, Terry moved to Kelowna and started at SelecTel as a technician before joining Okanagan Telephone. He left Okanagan Telephone after a decade to become a partner with Interior Telecom and joined CONNECT six years after that.

As a managed service provider, Terry says his ability to resolve customer issues as well as internal issues is his best asset, along with his attention to detail and organizational skills. His other interests include going for hikes with his family and dog and reading science fiction/fantasy novels.

Brad Kotnik

IT Operations Manager, Dispatch Coordinator

At CONNECT for the past 3.5 years, Brad Kotnik has worked for multiple employers in the private and public sector as a senior IT technician.

A process follower, Brad says he excels at using consistent and concise communications and ways of doing business to make himself available to his clients.

He’s even known to use technology to have a trail of where he is located and is always easy to find when clients need to rectify issues or need computer support.

“Better worded is the fact that I do what I say I will do when I say I’ll do it, or advise when it will be done,” he says.

Brad Tait

Field Services Manager

Behind the rough and rugged image, Brad says he is actually a warm and kind-hearted person who does not take himself too seriously.

With 36 years of experience in the interconnect telecom sector, he provides a wealth of expertise in telephone systems, public address systems, data security and backup, and fibre optic cabling.

Versatile, innovative and willing to assist with any project, Brad is responsible for CONNECT’s sales and service and works both inside and outside to provide data, fibre optic and copper cabling solutions. He also provides project IT management services for the majority of CONNECT’s third party affiliates, private contractors, and national accounts.

“I like the constant change and the ability to provide exemplary customer service in a sometimes confusing technical environment,” he says.

Kaslo

Naya