<a href="http://egroup.jasonmangone.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Chris-Ermis.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-7863" alt="Chris Ermis" src="http://egroup.jasonmangone.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Chris-Ermis-225x300.jpg" width="225" height="300" /></a>

["First Day...Four Questions" will be an ongoing blog series throughout 2013 as we on-board dozens of new team members. We want you to understand what makes our new colleagues tick. And what drives them to be "serious competitors. We hope you enjoy.]

<span style="color: #0000ff;"><strong>Why eGroup?  </strong></span>

My initial attraction to eGroup came from two things. The first was the description of the job position, it was as if the poster was talking to me directly. It was exactly the type of opportunity I was looking for. After spending more than a decade administering infrastructures, I realized how much I enjoyed designing and building them. I felt like I had met a match with eGroup. Of course you also can't deny the draw of such a magical place as Charleston. Once I had a chance to meet everyone, I knew it was the place for me. It is a rare thing in this day and age to find a company that is so dedicated to customer satisfaction. The recruitment process made me realize that not only do they take great care in selecting the absolute best candidate, but that I am one of them. I am looking forward to a long and lustrous career at eGroup.

<strong><span style="color: #0000ff;">What makes you a serious competitor?</span></strong>

According to my wife, it is because I am a know it all. That is, I go to great lengths to make sure I know what I am talking about. I like to do a lot of research and be as informed as possible. From a technical perspective I am a bit of a Dr. Frankenstein. I can get really creative when it comes to designing solutions and have been known to take decommissioned and outdated equipment and craft it into a viable production environment. Sometimes you don't have a lot to work with and the end result might not be very pretty, but it most certainly does the job.

<strong><span style="color: #0000ff;">If you weren't in Tech what would you be doing?</span></strong>

If left unmanaged, I will talk your ear off. I am definitely an extrovert, with a capital E. When you mix that with a love of foreign cultures you get an ideal linguist. Nothing activates the brain better than trying to learn a new language. In my studies I have learned a bit of Latin, Spanish, Japanese, and Chinese. When I got an opportunity to study abroad in France and Germany I made sure to learn enough of the language to survive during my two weeks there. Of course, if that didn't pan out I could always go back to being a clown/magician.

<strong><span style="color: #0000ff;">What's your Headline?</span></strong>

Former magician reveals centuries old secret of making objects disappear... "We just store them in 'the cloud'..."

Welcome to the eGroup team, Chris!