This month’s employee spotlight is shining on Darin Green. Darin joined Synergis on February 18, 2008 as our first dedicated helpdesk technician for Architectural, Engineering and Civil (AEC) Design applications. In this role Darin helped hundreds of customers maintain the stability of their Autodesk design applications. It wasn’t long before Darin noticed customers needed more than just software level support, so he continued developing his knowledge and acquired an associate degree in Computer Science with a focus in Programming from Delaware County Community College. This level of expertise enabled Darin to assist customers by developing custom applications and plug-ins.
Darin’s motto of supporting beyond expectation makes him stand-out with our customers and the teams at Synergis. He has demonstrated time and time again that it pays to go above and beyond. If something doesn’t exist, you create it. Darin’s initiative and his unwavering commitment to customers earned him the promotion to Director of Customer Support in August 2018, leading our support teams in both business units: Synergis Software and Synergis Engineering Design Solutions.
As a Director of Customer Support, Darin’s daily responsibilities include constant communication with his team, monitoring our helpdesk queue, supporting escalated clients, providing customer feedback to product management, and serving on various leadership committees. Darin recently led an initiative to build content and launch an internal knowledgebase for the documentation of technical solutions gathered from historical cases. The knowledgebase is used as a guide to troubleshoot future cases, thus improving response times and level of service, and aids in onboarding new helpdesk technicians.
Darin says that he is extremely grateful to work at a company that shares his ideals. “Synergis doesn’t just talk a good game, they live up to 13 Synergis Family Values that were manifested by its employees at all levels. One of my favorite values is “Have Fun!” I knew Synergis was the place to be when our CEO, David Sharp, jokingly challenged me and Gerry Donlon to push-ups in 6 inches of snow. Then, he double dared us, took off his shirt, and did 10 more push-ups. Regretfully, Gerry and I gave up on the double dare - it was just too cold for us! The lesson I learned that day was it was OK to take a few minutes to have fun, and not to let anything stop you from going above and beyond!”
When I asked Darin about his family, he had this story to share:
On July 19, 1999 at 4:30pm, I met my wife Elizabeth, at 30th Street train station in Philadelphia PA. At that time, I worked for a commission-only sales company that required lots of door-to-door sales. My goal was to sell calculators, books, etc. On my way back to the office, my colleague and I were making our way down the steps to catch the El (Septa’s public transportation) and I had some leftover merchandise on my cart. I noticed my “soon to be wife” cracking up as we made our way down the steps. I was a little annoyed, and of course I wasn’t smiling, as the permanent crease on my forehead was glistening due to summer heat. After 5 minutes or so, I could tell something wasn’t right as I approached her. Little did I know, she had a can of mase in her purse and was about to use it until I broke the ice with “Do you want to buy a calculator?” That little ice breaker helped seal the deal for a life of abundant love, laughs, and happiness for over 22 years!
Together, Darin and Elizabeth have two daughters: 4-year-old Savannah who cannot leave Daddy’s side for more than 10 minutes and 16 year old Alonna who can’t stand being around Daddy for more than 10 minutes because “I’m annoying and not cool.”
In his free time, Darin spends time educating youth living in poverty. Families living in low-income areas where poverty thrives tend to have limited access to education, healthcare, and good mentors. As a mentor, the knowledge Darin shares about his experiences in life and his career choices helps others to see what is possible. When Darin hears a kid say “All I have to do is … then I can become…” – that’s rewarding to his soul and is a big step in slowing or even eliminating poverty - one kid at a time. It’s clear that Darin’s happiness comes from helping others achieve their goals, so it’s no wonder he is the perfect leader for our Customer Support group!