We’re thankful for our veterans
We’re extremely proud and grateful to have three veterans here on our staff at Granite Edvance. Each Veterans Day, we’re reminded of the value our veterans, and all veterans, bring to our workplaces and our communities. Their stories also highlight some of the ways military service can translate into career pathways.
Troy Taylor
Troy Taylor’s future seemed clear-cut when he was a kid. His grandfather and uncle were both veterans, and he loved collecting and playing with GI Joe figurines. He always knew he wanted to serve his country.
After high school, Troy promptly joined the NH Army National Guard and was soon deployed to Iraq, where he was a part of the military police, doing patrols for six days a week, 12 hours each day. When he returned, his future suddenly felt a bit hazy.
Troy had always enjoyed computers, tinkering with his own at home and sometimes helping fix computers at his school before the days of IT departments. “I liked figuring out the puzzle,” he said. Just before his deployment, he earned his associate degree in computer technology.
A line cook during his teenage years, Troy first attempted to find a career as a chef after returning from Iraq, but at that stage of his life, it didn’t feel like a good fit. He then turned back to computers, earning his bachelor’s degree and then landing a job at Granite Edvance.
In his current role as Senior Systems Support Specialist, Troy is known around the office for his can-do approach. “I like fixing people’s stuff,” he said, “and in the meantime, I try to make them laugh or smile and reduce their stress.”
Chris Nadeau
You might expect Chris Nadeau to be a nervous wreck, popping antacids and pacing the floor as he scans the digital horizon for threats to our information systems. But that’s just not his style. A Navy veteran who sports some gnarly scars from mountain biking and often rides to work on a Harley, Chris has never been one to shy away from danger.
“You have to be comfortable with risk,” said Chris, who serves as Vice President of Information Security and Business Solutions at Granite Edvance. “Otherwise, you’re always freaking out.”
Chris’s love of technology blossomed early, when his mother bought him his first computer (an Apple IIc). She then announced, “‘Now, if you want to play video games, you have to write your own,’” recalled Chris, who did just that, creating a text-based skiing game.
In his teenage years, Chris loved to go dumpster diving outside technology companies for old computer parts, a quest that paired his computer-nerd side with his adventure-seeking side. He also loved sailing, skiing, and mountain biking.
Chris signed up to join the Navy as a ticket out of his small-town life and a means of putting himself through college. A serious mountain bike injury – and the discovery that he was partially color-blind – forced him to give up his dreams of being a Navy pilot. Instead, he chose Electronic Warfare (now called Cryptology) and spent four years stationed in San Diego, followed by a tour of duty in The Persian Gulf.
After leaving the military, Chris landed a civilian job in San Diego. But when his company asked him to move to Texas, he and his family abruptly uprooted and moved back to New Hampshire instead. He started working at Granite Edvance in 2019. Here, he loves leading the Technology Systems and Support team and staying a step ahead of security risks.
“You can’t just find all the bad things,” said Chris, who is also on the board of NH Infragard, an FBI nonprofit that protects national security by sharing intelligence. “You need to be the person who turns the stones over, finds the risks, and helps the company fix them.”
Merek Weisensee
Merek Weisensee’s creative streak is never far from the surface. Quick with a joke and a colorful metaphor, Merek loves coming up with innovative solutions to technology problems in his role as Assistant Vice President of Technical Solutions and Support at Granite Edvance.
Moving to New Hampshire as a kid, Merek first entertained ambitions of being a chef, then decided to enlist in the Navy as an Operations Specialist. Working six-shifts around the clock in a ship’s Combat Information Center was a grind, but he picked up numerous skills that would later prove useful. The job also tested Merek’s mettle in stressful situations and taught him about human behavior. “I certainly learned how different people are going to work and perform differently in every situation,” he said.
Leaving the Navy after four years, Merek returned to New Hampshire and got a job providing technical field service to businesses around the state before pivoting to law enforcement. Over the next 10 years, he worked in a variety of roles on the police force, including school resource officer, crisis negotiator, motorcycle patrol officer and supervisor. Meanwhile, he kept up his technology skills with a side hustle running his own security and surveillance company.
Eventually, Merek returned to the technology field by landing a job at a law enforcement technology company. He joined Granite Edvance in 2022.
Along his long and winding career pathway, Merek has found creative ways to advance his career: networking, trying new things, and taking advantage of opportunities large and small.
“I’m a good learner through poor situations,” he said Merek. “You have to try to better yourself in the ways that you’re marketable. . . Build your own education.”