
Andrew Schwalm, owner of Schwalm Technologies, has been fascinated with electronics since he was a little boy. Always finding things that were broken (sometimes breaking them himself) and putting them back together, Andrew enjoyed examining, analyzing, and assembling anything with electrical components.
"I had my first computer at twelve, and I was in love," Andrew says. "When I was even younger, I would rip apart Hess Trucks, study their connections, and rebuild them."
Though Andrew has worked in IT for over fifteen years, he got his official start at Penn College, where he majored in Information Technology with a focus in Networking. After graduation, he started at Select Medical and joined about 175 colleagues in the IT arena where he focused on help desk.
After a few years, he moved onto NRA Group where he became a manager in a short ten months at the age of 25. He streamlined the budget, fleshed out infrastructure, dealt with issues, and helped manage a team of eight. During this time, he also started working with his own clients during evenings and on the weekends. In 2016, he switched his entire focus and moved forward with Schwalm Technologies full time.
In addition to time flexibility and being able to run a business to higher standards, Andrew started Schwalm Technologies so that he could further help his clients and other business owners - without escalating costs or long-term subscriptions.

"A lot of IT people think we're crazy - because in this industry, recurring revenue is what's important," Andrew says, "But for me, it's more important to help an owner."
Andrew has never forced a sale, and encourages his team to do the same. Sitting on the management side for almost eight years, he saw a lot of upselling for unnecessary features and scare tactics with cyber security.
"I didn't like dealing with certain sales people because it felt like once they made that sale, it was, 'Ah ha! I gotcha!' when I might not really need that service," Andrew says. "With Schwalm Technologies, we aren't interested in shoving the next greatest thing down your throat. We only want to sell you what you actually need."
As for the future of Schwalm Technologies, Andrew hopes to continue to grow, but not too large.
"My goal has always been to get to 20 people. I don't want to grow too much larger than that because it's important that my clients don't become 'just a number' to me. I think as long as I stay client-focused, keep communication open, and continue to enjoy the industry, we'll get there."
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