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Acorn Technology Services CITY OF LA PALMA PRO POSAL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMEN T SERVICES | PAGE 1 OF 4 SECTION B EXPERIENCE AND BACKG ROUND 1. Acorn Technology Services was founded in 2000, and has been in business for 19 years. 2. Our taxpayer ID is: 82 -2049862 3. Acorn Technology has been working with government agencies for 13 years. 4. Please see the proposed org chart and resumes of relevant personnel in Appendix A. 5. Acorn Technology Services is a DBA for Mighty Oak Technology, a California Corporation. The company changed recently formed as a corporation as of June 30, 2017. Acorn is privately held by 4 individuals. One of which is the CEO, Mickey McGuire , who owns 45% of the company. The other major shareholder is the Chair of the Board, Amy S . Harrison, who also owns 45% of the firm. The remaining 10% is owned by two employees of Acorn. 6. Acorn Technology is not a subsidiary of any parent company. SECTIO N C REFERENCES The following organizations are currently clients of Acorn and receive services similar to those requested by the City of La Quinta: 1. CITY OF MONROVIA Contact : Brittany Mello, Assistant to the City Manager Email : BMello@ci.monrovia.ca.us Phone : (626) 932 -5571 Type of Organization : Government Municipality Assigned Staff : Ryan Wambolt , Lyle Jones, Alfred Gonzales, Joel Noriega, Mickey Mc G uire Project Description : Assessment, Strategic Planning, and Support a. Project: Conduct a Full Assessment Timeline: November 2016 January 2017 Project Scope: Acorn won a competitive bid project to provide managed IT support services to the City of Monrovia. Since the City had very little documentat ion and understanding of their IT systems and outdated sys tems, hardware (including switches, firewalls, and cabling) with more modern and secure down to 10 physical servers with enhanced security provisions, change management, patch management, image based backup systems, remote monitoring all done with greater redundancy, resiliency, and security in mind. This project resulted in a comprehensive set of documentation of the dmap of recommended hardware upgrades, configuration and policy changes and a reduction of on -site IT staff from two internal staff members to one contracted IT Support Specialist. CITY OF LA PALMA PRO POSAL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMEN T SERVICES | PAGE 2 OF 4 b. Project: IT Strategic Planning and Support Timeline: November 2016 Curren t Project Scope: Acorn provides a full -time IT Support Specialist on -site for the City to assist with day -to - day support needs and with project planning and implementation. Acorn regularly convenes conference calls with City management staff to discuss d epartmental and organizational needs and requests, and work on strategic planning with City leadership to better understand desired functionality, The ongoing support has resulted in fas ter ticket resolution times, more reliable systems resources, and a roadmap for predictable IT budgeting. 2. CITY OF SOUTH PASADE NA Contact: Marc Donohue, City Clerk Email: MDonohue@southpasadenaca.gov Phone: (626) 403 -7232 Type of Organization : Government Municipality Assigned Staff : Blake Pietrolungo , James Walter, Mickey McGuire Project Description : Assessment, Strategic Planning, Implementation and Support a. Project: Computer, Server and Network Overhaul Timeline: December 2014 November 2015 Project Scop e: more than a dozen physical servers to three physical servers and a SAN environment, a new image - based backup system, and upgraded computer workstations from Window s XP to Windows 7. As part of this overhaul, new policies were implemented for change management, patch management, remote monitoring, as well as a rolling 5 -year replacement schedule of workstations. Acorn also provides ongoing IT future planning, budge ting, and documentation. The results of this project include greater redundancy and resilancy of network hardware systems, a regularly updated and more secure environment, greater expandability, easier IT budgeting, a reduction of staff from two technicia ns to one on -site IT Analyst and faster trouble ticket resolution. b. Project : 911 Dispatch Remodel Timeline : November 2016 May 2017 Project Scope: Acorn worked with other vendors to help design the new center, implement a temporary center, and build in a dditional redundancies to ensure that 911 operators would have reliable backup solutions in place in the event of hardware failure. During this months -long process, not the transition from the old center to the temporary, and then back to the remodeled center was seamless, resulting in special recognition from the Chief of Police and City Council. This project yielded a more robust 911 Dispatch center with greater redund ancy and resiliency of systems, including an extra dispatcher position in the event one of the other positions suffered a catastrophic failure, thereby increasing the reliability and upime for emergency services dispatching. c. Project: and 2 -Factor Authentication Implementation Timeline: November 2015 July 2018 CITY OF LA PALMA PRO POSAL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMEN T SERVICES | PAGE 3 OF 4 Project Scope: Acorn worked with the South Pasadena Police Department and Verizon to implement a access. As part of this project, Acorn also assisted the department in the evaluation of multiple 2 -Factor Authentication methods, assisted in the implementation of the new selected DUO and YubiKey system and trained staff on the new system. The project brought the police department into CJIS compliance with the California DOJ and FBI requirements for systems leaving the secure compound requiring multi -factor authentication, which resulted in officers being able to perform duties in the field without rely ing on dispatchers in the department to conduct emergency services that would take away from their other duties. 