Joe Richard is the director of field services for Stratosphere Networks and Converged Communication Systems (CCS). He started out as a member of the United States Marine Corps, earning numerous accolades, including the Combat Action Ribbon, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with 1 star, Southwest Asia Service Medal with 3 stars, Navy Unit Commendation, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Humanitarian Service Medal, Kuwait Liberation Medal, Good Conduct Medal, and National Defense Ribbon.
Following four years of USMC service, he attended Western Illinois University, where he majored in communications and minored in computer science. Post-graduation, he maintained membership in the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 134 labor union with a “C” card for low-voltage communications work. Joe worked in sales support for Southside Telephone Service in Illinois before joining CCS as a technical resource.
In his current role, he oversees cradle-to-grave voice/data projects, including structured cabling, CCTV, access control, ISP carrier installation/integration, firewall configuration/installation, switch configuration, wireless access configuration, overhead paging (traditional/IP), and Avaya Communications Solutions.
His notable professional accomplishments include deploying a Cisco Meraki firewall in a VLAN-dense environment to include security, access control, CCTV, building automation systems, life safety, lighting controls, A/V network, guest network, building tenant networks, and PMS networks. He has completed various trainings such as Cisco CCNA, SonicWall SNSA, and ISONAS Access Control.
Joe currently has resided in the southwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife for the last 17 years. He enjoys fishing, grilling, and having campfires in his backyard.