Shh…It’s midnight, and I’m writing this blog post in secret so my husband doesn’t know about it. Because I need to tell you some things. I need to brag on Andy and the work he’s been doing here at Adventures.
Andy is responsible for the infrastructure at Adventures in Missions. The internet, the phones, cell phones, computers, office machines. If it has a plug, and you need it to do business – Andy is the guy who makes it happen for you. But it’s not just the devices – it’s how we’re using them too, like the platforms and software.
And here’s what he’s done with it all over the past few months…
He’s a champion for productivity. Each department was using different pieces of software to accomplish their tasks, which made it very difficult for groups of people to work together within the organization. He’s working on a plan to get everyone on the same systems, so that everyone can get work done better and faster.
He’s also a champion for efficiency. Adventures in Missions is committed to stewarding their resources carefully. If we ask for donations, we want to spend them wisely. But sometimes the decision is made on short notice, or in a pinch. Leaders look at the immediate needs and make the best choice at the time.
Andy is a gifted strategist, and has spent a lot of time going back through those decisions and finding ways to make them even better. For example, he figured out a way for the organization to save big bucks every month on their cell phone bill by reconfiguring who was on what plan. He’s currently assessing in detail our annual printing needs in order to find the cheapest method.
There are countless things that he’s worked on. He increased the efficiency and reliability of the internet service in week one. He’s identified multiple sources of cost savings while improving capabilities. He’s implemented a new weekly communication to keep the whole organization on the same page. He’s improving the phone systems. And he’s training up a team of people to be the technical problem solvers for Adventures.
We’ve been here for a bit over three months now. Andy dove into the work headfirst, and I mean headfirst. We pulled our moving van up to our new apartment on a Friday night, and he was off to work on Monday morning – a half hour early.
And working late. He loves what he does, and he gets so into it that he loses all sense of time. I’ve started calling him at 5pm to remind him that the work day is done.
On any given Monday, Adventures has a thousand people out in the field, and a hundred people working in various ways to support them. And Andy makes it happen for all of them. It’s not a glamorous missionary job, but it sure is important – and Andy Schwab really gives it his all.
Here's to Andy! …(love, Jen)
