Path to Success

Hello everyone and thank you for taking a minute to read about me. You probably have gathered by this point that I am Greg Tovar, and I am proud to say that I have been growing with Texas811 since June 1998.  It has been an incredible journey to see where we started and where we are today. We were such a small organization when I started, maybe thirty plus employees, which pales in comparison to the nearing two hundred employee status we are fast approaching.

When I started here, I was what we then called a CSR; it was stability while I tried to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up. As time went on, I found myself enjoying the people who I worked with and seeing that not only was our little company doing a very big job but also learning to appreciate all the facets in which we helped in the damage prevention community. This encouraged me to give DigTESS, as we were known then, some of my time to see where it would all lead.

The potential that our company offers is amazing, for some it is something to do interim, for others it goes on to become a career, and a right good one if I do say so myself. You work for a company that does everything possible to give the employees the best that can be provided. To have been a part of this for as many years as I have, I haven’t only witnessed; I have gained and grown from all that has been designed to provide a positive and healthy work environment.

After spending a couple of years as a CSR, it was time for a change and I was moved to the Fax Department as it was then. Then came an elevation to the G.I.S. Department where I spent a couple of years learning about ESRI Software along with other sorts of software and means of which various sorts of mapping data could be utilized, manipulated and used, not only in the manner we do in house but in other avenues as well. Once again it was time for a change and I moved to the Technology Services Dept., where I learned a great deal about things that I enjoy and some not so much.

With the many opportunities I was able to see and appreciate the diversity of what our company holds behind the scenes. This is something that others outside of our world seldom get to see. Such encouragement is to be had here to shed light on yourself and let you see, whether it be here, or elsewhere, that there is so much to be had in the world, if you are willing to take the chance. I always played it safe, mostly from insecurity, but in the end I was the one who was holding myself back. So a year ago I decided to take a chance on myself and I enrolled in Kaplan University where I am currently studying for my Bachelors of Science in Information Technology and Business with my focus in New Media/Internet Marketing and Humanities to build my skills in several areas that I think will allow me to give back to the company that has given so much to me. That brings us to date, with my having finished my first year at University and with the powers that be having yet another path for me to walk here in the company.

Now I have transitioned from Technology Services to work with Mrs. Shakheana Fields as her Applications and Promotions Coordinator in the Remote Applications Dept., with Brandon Truly and Colton Charba. In addition to bringing my years of experience to the department, this is also an opportunity for me to be able to exploit and get practical experience from my education, providing me another opportunity to grow professionally and academically.

I am now into my second year at Kaplan University where I have been working very hard and I am honored to say have been extended an invitation to join The National Society of Collegiate Scholars. I carried and finished my first year with a 4.0 GPA, in honor of all those who believe in me as well as to myself and have maintained my GPA and plan on graduating with honors.

When I arrived at Texas811 I was a lost child and now I am grown, and have removed the obstacles that were once holding me back.

I am Greg and this is my story here at Texas811…