Today we’d like to introduce you to Rick Welch.
Rick, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I am a creative person. As a young kid I always liked building things; model planes, construction sets, tree forts, anything I could get my hands on. I always had to have the best science project in grade school. It was in junior high when I would spend hours writing and playing music, a passion I still have today. In high school I was that all-around kid, I was in student council, school bands, sports teams, any activity to keep myself busy.
My family was in the Nursing Home business. I grew up learning the business from my father; his hard work, compassion and caring for others and being genuine were traits my father instilled in me. Talk about the industry, staff and the residents/patients was the talk at the dinner table. It was the path I followed for some time, as I attended Stonehill College and majoring in Health Care Administration.
Upon graduation I found myself in the family business. I passed the Massachusetts State Nursing Home Administrator exam and I was working in the same Nursing Home as the Human Resource/Payroll Director that my father operated for decades.
About a year later (mid 1990’s) those old manual time cards were replaced with a Time and Attendance Software Program, I was streamlining my current job for the better. I worked with computers previous doing music creation and school work but now I was immersed in productivity and operational process to move the family business forward. From there I created the company web site, email system and I was the in-house computer go-to guy. This led to me going back to school; taking classes on web design, software coding and network systems. In 1996, I started a technology consulting business called WELNET (short for Welch Networks) which also led me to a partnership with a leading Real Estate Software Development Firm.
With all these learned and on-the-job skills, the family Long Term Care and Assisted Living Company was growing. With the bond and trust of my family, company growth and new technology advancements in Health Care, on Feb. 1, 1999 I became the Director of Management Information Systems, CTO for Welch Healthcare & Retirement Group until the company was sold on July 1, 2016.
The day the company was sold was also the first day Spark Technologies was born. I am more than fortunate to have my staff of many years at Welch Healthcare make the transition into our newly formed Managed IT Service Provider company. Our professional and growing team is writing the next life chapter…
Has it been a smooth road?
I believe that in any business you will always be hit with challenges. Over the years there have been numerous projects that required long and extensive planning and execution. I always say that we have a 100% track record, as problem solvers we will figure it out, no matter how hard or difficult there will be resolution.
Ideally, we work with successful, growing companies who are proactive. They fear virus attacks, down time, or simply overwhelmed by the day to day technical pressures. These clients understand the value, and it is seamless transition from the break/fix stressful model to the proactive, peace of mind managed IT. Our team works to help other companies see the immediate and long term value of this model. Ultimately, we implement the right tools so we can support their IT goals, minimize risk, and increase productivity.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
The vision behind Spark Technologies began far before the company’s inception in 2016. It was the culmination of over 19 years of IT experience by the founding team which is now Spark. The core team of Spark Technologies began years before, servicing the healthcare industry which had incredible demands for customer service support and more importantly, strict guidelines for operating standards and procedures. After years of watching IT firms come and go, many lacking the passion for servicing clients and providing exceptional technical service, the decision was made to launch a new company that would reach well beyond the healthcare industry. Today, Spark Technologies provides real time technical support, by highly trained professionals who have a passion for servicing clients.
From a high level, our core offering Managed IT package includes:
• 24×7 Monitoring & Alerting
• Anti-Virus Protection
• Anti-Spyware Protection
• Anti-Ransonware Protection
• Device Connection Software – remote access (also given to employees)
• Windows & 3rd party Patch management
• Comprehensive Tracking of Software & Hardware (licenses, expiration dates, etc.)
• Help Desk Team
• Unlimited Priority Support from our Service desk
• Unlimited on-site support
• Backup Solution
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Boston is a hotbed for Technology resources, services and needs. I love to meet with companies in all types of industries and learn about them. There are extraordinary companies throughout Massachusetts, I always look forward understanding what they do best and how we can complement them as becoming an extension of their business as the IT Department.
For someone just starting out, there are plenty resources and expertise at your fingertips, even reach out to us. We find many business cut corners in the beginning only to cause costly headaches in the long run so the main focus should always be put your customers’ needs first.
Contact Info:
- Address: Spark Technologies
1050 Hingham Street
Rockland, MA 02370 - Website: www.sparktechllc.com
- Phone: 866-277-2754
- Email: info@sparktechllc.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sparktechllc
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/@SparkTechLLC
Image Credit:
Rick Welch – Entrepreneur, Business Owner, Problem Solver, Father, Husband, Musician, Goaltender and Mr. Worldwide
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