Jennifer Edens comes from a very large, yet closely-knit family.  She very much gets its significance as a unit of unyielding support. 

Then there’s her son, whom she’s had full custody of since he was three. She understands that just like any other human, there’s always something to learn, new ways for him to grow, times to pose a reality check, lay down the law, or provide guidance and support. All while being that rock for him.

“I’m all of it for him (as a mother),” Jennifer said. “He’s human like the rest of us. He’s small and doesn’t know everything yet. As a parent, I understand that there’s a time where it’s ‘sink or swim,’ and other times that I need to be understanding and just be there for him.”

Encouragement. Acknowledging your own weaknesses, and transforming those into strengths. That’s what family does. 

When Culture Trumps Everything, family simply means more at the office. When Jennifer Edens talks about her role as a Cloud Team Support Desk Manager, she brings up mentors like VP of Strategic Technology Justin Huffaker, IT Supervisor Richard Martin, and others who have challenged her but cared for her just as equally.

That’s what family does.

“Sink or Swim.”

Jennifer will never forget her interview with Justin Huffaker when applying for a role at Datamax. One thing she offered: Don’t expect her to know anything about servers at first. She came to Datamax as a Laserfiche support consultant, and had little to no experience with networks at large.

“I am not kidding. The very first day he sat me down to work on a Laserfiche issue with Richard Martin…. with networking problems. I remember thinking, are they sick? What is this?” Jennifer recalls. Years later, of course, she gets it. This challenge was created to push her limits, to see how much faith she had in her counterparts to guide her through, and help her come out of it even stronger.

“Offer that reality check.”

Jennifer describes herself as an anxious person, which all parties involved have helped her overcome. But there’s a particular day with TSG Sales Manager Lee Wise that she plays out mentally still today when needed. It’s a Bob Newhart sketch he showed her.

It’s this old video where a lady walks into a psychiatrist’s office and says she has a fear of being buried alive. Bob says he can fix everything for $5. The lady agrees, and then Bob screams “STOP IT!!”

“As silly as it sounds, Lee got into my head with that. It made me laugh, but still, to this day, if he sees me worked he’ll just scream “Stop it!” It helps me step back, say you’re right, this is not rational and I need to calm down.”

“Provide the Necessary Guidance.”

Richard Martin was Jennifer’s main point of contact when she began training in her new role. With his breadth of experience and general kind-heartedness, Richard has for years sat with Jennifer to work through issues, and taught her about the intricacies of the IT environment. Jennifer says that with his consistent guidance, she’s gained untold levels of confidence along the way.

“Richard is definitely more of the nurturer of the group.  He’ll do it almost to his own detriment. Richard will work those insane later hours because he’s so knowledgeable and he wants to see everyone succeed so much. I really admire him.”

“Be that Rock.”

Jennifer admits that Justin Huffaker could be a bit intimidating at first. But at some point, the working relationship just clicked.  He recognized her work ethic. She began to understand that she could be open and honest without worrying about job security. The communication line opened up like a fire hydrant, and she’s leaned on Justin and the team heavily since.

“There’s not anyone in my work life like Justin. He’s impacted not just my work life, but my personal life to a great extent. He always tells me if I can just get out of my own way with fear and anxiety, I can accomplish whatever I want to. That encouragement sticks with you forever. He’s just a great human being, the way he balances that line between business and humanity. It’s developed into an opportunity where I get to learn from him, and I’m very, very grateful for that.”

That’s what family does.