Travis Penner
Tier III Service Lead
Known as a problem-solver determined to succeed, Travis is our service team’s go-to person. Whether it’s a problem requiring a creative solution or a rare and unique technical challenge, Travis always has the knowledge and the skills to figure it out. His favourite part of the day is inspiring his fellow techs to grow their knowledge and explore the unknown parts of the world of technology. Travis has been with us for 5 years now. He currently has his Microsoft Certified Professional certificate and he has a Bachelor of Applied Information Systems Technology from NAIT. In Travis’ spare time he enjoys playing poker and watching football and the Oilers lose every year.
Jared Richardson
Director of IT Security & Compliance
Jared enjoys using both his expertise in coffee and technology to help the solūt team and their clients evolve. Jared is very well-rounded in all things tech, starting with multiple certification tracks and experience that goes back to 2000. He has moved forward to today with a focus on infrastructure and security. While his love for tech follows him home, it gets augmented with other passions like family, coffee and photography.
Sayulis Hurtado
SharePoint Analyst & Graphic Design
Sayulis is a proud SharePoint nerd, a very determined and persistent straight-shooter, and a two-time “Jared’s Award Winner”—it’s a solūt thing. She takes pride in her work but most importantly in the team she is part of. Well-qualified to turn computers off and on, Sayulis holds a computer engineering degree from Havana University since 2011 and a graphic design diploma from CDI College since 2015. She loves to be able to switch between the technical and the creative worlds. In fact, she credits that with keeping her sane. Sayulis wishes she had something cool to say (even though we think she’s naturally pretty cool), like she is part of a rock band or that she runs marathons, but she has a pretty boring life. She spends her free time watching TV, hanging out with friends and family, playing dominoes, or dancing salsa. She also finds a questionable amount of joy in pranking and helping out her coworkers.
Aina Del Pilar
Tier II Service Technician
Aina continues to learn everyday. Her favourite part of the job is working with the amazing people in the company. She loves completing tickets and making clients happy. Aina has a diploma in network engineering technology. She is currently going to school part-time for her Bachelor of Applied Information Systems Technology, majoring in network management. In addition, Aina has been her parents’ IT support for the last 10 years. Aina likes to do a whole lotta’ nothing outside the 9 to 5 and school. She can sleep in an instant and go for 10+ hours straight. When she’s not sleeping, she’s watching movies, TV shows, or random YouTube videos. She also likes listening to music and enjoys different genres. She lives for Korean bbq, bubble tea, chocolates, and BTS.
Angeni Jaipaul
Marketing Coordinator
As the resident solūt comedian, Ang brings laughter and jokes to all of her various office tasks. She loves helping her co-workers by doing whatever makes their lives easier and more fun. Ang is EA to the president, and also a master multi-tasker who takes great pride in planning super fun events, leading the social committee and keeping morale high. Although Ang went to school to become an IT nerd and earned her Business Analyst Certification at NAIT, she quickly realized that was not the path for her. However, her 10 years slingin’ cards at the casino proved to be a highly valuable asset since it was an incredibly social job that gave her the ability to converse with people from all walks of life. This helped her charm her way into a job at solūt, doing everything except what she actually went to school for. Ang is obsessed with fireworks and has been blowing them off for fun since she was 14. She moonlights at her dream job as a pyro-technician, which takes over most of her weekends in the summer but is well worth it. You can also find her hanging with her family, walking in the river valley with her dog, or going on random adventures.
Yuri Whyte
Tier I Service Technician
Yuri takes pride in ensuring that solūt’s clients are beyond satisfied with the team’s level of work and customer service. He stops at nothing to ensure that even the toughest task ends in a favourable resolution. He is a systems administrator graduate of NAIT with impeccable computer troubleshooting abilities. IT has been Yuri’s full-time gig for two and a half years, but he has over a decade of experience in the field. Yuri enjoys helping others with his jovial spirit. In his spare time, he enjoys some good animated comedy and the occasional video game. Yuri is into cars and one day hopes to own a custom sports car.
Eric Frey
VP Service Operations
Eric got into the industry because he enjoys using technology to help people. He doesn’t get to be hands-on as much anymore, but he takes the same approach to support the team. This helps remove roadblocks so they can provide superior customer service. After serving 15+ years in technology support post-graduation from Winnipeg Technical College in 1998, Eric has spent the past five years working in project and team leadership. Eric believes in lifelong learning and is currently attending the University of Alberta part-time to continue rounding out his technical background with formal management education. In an effort to balance out the digital focus of his day job, Eric tries to find time to unplug and practice some analog skills. He’s a full-time husband and dad, and part-time baker, brewer and outdoorsman.
