Do you want to meet the men and women behind the scenes for your VoIP service provider? Let’s meet #TEAMIPITIMI.
Each week, we will do a quick interview featuring one special employee on our blog to celebrate our diversity in this tight-knit community. This week is also our kickoff of #WomenInTechnology. Here at IPitimi, we proudly acknowledge our intelligent and hard-working women who are a part of laying a strong foundation of our company. We will start off our Employee Spotlight with a member from our board of directors- our Chief Marketing Officer, Lori Jenkins.
Q: Could you tell me a little bit about yourself?
A: My name is Lori Jenkins. I am the youngest child of six. I was born and raised in Denver Colorado. My Mother started an Answering Service in 1964 when I was 2 yrs. old. She was looking for an industry to be able to work from home and take care of a six kids. It has always been a joke since I was a child, “that I was born under a cord board.” Once I got older my first job at about Ten was cleaning the office. Then at Sixteen I became an operator for the service and eventually moved into running the business for my parents.
I was very involved in the TAS (Telephone Answering Service) industry where I ran as president of SNUG (Startel National User Group) in 1999 and was also President of ATSI (Associated of Telephone Answering Services International) in 2005. I was also the head of emerging technologies for the Industry which, is when I discovered the need for VoIP in the TAS industry.
When I originally began my company, SkyStream Broadband, it was because I moved to a small town in Colorado with NO internet access. Running an answering service required the ability to log in from home since my commute had went from 10 minutes to 45 minutes. I started researching and soon discovered I could purchase a (very expensive at the time) T1 and share it with all of my neighbors to help cover the costs of the T1. So my very first antenna went up on a chicken coop up on the hill above my town and provided my little community with its first ever high speed internet service.
Soon after, I got involved with VoIP when nobody knew what VoIP was yet. One of my dearest TAS industry friends offered to try VoIP in her answering service and that is when SkyStream Broadband and Voice Integration was created. From then my company grew, my sister took over running my parents answering service I began providing telephone service for hundreds of answering services all over the country.
Q: What brought you to IPitimi?
A: IPitimi’s team and I share the same company values. When the executive team approached me about a partnership, it was difficult to say no. The core value and expertise that the IPitimi team offered really fit our company model and merging the 2 companies together was an easy decision.
Q: What is your role in IPitimi?
A: My title is Chief Marketing Officer and I am also a member of the Board of Directors. Though I think of myself as chief bottle washer, because I will work were ever I am needed at the time.
Q: What is IPitimi’s greatest strength in your opinion?
A: IPitimi’s greatest strength is the whole team! From the executive team who is very knowledgeable and in my opinion geniuses in their own right. But honestly the entire IPitimi team is a great group of people handpicked by the Executive team to complement each other’s strengths. The greatest strength though is that the whole company has a passion for the technology that in unsurpassed by others.
Q: Where do you see VOIP/IPitimi going in the next 5-10 years?
A: VoIP has come a long way since I started in the business in 2003, but it is an ever-growing, evolving and vital communication tool. IPitimi will be an essential part of it becoming a higher standard for customer experience. So….. VoIP will be the standard for communications. IPitimi will be a leader in the industry.
Q: Favorite work experience?
A: My favorite was Helping a company make their employees happy. The Client was working from a very large Upscale Office building and most employees, including the executive staff, had to drive a long way to work. They decided to split the offices up into two small offices and allow all their agents to work from home. But the cost to do so was making it almost impossible. We came in and moved the PBX to one office. Put in extensions and phones into the sales office and set up each agent to allow them to work from home. Saving the company thousands of dollars and all the staff could now work close to home or from home. Creating a company culture that the owner wanted and Happy Employees.
Q: I’m going ask some fun questions! What are some of the top things on your bucket list?
A: Go to Israel. Or take my husband on a river cruise through Europe!
Q: If you were stuck on an island, what are three things you wish to have with you and why?
A: My Husband, Seeds to plant a garden, fresh water.
Q: Do you have any hobbies/interests outside of work?
A: Enjoy spending time with my horses, making peoples weddings special. Spending time with my family and church family -We now have service every Sunday in our barn.
