Chicomm Blog

Employee Spotlight

Owen Lauerman began working at Chicago Communications two years ago. He will be celebrating his 2-year anniversary with the company on September 4^th. (Happy Anniversary, Owen!) But how did the stars align, landing him here at Chicago Communications? In Owen’s case, it’s clearly all about timing.

For most people, a vehicle is a very important tool in everyday life. It is a sizeable investment to own a vehicle and it requires regular care to ensure it performs as intended. When you purchase a vehicle, you therefore typically make sure there is a warranty or an extended service plan on the vehicle in order to minimize the impact of potential, expensive repairs during the time in which you own the vehicle. In addition, you sometimes find that when purchasing the vehicle that a preventative maintenance plan is included in the price of the vehicle for services such as regular oil changes, filter changes, tire rotations, and belt replacements. Did you ever wonder why these services would be included in the price of a vehicle or in an extended service plan?

Research has shown that when vehicles have regular preventative maintenance performed on them, they operate more efficiently, generally have fewer large, costly repairs, and experience almost no breakdowns. Since a vehicle for many people is “mission-critical” to their daily lives and or livelihoods, breakdowns cannot be afforded (and you know they ALWAYS happen at the worst possible time), so having some sort of service plan that includes preventative maintenance as part of it is an absolute must. These plans also kind of “force you” to do the preventative maintenance. Reminders are sent out regarding them, and in some cases the warranty or repair coverage is diminished if the proper maintenance is not occurring at the designated points in time.

When people think of a two-way radio, most think of them being used by police or fire personnel.  But, two-way radios are so versatile that they can be used in many different environments and for many different purposes. Just how versatile are they? Here are just a few examples of where two-way radios are or have been used.

Summer is typically a time for travel and being out and about.  These days, when you travel or when you are out you want to be able to access the Internet, whether it's to check-in on something at work, access a television show you've recorded, or post to one of the many social media sites out there.  More and more we find ourselves lacking good coverage, specifically when we are indoors. Looking for a Wi-Fi sign or symbol to see if we can connect safely at the places we go -- hotels, parks, beaches, coffee shops, restaurants, and airports has become part of the norm. Leveraging the hospitality of the venue we are at creates an experience for us the end user. Imagine sitting down for that cup of coffee only to find you have no coverage to check in with your social websites or to check your mail. The next time you go for that coffee, will you return to that location? It is more than the product you buy, it is the experience you have!

Every day we see it more and more. The term IT Director, CIO, MIS Coordinator are becoming the catchall for ANYTHING electronic. Chicago Communications deals with wireless devices, systems and networks. As we work closer and closer with IT departments to improve both radio, network and cellular coverage, connectivity between buildings was typically left up to the telephone company. Telephone lines and T1’s provisioned between buildings are now being replaced by IP Networks through Microwave and Fiber connections. Problem is, many of the systems in place are still legacy that require plain old telephone lines (POTS).

For as long as I can remember, and it's probably from growing up with a dad who has been in the radio communications business for the past 60 years, I always find myself looking for how businesses, organizations, or volunteers are communicating when I'm out and about. I used to see him do it and now I do it. It has become a force of habit for me now. Are the people in the places I go using radios? (And I of course also look to see if they are Motorola radios.) How are they using them?

Remember the good old days when there were only viruses, and the only way you can get one is if you went online to some obscure website and downloaded it, or if someone handed you a floppy disk with a file that was infected from their computer. If you had virus software it was caught and you went about your business unscathed. Back then the reasoning behind viruses was the same as the reasoning behind taggers, to express “art” and be noticed. It’s different today; we have viruses, trojans, malware, ransomware, hackers, and cyber mafia.

While any one of these can corrupt your system, ransomware stands out. Ransomware has become a very profitable business for some. It was developed by the cyber mafia, a tech savvy version of the crime mafia, looking to receive notoriety for the action and to make a good buck while doing so.

By the shear presence of the word in our name, many believe Chicago Communications conducts business only in the Chicago area.  While we are proud to call Chicago our home, and have called it home for over sixty years, many of our business endeavors take us well beyond this great City's limits.  We have customers all across the area and several with locations which extend to the broader reaches of the country.  In these instances, we have been very fortunate to continue our partnership with those customers at their extended locations as well.  This has enabled us to expand our reach to the central and southern portions of Illinois, north into Wisconsin, west toward the Mississippi, although extending as far as Arizona, and east into Indiana, but as far as Ohio. 

Did you know that Chicago Communications, LLC has two locations? Yes, it’s true! While our corporate office is located in Elmhurst, IL, we also have an office in Chicago at 2100 S. Peoria Street, just a few minutes north of U.S. Cellular Field (home of course to the Chicago White Sox). 

Our Chicago office, or Loop Shop as we like to call it, has been around for years providing a convenient location for our customers in the City, and offering the same capabilities as our Elmhurst office. The office houses a drive-in installation bay, technical support, sales, sales support, and customer service. Together, the team there has a combined 17+ years of service with Chicago Communications and it shows. Their commitment to responding to customer needs or issues is second to none. They pull together, gather support from the Elmhurst office when needed, and get the job done. Whether requesting a quote, having an issue, a question, or an installation request regarding a mobile, portable, or system, our Loop Shop team is ready, willing, and able to respond.