About Us
Learn more about Tier 3
about
Tier 3 Technology Solutions (Tier 3 for short) began with Jeff Robinson in 2007. A few years out of college and working his first full-time IT job for a small business in Des Moines, Jeff started working on computers as a side hustle. Before long, he became the go-to guy for all the employees, family, friends, and their family and friends when computer issues arose.
The market crash of 2008 happened, and many of the people Jeff went to school with working at large corporations were the first to get laid off. He was bothered considerably. Knowing that through no fault of their own, the economy tanks, and they are out. It was then that Jeff decided he wanted to turn his side business into a full-time business. “I wanted to be in control of my destiny. If I succeed or fail, it can likely be traced back to decisions I made or didn’t make. If I take care of our clients and help them like nobody else can or will, we will succeed like no one else can or will.” Another local business has the motto “motivation determines success.” That does a pretty good job summing up entrepreneurship and is something Jeff has used as his own mission statement since.
Today, Tier 3 prides itself on not being just another IT company. Those are a dime a dozen. Instead, we take great care to form unbreakable relationships. We are blessed to say that most of our clients are lifers and are also our friends. Our team gets to know their teams and their families. We are partners helping each other reach new goals, celebrate new milestones, and are there for each other when we have setbacks.
OUR CORE FOCUS IS SIMPLE
Our passion is to provide the ultimate experience.
OUR NICHE
Managed IT Services & Security Solutions
OUR VISION
Our 10-year target is to help protect 50,000 end users by 2032.
Meet Our Team
Ryan Gross
Risk Management Leader
Ryan is a security specialist who identifies and remediates security gaps. He develops RMM scripts and API integrations and writes code that strengthens our clients’ security profiles. He served four years in the Army as an MI Systems Maintainer/Integrator and Security Analyst. Ryan is the owner and executive producer of a growing film organization that takes part in festivals and unique storytelling projects. He enjoys cryptocurrency mining and 3D printing.
Kristen Irwin
Finance
Kristen is Tier 3’s bookkeeper and resident QuickBooks specialist. She has more than twenty years of experience as a CPA and spent eight years as an accounting professor. She and her husband, Tom, have three kids, two grandkids, and a rescue dog named Bella. Kristen is a British TV show junky who loves being outdoors, listening to audiobooks (mostly murder mysteries and historical fiction), and traveling abroad to places like London and Machu Pichu.
Danny Judge
Director of Marketing
Danny oversees Tier 3’s marketing strategy. He has seven years of experience in publishing and marketing, including the creation and successful marketing of a literary magazine featuring staff and contributors from six continents. He served four years in the Marine Corps as a Machine Gunner. Danny pays close attention to detail, especially when writing team member bios. He and his wife have a cat named Jack and a son named Buttons.
Tyler Miller
Director of Support
Tyler oversees Tier 3’s day-to-day operations. He has nine years of experience in IT and multiple certifications and specialties. His areas of focus include support, cybersecurity, project building and implementation, training technicians, and managing relationships with our clients. Tyler enjoys skateboarding, snowboarding, boxing, MMA, reading, and building computers. His favorite video game is the Bioshock series. He has two pit bulls and one cat, and his dream car is a 1967 Mustang Shelby GT500.
Adam Jones Mlcoch
Marketing Coordinator
Adam is an award-winning videographer, project manager, and social media expert with more than ten years of multimedia production experience across multiple industries. As a freelancer, he has worked alongside the talent behind Star Wars Episode VIII, John Wick 3, and Halo: The Master Chief Collection. Adam is the proud owner of two turtles, Travis and Starbuck. He enjoys street photography and video games like Age of Empires 2 and Bloodborne.
Jeff Robinson
President & CEO
Jeff started Tier 3 Technology in 2008 and has more than 25 years of IT experience. When he was 6, he took apart and fixed his family’s broken VCR. Emboldened, he did the same with Operation and somehow fixed that, too. Jeff enjoys family activities, swimming, visiting the shooting range, and yard work. He loves dogs and has a Great Dane and a Labrador. Jeff is taking lessons to become a private pilot.
Merisa Snyder
Strategy Execution Manager
With 15 years of experience in customer service, professional relationship management, and client support, Merisa identifies and resolves issues for Tier 3’s clients while providing a personable, white-glove experience. She has two Pomeranians, Eevee and Bernie, and enjoys woodworking and DIY projects like furniture refurbishment. In her spare time, you can find her hiking, doing arts and crafts, gardening, and spending time with her family.
Kate Fogwell
Business Development Specialist
Kate has years of experience in hospitality and customer service. She strives for compassion and kindness in every interaction, whether in or out of the workplace. She enjoys volleyball, hiking, and hitting the Des Moines Farmers’ Market. Kate can drive a manual transmission, loves foraging and fishing, and believes that if she can help make the world a better place in any way, big or small, it’s worth going the extra mile to do that.
