Peggy Laurent - Customer Advocate,
Field Engineering Department
From EVE to Infinity, and beyond, Peggy Laurent has been working with Amtelco equipment and software for most of her working life.
Peggy started work as a part-time operator at Allan Fromm's An-ser Services telephone answering service in 1988 in her hometown of Green Bay, Wisconsin. She was trained to use a cord board and the newly installed EVE system. In 1990, she enrolled at Northwest Technical College to study for an associate's degree as a paralegal. That led her to ask for a transfer to the graveyard shift so she could work and attend classes and still be home at the times when her children needed her the most. Peggy was the only operator on the overnight shift, and Allan soon trained her to do system restarts so he wouldn't have to come into the office at all hours to do them himself.
Peggy graduated from NWTC in Spring 1994 and went to work full-time on the day shift at An-ser Services. She took on additional responsibilities as the alarms manager shortly after that. She was promoted to assistant to the president in 1995, and in 1997 added technology manager to her job title and duties.
When her children headed off to college, Peggy decided it was time for a change. She called Amtelco Field Engineering Supervisor Jody LaLuzerne and asked if he would provide a reference for her job search. Two days later, Amtelco Professional Services Manager Gloria Fruit called Peggy with a job offer, and in March 2004 Peggy joined Amtelco as a project manager in the Customer Care Department.
Peggy's timely hiring coincided with PM Jana Olson's departure for a maternity leave and PM Andy Quamme's departure for a job with Allina Hospitals and Clinics in Minneapolis. When Andy looked to return to Amtelco in 2006, Peggy volunteered to transfer to the Field Engineering Department as an installer. The transfer gave Peggy the opportunity to travel the country, which was something that she had long wished to do.
Peggy's commitment to Amtelco's customers reached new heights in 2011 when she helped CentraCare Health System, St. Cloud, Minnesota, recover from a fire in its Infinity server and again when she helped TAS Answering Service, Paducah, Kentucky, get back on line after lightning struck its building. Her efforts in those times of crisis were rewarded at the end of the year with Amtelco's annual Customer Service Department Outstanding Service Award.
In 2014, Peggy came in from the road when she was named a customer advocate in the Field Engineering Department. She still pitches in as a field engineering technician when her expertise is needed, and often is dispatched to customer locations in emergency situations.
