As
the IT manager for Con-way Truckload, Gunnar Wixon manages a staff of five who maintain
the company’s security system and respond to employees’ help desk calls. He
says what drew him to Con-way Truckload in 2004 was the recommendation of some
friends who worked there. What he likes best about the company, he says, is the
supportive, family-oriented atmosphere.
“Everyone at Con-way Truckload gets along well with each other, and there is definitely a sense of teamwork in what we do every day,” said Gunnar.
In addition to working at Con-way Truckload, Gunnar has also served as a volunteer firefighter since 1998 in his hometown of Baxter Springs, Kan., where he helps in responding to approximately 300 annual calls for service originating within 70 square miles of the city. He said he was inspired to serve by his father, who was a volunteer firefighter for almost 20 years. While he considered a full-time career as a firefighter when he was young, Gunnar said that he was also drawn to computers and decided this was a good way to get to work in both fields.
“Dealing with computers or with fires are actually pretty similar in that you wake up each morning not knowing what your day is going to bring,” said Gunnar. “You can’t predict a fire call — sometimes we go for days without one, and another day we could have eight. In a way, it’s like that every day when I come to work at Con-way Truckload. I can’t predict what computer issues I will need to resolve that day, because each day is different, which I like.”
Gunnar says that to become a volunteer firefighter is a lot more involved than it was in decades past. Today, volunteers need to hold various certifications, including fire and hazmat, which are regulated on both the state and national level, and requires volunteers to keep up to date on their training. For Gunnar, it’s all worth it because he says each day he feels like he is having a positive impact, both in the workplace and in his community.