Jeremy Hayward
President
Jeremy is passionate about connecting people and empowering others to reach their full potential in order to drive solūt’s vision, mission, and core purpose. Jeremy brings nearly two decades of experience in leadership and in the IT industry to solūt. He is not only our President, but he sits on the board of directors and manages corporate direction and strategy. Jeremy is actively involved in the community and sits on several boards and committees in the Edmonton area. Outside of the office, he enjoys golfing, attending concerts, watching hockey, and spending time with his wife Patti, daughter Eva, and son John.
Tatiana Kuznetsova
Client Experience Lead
Three-parts people lover. Three-parts continuous learner. Two-parts problem solver. Two-parts linguistics junkie. Being passionate about people and learning her entire life, Tatiana takes the time to get to know solūt’s clients and learn as much as possible about their aspirations, goals, and roadblocks. Tatiana spends her days connecting clients with solutions and making sure the client experience continually evolves. Her favourite part of the day is helping people see the human side of the IT industry and the potential of technology. A linguist by training, Tatiana studied online discourse and technologies of manipulation as a part of her Master of Arts degree and taught Russian and German at the University of Alberta. Since leaving academia, Tatiana worked as a marketing and client relations specialist, excelling in client experience improvement and strategy. Loving books since a very young age, Tatiana shares her free time between finding new books for her home library and trying to read them all. An avid learner, Tatiana is inspired by trying new things and is currently embracing the joys and challenges of Argentine tango. Tatiana’s passion for people extends beyond her work hours, as she is actively involved in bringing people together as the volunteer director for her community league.
Angel Zarowny
VP Finance
Angel is always looking to raise the bar. She’s passionate about creating a great place to work so great work can take place! Angel enjoys the challenge of finding that sweet spot where resources are directed towards what matter most to the team, all while fostering a terrific work culture. This positions solūt to deliver top-notch service! Angel’s background is a unique combination of human resources and accounting. She completed a commerce degree at the University of Alberta, majoring in HR. After years as an HR Generalist, Angel decided to pursue a CMA accounting designation. Now at solūt, Angel has the opportunity to dabble in multiple specialties, giving her the best of both worlds. At the end of the day, another one begins. Angel is mom to a couple terrific kids and they keep her busy. Whether it’s driving them from point a to b, cheering them on across home plate, helping them with homework, or just being there for them—they’re her favourite pastime!
Geoffrey Hawes
Business Analyst
Geoffrey enjoys learning about various organizations’ workflows, then taking that information to help them improve, innovate, and evolve aspects of their business. Watching these improvements take effect and become success stories is extremely rewarding to him. Earning a Bachelor of Science in software engineering from the University of Calgary, Geoffrey has spent seven years working in a variety of fields, including development, data science and business analysis. In Geoffrey’s free time, he focuses on constant improvement and learning new skill sets. Geoffrey feels lucky that the work he does is also his hobby.
Kyle Sutton
Service Coordinator
Kyle enjoys strategic thinking and optimization. The Service Coordinator role allows him to think about the next moves, how they should be made, and who should make them. Initially enrolled at the University of Alberta in the biological sciences, Kyle decided to change his trajectory and instead enrolled in the Digital Media and IT (DMIT) program at NAIT, with a specialization in systems administration. He initially worked for solūt as a technician before making the switch to the Service Coordinator position. Kyle is a health and fitness enthusiast and, despite not pursuing it as a career, still has a passion for the biological and behavioural sciences. Kyle spends a great deal of time reading and learning, attempting to muster up an adequate attention span to catch up on his Netflix shows, and daydreaming about having a cat.
Manny Velado
Tier I Service Technician
Manuel, also known as Manny, likes to think he keeps it real. Manny is enthusiastic and brings laughter to the office—and can even laugh until he passes out. He obtained his network engineering technology diploma, and is now in the process of getting his Bachelor of Applied Information Systems Technology, majoring in network management. Manny’s days don’t end when he leaves the office! As much as he loves IT and all things computers, anime and tattoos are his other passion. Y’all need to check out his anime and tattoo collection—it’s beyond imagination. He also once got a 28-point hand in crib.
