Recently, Alvarez Technology Group CEO Luis Alvarez appeared on the Monterey County Business Council’s Open for Business series. Hosted by Mary Ann Leffel, the series features interviews with successful members of the business community to share best practices, insight, and strategy.
“When we started the company, it was really designed to provide what we call “Fortune 100″ IT support for all those companies locally that just weren’t getting good support,” said Luis.
The discussion then turned to finding and managing a staff, with Luis commenting on the reality of how difficult it can be to find employees that aren’t just good workers, but that are also sufficiently knowledgeable about technology.
“We do a lot of “growing” of our own employees,” said Luis. “We hire folks with a lot of potential and provide the training and education that they need so they can become good resources for our clients.
Mary then focused the discussion on the training that a potential employee in the IT field needs to be successful in the industry, and whether there’s one specific, foundational certification an employee would need. Unfortunately, it’s not quite that simple, with Luis mentioning both full college degrees in technology programs, as well as industry-specific training for those that want a more focused approach.
The interview concluded on the topic of how the modern world of retail has changed since the introduction of online shopping. Whereas Mary is a strong proponent of supporting brick-and-mortar shops and malls, online retail continues to grow in popularity.
“We’re working with a lot of retailers to try to bring those customers back in by creating an experience. We call it the Starbucks factor – most people don’t go to Starbucks because the coffee’s great, they go for the experience,” said Luis. “So, we’re helping our clients understand that the consumer is more demanding today, and that you need to create an environment that makes them happy, and technology can help with that.”
Watch the full episode to see the interview for yourself today. For more information about Alvarez Technology Group, get in touch with us right away at (831) 753-7677 or [email protected].
