Working at Modality
Meet Ronnie
Codebreaker; the 25-year evolution of support star Ronnie
This time, we interview one of Modality’s veterans. Support star Ronnie has been with us for over 25 years, making him a proverbial fixed feature. A fixed feature that has moved with us many times though. Ronnie has worked at all our different locations and has witnessed first-hand how our organisation has grown both literally and figuratively with every relocation.
Back to the Future
It is a beautiful September day in 1998 when Ronnie, then still Ronnietje, walks into the Dokkantoor office building at Rotterdam’s Heijplaat. He puts his Walkman in his bag (the journey by public transport took at least an hour and fifteen minutes) and carefully observes his surroundings. On one side of the room, a man with unruly curls is bent over a Packard Bell, nervously tapping the floor with his right foot. On the other side, a man in a suit with a Motorola clamped between his ear and shoulder is changing the paper of the fax machine. Both welcome Ronnie and after a brief interview, he becomes the company’s third employee. Ronnie continues his IT studies whilst also programming and performing various support activities for Jan and Aad.
Over the years, Ronnie has witnessed many changes. In the early days, all orders still came in by fax and a different colour of paper was used for each financial year. Installations (including individual PCs) were performed on-site at the customer and support for solving system problems was also provided on-site. Logging in required a dial-up connection with that typical sound that was oh so familiar to anyone who was no longer in diapers in ’98. The demand for systems grew and the team soon expanded. They relocated from the Dokkantoor office complex to the Waalhaven; not only did Ronnie and his colleagues no longer needed to share their toilets with other companies, but they also enjoyed a beautiful view. A few years later, the team outgrew this location as well and they relocated to Oslo street in Barendrecht. At this point, the customer base had grown to such an extent that a separate support department was established.
Ronnie:
"Having a customer tell you that they are happy with a solution is always rewarding, especially when it truly aids their operations."
The Source Code
Since then, Ronnie’s responsibilities have included handling questions and requests for the support department, carrying out installations, testing interfaces, preparing quotes, etc. Due to his programming background, Ronnie is able to check the code and also directly engage with customers on technical matters. He tackles smaller programming issues himself each day and interacts with customers after a new installation. The varied nature of his job, the contact with customers and the pleasant atmosphere are the main reasons why Ronnie has stayed with us for more than 25 years. Then, there are the parties and outings, of which he has fond memories. Some examples he mentions are the anniversary party that involved playing football at the De Kuip football stadium, the party aboard the SS Rotterdam and the trip to Barcelona.
The Pursuit of Happyness
Not only does Ronnie love parties and good food; this prankster is also always up for a joke. For instance, he recently swapped a boiled egg from Esmee's lunch for a raw one and ambushed Albert and Evert with sticky tape at the doorway as they arrived. Fortunately, most of Ronnie's ideas remain just that; ideas. In his own words, he wants to maintain a good atmosphere and not take things too far.
In his spare time, Ronnie can frequently be found on the sidelines of a football field cheering on his son. He also enjoys chasing goals whilst playing indoor football. Besides his son, he and his beautiful Costa Rican wife have a daughter who is studying Chemical Technology. Although Ronnie likes adventurous and active holidays, the most important thing to him is the well-being and health of his family. He requires little more to be happy.