Lindsay Hao
Tier I Service Technician
Lindsay brings happiness, optimism, and joy to the office—or at least she tries her darnedest. She obtained her network engineering technology diploma and is working towards getting her Bachelor of Technology in Technology Management. Lindsay likes to keep it real. She enjoys drinking bubble tea.
Evan Wohland
Tier II Service Technician
Evan is detail-oriented and a perfectionist at heart. He loves solving the toughest problems that take a lot of research and trial and error. A jack-of-all-things IT, with nearly a decade of experience, Evan brings to the solūt team a two-year diploma in Computer Engineering Technology from NAIT. Evan always looks forward to summer when he can chill at the lake, play cards, swim, and kick it around the campfire.
Valery Sinitsine
Project Technician
Val likes to build things, but he doesn’t discriminate; fixing broken things is fine for him too. Having done a variety of tasks to get projects completed, Val is a bit of a MacGyver. He has used DISKPART to wipe drives clean, climbed ladders, pulled cables, and dug trenches with a shovel. None of that was with solūt, of course, but it’s safe to say he goes the extra mile to get the job done. Val likes to play with his kids. When he has some alone time, he plays Europa Universalis IV. He is also a huge Audible fan, and listens to audiobooks while driving.
Nichol Campbell
Service Team Lead
Coming from a child and youth care background, Nichol enjoys conflict resolution and problem solving. However, what she really enjoys is all things documentation. After obtaining a degree in child and youth care and working in the field for four years, Nichol received a diploma in network engineering technology. She is currently working towards a Bachelor of Applied Information Systems Technology with a major in network management. Nichol is an avid reader, having read 186 books this past year.
Joanne Gerlack
Accounting Technician
Joanne provides full-cycle accounting support in corporate services. She enjoys assisting our clients, vendors, and the internal solūt team. She feels rewarded by supporting businesses in our constantly changing world. She has a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Alberta. After three years of teaching and earning a permanent certification, she’s charting a new path in the business world. Joanne worked for 14 years in the legal industry in an accounting support role and then her journey completely changed upon starting a family. After several years as a young mom working part-time, Joanne was ready to return full-tilt to the workforce and transitioned into her current full-time role with solūt. Joanne likes to work hard and play hard. Her life is filled with family and friends. She has three boys who keep her schedule very active. Joanne enjoys playing sports, especially slo-pitch and volleyball. Joanne and her family do a lot of camping and exploring. More travel is definitely on her bucket list, but budgeting for a family of five can be interesting to say the least!
Todd Lewis
Tier II Service Technician
Todd loves finding ways to optimize and simplify dreary IT tasks. He accomplishes this with scripting and automating all of the repetitive tasks. He also loves to write up that complicated piece of documentation for staff and clients to reference. He has been in the managed services provider space since 2015, working directly with clients’ staff to enhance their workflows. Todd graduated from the Bachelor of Applied Information Systems Technology program from NAIT. Todd is extremely energetic and enthusiastic while at work and always willing to lend a hand. In his personal life, he is a stark contrast and loves nothing more than playing and napping with his cats, and being laid back.
Glen Dobranski
Director of Innovation
Glen’s favourite thing to do is solve problems, making him a natural fit for the solūt team. He draws on his past experiences to do things differently than before. Glen is always re-inventing the wheel and showing clients all the potential they can unleash with the right mindset. Glen possesses a Bachelor of Mathematical Sciences, along with many certificates and professional designations including MCSA and MCITP. He holds various Microsoft specialist and administrator certifications. Glen’s love for a challenge overflows into his personal life as well, whether it’s creating customized apps for his family, 3D-printing useful gadgets, tackling DIY projects, or fixing his car. Glen has no quit in him when it comes to a challenge, as both his wife and baby girl have found out. Glen’s competitive nature extends to sports and games as well, from hockey and dodgeball to a hand of cards.
Clayton Amelia
Tier III Service Technician
Clayton enjoys helping clients move their business forward with technology and enhancing the security of their information assets. With 20 years of experience in information technology, Clayton’s career has evolved from opening a computer sales and repair business while still in high school, to a globally distributed BSD shell and web hosting service. He has experience in application development and design, network and server implementation, and supporting all layers of technology. Clayton elevated his career by earning a Bachelor of Applied Information Systems Technology from NAIT in 2013. Clayton has a passion for computers, both inside and outside of work. He is an avid computer gamer who regularly streams for fundraisers that support the Stollery Children’s Hospital and the Alberta Children’s Hospital foundations through groups like Extra Life. He also enjoys DJing through online radio stations.
