Graduates ‘play very important roles’ in local IT industry

BLOOMINGTON – Justin Muniz, recent Ivy Tech software development graduate, found employment with Platformatics, a Bloomington-based technology company. Over the years, Platformatics has hired Ivy Tech computing graduates in the areas of software development and customer technology support.

“Ivy Tech graduates play very important roles at Platformatics,” said Matt Laherty, Platformatics CEO. “They’ve been involved in nearly all facets of customer deployments from quoting and design to installation. They built the lights at the West Baden hotel and they support that system through running our global network operations center.”

Muniz was hired as an associate software engineer in February after completing his internship at the company.

“I enrolled at Ivy Tech because I wanted to get a degree in software development, so I could get a job in a field that interested me,” said Muniz. “I enjoyed my time at Ivy Tech. The professors were wonderful and were always willing to work with me whenever I needed guidance or assistance.”

Ivy Tech graduate Adam Bradley started at Platformatics as an intern in technical support and worked his way into his current position. He is now lead system check in the engineering services department. He spearheaded design for the customer helpdesk operations at Platformatics, which included the helpdesk ticketing and customer phone support systems.

“Jack of all trades doesn’t even cover it sometimes,” said Bradley, describing his role.

Bradley is a U.S. Army veteran who served eight months in Iraq as an infantryman and paratrooper. After his military service, Bradley worked outdoors in a manual labor job, and then funeral services, but neither job fit his mechanically-inclined skillset. He enrolled at Ivy Tech to advance his education and start a skilled career in a technical or mechanical field.

“I took my first class in networking and said ‘I was born to do this. I understand this work,’” said Bradley.

Bradley earned associate degrees from Ivy Tech in network infrastructure and information technology support, and he is now pursuing a bachelor’s degree in cloud administration from Western Governor’s University.

John Turpin, a system support technician at Platformatics, also graduated from Ivy Tech’s School of Information Technology. Turpin and Bradley work together, providing support for software engineers, office staff, and customers. They also perform beta testing on new software.

“I enrolled at Ivy Tech because I wanted to improve my life,” said Turpin. “My goals were to become employable in a skilled job market. My training at Ivy Tech has been instrumental for my job. Although Platformatics is a brand new technology in the IT industry, I frequently work with Cisco network equipment, which Ivy Tech gave me actual hands-on training in.”

Turpin earned an associate degree in computer information systems in 2015 and computer information technology in 2016. He recently re-enrolled at Ivy Tech and is now working toward a degree in cyber security/information assurance.

“I am very proud to be an Ivy Tech alumnus,” continued Turpin. “Many of the teachers went above and beyond for my success, and many are still in touch with me. One semester, my wife became very ill and I was going to withdraw, but Chris Carroll, Bill Worden, and Lee Carlson worked with me to help me succeed. They really do care about the success of their students.”

“The Ivy Tech graduates that have joined our staff come with a high degree of technical training in networking and computer science,” said Laherty. “These employees come to us with more than the tech training—they bring their drive and curiosity. All of them have been great self-starters and very willing to learn new technologies.”

Ivy Tech Bloomington’s campus offers eight associate degrees in the information technology field, to meet workforce demand. Degree offerings include computer science, cyber security/information assurance, database management and administration, network infrastructure, informatics, information technology support, network infrastructure, server administration, and software development. More information can be found online at ivytech.edu/computers.

About Platformatics

Platformatics is a Bloomington, Indiana-based tech company founded by several experienced Silicon Valley innovators. Our mission is to transform commercial lighting through innovative hardware and software applications that improve productivity and comfort, beautify environments, and conserve energy for building owners, operators, and tenants.