I am excited to announce that Andy Knauf, CIO of Mead & Hunt, has been nominated for the 2022 Wisconsin CIO of the Year® ORBIE® Awards. This award, presented by the WisconsinCIO Leadership Association, serves to honor Chief Information Officers (CIOs) who have demonstrated excellence in technology leadership. A banquet on June 17th was held to honor nominees, and 2022 winners will be announced at an event on July 14th.
No matter what happens at the event, Andy is already a winner for Mead & Hunt. I can personally attest to the tremendous value Andy’s skills and leadership have brought to our firm. During his 32 years here, I have seen how Andy always strives to treat people with respect and give them opportunities to grow in the company. This is evidenced by the fact that the very first person that Andy hired 30 years ago is still on the team today.
In addition, Andy’s strong drive to improve and remain on the cutting technological edge is consistent across his entire career. In 1990, Andy became the first IT person at our firm. When he started, we had virtually no IT in the company—no network, a handful of machines, and no standardized software. After his first three months with the firm, we had standardized software, quadrupled our number of computers, and had our first network installed.
In 2013, Andy spearheaded our early adoption of cloud-based technology. This allowed us to collaborate between offices easily, and has enabled our swift growth, including streamlining the acquisition process. In 2018, he implemented CADD virtual desktops, which allowed people to work from anywhere without compromising speed. This was incredibly valuable during these past few years, when we needed to switch very quickly to remote work. The cloud-based system allowed us to complete this switch with no downtime, and no hit to our productivity.
Andy has repeatedly and consistently engaged in the industry and community he serves, always striving to better it. I have personally seen the benefits he has brought not only to our firm, but our entire industry. Good luck at the event on July 14th, Andy! I have no doubt that you’ve already made our firm proud, no matter the outcome.