Michael Anderson
Service Coordinator
Michael has a background in tech but, more recently, he’s been focusing on customer service. This combination works well, being a first point of contact for folks with IT woes. He completed an MCSE program at Loyalist College in 2000 and spent close to eight years consulting. He’s also taught English abroad and has since shifted more towards customer support. Michael enjoys spending time with his dog, playing some Xbox and trying to engage but not kill all his players when Dungeon Mastering.
Andrea Chalut
HR Generalist
Andrea’s love for people and passion for helping them succeed and enjoy their life at solūt is what separates her from the Toby Flenderson’s of HR. Andrea brings the order to the solūt universe – developing policies, researching best practices, building career plans for our amazing team. She is always there to help a team member—no matter what they need! Andrea is an HR guru, holding a Bachelor of Commerce degree from MacEwan University, where she followed her passion and specialized in Human Resources. An active member of MacEwan’s HR club, Andrea developed a great network with her fellow HR geeks and organized many workshops and events. She used her degree and connections to jump into her HR career two years ago and hasn’t looked back! Home Andrea is just as awesome as HR Andrea—she is all about people! Andrea enjoys hanging out with friends and family, catching her fav local bands, and hunting down YEG’s best coffee. She takes on any adventure that comes her way—be it teaching English in Thailand or attending the Juno Awards with her boyfriend’s band.
Corina Kimberly M. Sison
Tier I Service Technician
Corina enjoys troubleshooting and learning new things. She enjoys and loves how her solūt family is very family-oriented and how everybody is helpful and warming. She is a Computer Network Administrator graduate from NAIT in 2019. After work Corina likes spending time walking and playing with her dogs. She also tries cooking different cuisine when she gets a chance. Whenever she visits her family down in SF, she likes to go surfing.
Jacob M Bush
Tier I Service Technician
Skier, coffee addict, technology guru. Jacob knew he wanted an IT career when he fixed his high school art teacher’s laptop. Ever since, Jacob continues to expand his knowledge in technology with the intention to help as many people as he can. Jacob holds a Network Engineering Technology diploma, and a Computer Network Administrator Certificate. In his spare time, Jacob spends most of it playing video games.
Chris Brady
Business Development Manager
Although Chris is in Business Development, he is a Techie at heart. He loves being able to combine his passion for technology with meeting people and talking about their business. Chris enjoys being able to help people transform their business with technology, but more importantly, help them solve their business problems. The question Chris always wants to know when talking to people about their business is: “What keeps you up at night?” Chris has spent almost 20 years immersed in the YEG Tech world. He initially spent almost a decade in the field as the IT Manager for a local software development company. He has spent the last 10 years in a business development capacity within the Edmonton Tech scene, graduating from multiple programs at NAIT including Business, Computer Systems Technology, and Computer Network Administration. Chris has often been described as a salesperson who is also fully fluent in NERD. He finds it ironic that he spends so much time meeting with people in coffee shops, yet he doesn’t drink coffee. When not at work, Chris spends the majority of his time coaching youth sports. He has coached football, hockey, lacrosse and now primarily coaches multiple soccer teams.
Stephanie McConaghy
Purchaser
Stephanie’s analytical nature and attention to detail have always been some of her greatest personal assets. It has served her well in streamlining processes and increasing efficiencies. Stephanie brings with her more than 15 years experience in procurement and inventory control. Stephanie enjoys being outdoors and checking out Edmonton’s many great events.
Kaylin Good
Project Coordinator
Kaylin brings project experience to a technical-focused environment. She’s eager to discover and develop processes to help projects meet and surpass client expectations, while also ensuring clear understanding on both sides through constant communication. She takes pride in her company, team, and the projects they deliver. Still new to the technology industry, Kaylin has over 5 years of experience in business administration and project coordination both in Canada and the UK. She comes from a management background, having graduated from the University of British Columbia majoring in Theatre and specializing in stage and production management. Kaylin is very passionate about travelling, having lived in London, England for two years. There, she was able to travel throughout Europe and even rode a camel in Morocco. Culture, language, beautiful sites, and most importantly… FOOD! What’s not to love?
Victoria Cholak
Tier I Service Technician
Victoria is a bright person who enjoys solving problems and bringing a positive attitude to her job. With a background in hardware, a desire to learn more and a Computer Network Administration (CNA) Certificate, she actively challenges herself to help with every problem that comes her way. In her spare time, Victoria enjoys playing Dungeons and Dragons with friends. She also plays a variety of video games and loves to curl up with a good book.
