sitting on the idea for a little bit , Todd decided to revisit his technological roots , found an online college ( back in 2000 before they were even a mainstream thing ), and started working on an associate ’ s degree in network administration .
One month away from receiving his degree , Todd tried to log into his account , but oddly enough , the college website was not working — strange . The next few days , same thing . Turns out , the company had gone under . He could transfer his credits , but no school would accept them , so he was refunded his tuition . Luckily , he finished most modules and was more than qualified to work as a local computer tech for Equant . “ My dad told me about that job ,” says Todd . “ We handled service calls for customers with extended warranties from places like Best Buy or Circuit City . It was the best and the worst job ever . Although the calls were unpredictable , I got to put my hands on so much tech , replacing parts , troubleshooting , and all that ,” Todd remembers .
THE ROLLERCOASTER OF LIFE
After his work at Equant , Todd joined Comcast as a computer technician , making great money installing modems . “ One day at a service appointment , a guy in a Telewire shirt opens the door ,” Todd recalls . “ Making short work of the installation , the customer says , ‘ I could really use a guy with your talents .’ I thought , ‘ What talent ? He had everything prewired . All I had to do was plug in the modem .’ But instead , I asked him to tell me more .” Todd eventually joined Telewire , but in 2003 , life took a tragic turn when his mother ’ s cancer returned .
“ She fought hard , but it was too late . She passed 11 days after my 23rd birthday . It broke me because I ’ m a total momma ’ s boy ,” Todd shares . There ’ s no easy way to say what happens next either : within a two-year span , Todd lost his mom , uncle , grandmother , and then his dad — all to cancer . “ There are no words for such immeasurable loss ,” says Todd . “ I was on autopilot . Go to work , come home , repeat . My wife at the time suggested I take time off work to decompress and figure out my next move . I obliged as it was needed .”
Todd left Telewire on a Friday afternoon . By Monday morning , a customer called , saying they were down . After explaining that he was no longer with the company , the customer replied , “ We know . We already called them , and they can ’ t help us .” Rousing himself out of bed , Todd drove over to their office and had them back up and running in 30 minutes . “ As I was leaving , I told the office manager , ‘ Don ’ t worry , I ’ ll figure out how to bill you ,’ to which she said ‘ No , no , there ’ s an envelope on the door for you .’ I opened it to find a $ 9,000 check , and she said , ‘ When we call , you answer .’” Todd spent the rest of the week figuring out how to start a company . In April of 2006 , Atlantic Technology Services ( ATS ) was born .
BUILDING ATS
“ It wasn ’ t long before another challenge arose ,” recalls Todd . “ Just as I was investing heavily in company trucks and securing office space , my wife and I found out we were expecting our first child . Fast forward to January 2007 , and the birth of my son was one of the happiest days of my life — even though I ’ d just been through the wringer personally .” Balancing the weight of personal loss , the pressures of starting a business , and becoming a new father was overwhelming , but it also gave Todd a renewed sense of purpose . “ I spoke with my previous boss and told him I had no desire to steal his clients ,” asserts Todd , “ Still , I had about a half-dozen customers follow me to ATS , which was good because I had a young family to support .”
With this initial customer base as its foundation , ATS began to steadily grow and has now weathered many storms in its 18 years , which includes a recession in 2008 , a major contract dispute in 2014 , and then COVID in 2020 . “ The contract dispute was by far the most challenging thing we ’ ve had to deal with ,” Todd claims . “ We had to downsize and reassign roles just to keep going . Not to mention , I was literally on the phone with my lawyer while my second child was being born . But we made it through and are stronger than ever .”
COVID also taught them that their work didn ’ t have to be geographically limited ; they could deliver the same premier service to companies throughout the United States remotely , significantly broadening the company ’ s horizon . “ Looking ahead , the goal is sustainable growth ,” says Todd . “ We are on the cusp of becoming multi-location and potentially expanding into more metropolitan markets .” Plus , with his son highly interested in taking over the family business one day , Todd envisions ATS as his family ’ s lasting legacy .
Ultimately , if you would ’ ve told young Todd — or even despondent Todd or newly divorced Todd — that one day he ’ d be the happiest he ’ s ever been , with a loving fiancé , a beautiful blended family , and a thriving technology business , he probably wouldn ’ t have believed you . However , this is Todd ’ s reality , one that he ’ s built with his own hands and , of course , in loving memory of his late family members . With a solid team in place and the next generation on the horizon , Atlantic Technology Services is poised to continue helping businesses in the mid-Atlantic region and beyond address their evolving technology concerns for many more years to come .
For more information about Atlantic Technology Services , visit AtlanticTechs . com .
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