Page 35 - BusinessWest May 30, 2022

Mike Sheil says Whalley Computer Associates has a long track record of adapting to change and being nimble in its efforts to serve clients.
send it directly to the client, who usually don’t have the space to handle a computer system shipment. Sheil said Whalley is different because it takes a hands-on approach.
“Once we receive the product it’s completely handled by Whalley employees,” Sheil said. “From the engineers and technicians who con- figure the products, to the people who drive our trucks and install the systems, everyone has a vested interest in doing it right.”
And during the pandemic, the company’s resolve to do it right was certainly tested, a test Sheil said it has passed.
“COVID and supply chain issues have been challenging, yet we experienced growth during that period,” he told BusinessWest. “It’s all thanks
to our people who were flexible and willing to respond to all these requests.”
The OEM division of Whalley provides cus- tom design of technology systems for clients. When COVID hit and that division temporarily shut down, most organizations would have laid off workers. Instead, OEM employees were sent home with a laptop and a project to work on to benefit the company.
Heather Kies was given the assignment to plan several events for the company. A project manager with OEM, Kies also had a marketing background and enjoyed getting back into this area. She handled the assignment so well, Sheil promoted Kies to Marketing Manager in January and asked her to run the company’s new market-
ing department, which previously existed only informally as part of business development.
These days Kies is working on various com- pany events, including preparations for a major tech conference that takes place in December.
“I’m also busy getting the word out on who we are so people understand all the services we can provide,” Kies said.
While the height of COVID brought unspeak- able horrors, it also forced companies to think differently about how to stay in business and meet customer needs. Sheil is one of many who believes that making the pivot and finding new ways to get the job done is a silver lining to the dark cloud that has been with us for more than two years.
“When COVID hit we had to patch different products together because we couldn’t get the materials we wanted,” Sheil said. “As a result, our people figured out how to get clients what they need despite supply chain issues.”
One of the most profound changes since COVID is the growth in hiring people who work far away from the company’s headquarters.
“Since the pandemic, we’ve brought on new employees in Tennessee, Florida, and Texas,” Sheil noted. “We can now hire folks out of the region to grow our reach.” Whalley won a recent contract in Pennsylvania and is seeking a sales- person for that area.
“This makes sense for us because these folks live there, they know the area and we can support them from here.”
Whalley offers clients different options to
Whalley
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