Don Gulling
President
Don is an experienced IT professional, project manager and system architect with over 20 years of experience in the IT field. Don began his IT career in 1987, working as an application programmer for a company providing ad agencies and publishers with customized word processing and ad creation software. An interesting fact about Don that you may not know – his first IT job involved working with a combination of the newest and oldest technology, and he frequently worked with paper tape readers, 8” floppy disks – and also ultra-high-resolution digital imaging equipment.
After attending CFCC, Don joined the Army in 1989 where he served as an Infantry Squad Leader (Sergeant, E-5) in Operation Desert Storm. While in the Army, Don worked on the Battalion staff in several positions – both in Operations, and Planning. For his service, Don was awarded the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Army Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Army Achievement Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Kuwaiti Liberation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Southeast Asia Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal and the Army Service Ribbon, and was honorably discharged in 1991.
After his Army career, Don began working in IT again in 1992 - at first in sales and consulting, later moving into management. Don worked for two other IT companies in management roles before starting Verteks Consulting in December of 1996. Don founded Verteks Consulting to focus solely on business and government customers.
Over the past 14 years, Don has worked with clients in a wide array of industries - including Insurance, Banking, Medical, Government, Distribution, Transportation, and Education. Don has pursued ongoing technical education, as well as additional project management and system design training. Don is a trained and certified VoIP system designer with 12 years of experience working with VoIP for business and government. Don has extensive system design and project management experience with IT projects of all kinds – including server virtualization, application customization, network infrastructure, wireless networking, document management, storage-area-networking, and unified communications.
Don is a past member of the Central Florida Community College Technology Curriculum Advisory Committee, which reviewed and developed CFCC’s Computer Information Technology Two-year AS degree curriculum. In 2006, Don served as the Technology Advisor on the Ocala Marion County Chamber of Commerce Accreditation Task Force. The Chamber earned 5-Star Accreditation (one of only 24 in the US, and one of only 2 in Florida) as a result of the Chamber’s work, and the efforts of the task force.
Don participates in a wide array of industry groups and associations. Don served for two years on the 3Com VoIP Dealer Council and is currently a member of the Central Florida Chapter of Information Systems Security Association and is an affiliate member of both the Florida Bankers Association and Florida Independent Insurance Agent’s Association. Don is also a member of the VoIP Focus Expert Group, the Videoconferencing Professionals association, and the contributor to the Unified Communications Professionals Forum.
Don is active in improving the local community and participates in several non-profit causes. Don serves on the Board of Directors of the Marion County Boys and Girls Clubs and was awarded the Man and Youth Award in 2002 for his efforts to improve and revitalize the Club’s technology lab and tutoring program. Don is a member of Leadership Ocala/Marion Class XXIII (The Best Class Ever), graduating in May, 2010.
Outside of work, Don enjoys spending time with his family more than anything. Don and his wife Michelle have two sons, David aged 7 and Sean aged 5.