Jonathan Teschke
Tier II Service Lead
Jon (JT) is a quick learner with a keen eye for detail with all things technical. His knowledge and experience is evident in every ticket he touches and with every client interaction he has. He has 10+ years of experience and is a StorageCraft Certified Master Engineer. When not teching you can find JT hanging with his wife and 3 children, picking / performing on his guitar or chilling with some video games.
Alpesh Desai
Client Experience Representative
Alpesh loves an environment that constantly challenges and stimulates his problem solving skills while also growing in an ever changing industry. With a passion for face to face interactions and technology, Alpesh seeks out new ways to create a symbiotic relationship between people and technology. Prior to joining solūt, Alpesh worked in the financial services industry for 6 years, honing his skills in both problem solving & customer resolution. He is excited to bring his knowledge and experience into the technology scene. Alpesh enjoys spending time with his friends and family, playing ball hockey, softball, eating as much food as possible, board games, and the occasional video game. He spends many a night on YouTube looking up the latest tech reviews on the hottest gadgets.
Anthony Aleksejev
Tier I Service Technician
Anthony is excited and passionate about IT systems, specifically how everything works together. If there is something to fix, learn, or improve – he will throw himself wholeheartedly at it. What particularly thrills him about the work is being able to make someone’s life easier. Anthony has a diploma in Network Engineering and is keen on pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Technology Management Any spare time he has is usually put towards exploring something new. Some of his more interesting phases have included brewing beer, building electric motorcycles, & climbing mountains. More casually, he spends his time hanging out with friends, trail running, snowboarding, coding, and playing video games.
Jordan Stang
Tier I Service Technician
With a passion for computers, working in IT is a joy for Jordan. Whether it’s hardware or software support, every day is a different challenge that he greatly accepts. He thinks the best part of working IT is getting the satisfaction that you can help someone’s day go just that much smoother. Since he is both a great multitasker and an exceptional hand on learner, he is able to learn anything put in front of him. He brings to the table 6 years of IT experience with his A+, ITIL, and multiple vendor certifications. His great people skills make any interaction a pleasant one. For Jordan it doesn’t matter if he’s building a computer or a car; he’s enjoying it. He recently finished his last car build and is excited to start a new project. With the passion to put any puzzle together, he doesn’t back down from any challenge.
Beverley Killoran
Accounting Technician
Beverley is eager to get the job done and learn new things. She is a wonder with problem solving and numbers and is a great addition to the accounting team at solut.
In 2018 Beverley made a shift in careers and started working as a part-time bookkeeper. She as gone from Fashion Design College and working in the retail industry to acquiring her Accounting Certification from Athabasca University and also her Level 1 Tax Preparation
She is lucky enough to work part-time, allowing her to be home more often for her husband, 2 boys and 2 dogs. Beverley is always on the go with her family, she volunteers for the sports associations that her boys are involved in and she also does seamstress work from home. When she can pull herself away from her motherly duties, you can find her relaxing at the yoga studio, practicing mindfulness and finding her inner peace again.
Cris Kilimnik
Tier I Service Technician
Cris started off as a Client Experience Representative at solut but has since transitioned to a more technical role as a service technician. Having completed the Network Security program from Robertson College and coming from a background of both technical and customer service makes it easy for him to provide the support our clients need. Cris loves helping people and explaining things to them in a way they can understand.
Cris’ laid back nature and fun personality makes him a real treat to have around the office, especially in our weekly team get together on Fridays. In his spare time, he loves watching hockey, Brooklyn 99 reruns and collecting board games.
Courtney Powell
vCIO Consultant
Courtney has always had an entrepreneur streak. The willing dive into chaos & coming up with creative answers that come with entrepreneurship pretty much mirrors the Business Intelligence world. Coming from a well-rounded background including arts to sports to business & knowing people from all types of life allows him to understand a variety of perspectives and speak to problems & solutions clearly, directly and with empathy.
Courtney has worked in a diverse set of industries – food manufacturing, safety, construction, enviro services & tech. He holds a degree in Anthropology and Psychology which he sees as not that different from Business – both are centred around trying to understand why we do the things we do and what motivates us.
Outside of work, Courtney loves keeping active with weight lifting, mountain biking, hiking and running. He’s also into watching football, video games, board games, pool and smoke BBQ. It might have been easier to list things he doesn’t do! Fun fact – Courtney buys his shoes from the same place Shaq does – Friedman’s Shoes, out of Atlanta Georgia.