3. CITY OF COVINA Contact: Angel Carrillo, Assistant to the City Manager Email: ACarrillo@covinaca.gov Phone: (626) 384 -5415 Type of Organization : Government Municipality Assigned Staff : Blake Pietrolungo , James Walter, Bryan Cochran, Ryan Akim, Mickey McGuire Project Description : IT Support Services a. Project : General IT Support Timeline : October 2017 Current Project Scope: The City of Covina was looking for cost savings and better IT support coverage than their previous outsourced provider. After a competitive bid process, Acorn was selected to provide general IT administration services including but not limited to: 24/7/365 remote helpdesk suppo rt, network administration, server administration, as well as a full -time on -site IT Specialist. This project started off with a general IT assessment during which time documentation was gathered into a single living document and provided to the in -house IT manager and management staff, interviews were conducted -going and future IT related projects. This project resulted in a comprehensive set of documentation of the changes and a reduction of on -site IT staff from three internal staff members to one contracted IT Support Specialist and one City staff IT Manager. A corn is honored to have the full faith and backing of our clients, and as a token of our mutual respect, some have provided us letters of recommendation to give out to prospective future clients. While the attached letters were intended for other potentia l City organizations, we believe they are still applicable. T he letters are included in Attachment 3 References. SECTION D DISCLOSURES Acorn has no history of any alleged significant prior or ongoing contract failures. Acorn has not been subject to any previous or pending civil or criminal investigations in any previous or current entity . The firm currently has nothing to disclose. CITY OF LA PALMA PRO POSAL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMEN T SERVICES | PAGE 4 OF 4 SECTION E GUARANTEES Acorn guarantees any and all work it performs while under contract. Acorn promises to resolve any iss ues it is responsible to attend to in a timely manner, keeping the customer updated throughout the life of the trouble ticket. If not able to be performed in 30 days, Acorn will work out a plan for correction that is suitable to the City and Acorn. SECTION F COMPLEMENTARY SERVIC ES Acorn offers some additional services besides managed IT support, including but not limited to: Backup and Disaster Recovery Solutions Vulnerability Scanning Cyber Security Assessments IT Strategic Planning Cloud Services with Virtualized hosting services Infrastructure/Hardware as a Service Prices vary depending on customer objectives and project scope. SECTION G SUBCONTRACTING Acorn does not intend to subcontract any of the responsibilities for which this proposal addresses. SECTION H INSURANCE REQUIREMEN TS Should Acorn be awarded this contract, it will provide the minimum insurance coverage and indemnif ication as noted in SECTION I NON -COLLUSION AFFIDAVIT Please see the executed non -collusion affidavit attached on the following page . CITY OF LA PALMA PRO POSAL INFORMATION TECHNOLO GY MANAGEMENT SERVICES | PAGE 1 OF 7 ATTACHMENT 1 EXPERIENCE AND APPROACH 1. How many technical employees does your firm employ? a. Acorn employs 36 technical staff. 2. Does your firm have technical employees that are local to the Coachella Valley? a. No, but we do have an employee that would consider relocating. 3. Does your company have a partnership with any major IT companies? a. Yes, Acorn maintains partnerships with Micros oft, Dell, StorageCraft, VMWare, Cisco, Druva, SonicWall, Vipre, and Datto. 4. What industry certifications do your employees hold? a. MCST, A+, N+, CCNA, and CJIS Security. 5. Do you currently recommend that customers use any particular software that allows users to create a service ticket? a. Yes 6. If Yes, what software, and is there a cost to the City? a. Acorn uses Datto Autotask. There would be no additional cost to the City, t he software is provided as 7. Do you currently recommend that customers use any software to track network and workstation performance/status? a. Yes 8. If Yes, what software, and is there a cost to the City? a. Acorn uses multiple applications to monitor network and systems performance/status. Acorn uses RMM (Centrastage ) for desktop and some server monitoring, Cacti for network monitoring, and Nagios for critical network infrastructure, such as, servers, routers, switches, UPS, firewalls, wireless access points, etc. There would be no additional cost to the City, the software is provided as part of 9. Do you currently recommend that customers use any software to track hardware and software inventory (including serial and licenses numbers)? a. Yes 10. If Yes, what software, and is there a cost to the City? a. Acorn uses IT Glue. There would be no additional cost to the City, the software is provided as part of CITY OF LA PALMA PRO POSAL INFORMATION TECHNOLO GY MANAGEMENT SERVICES | PAGE 2 OF 7 11. Do you have Staff that specializes in special data base programs? a. Yes 12. Is your staff able to troubleshoot problems related to Micr osoft SQL Server, versions 2000, 2008, 2012, 2016? a. Yes 13. Is your staff able to do administration tasks on VMware vSphere 5.5? a. Yes 14. Is your staff able to do administration tasks on Cisco Meraki switches? a. Yes 15. Is your staff proficient with MX -100 firewalls? & AASA firewalls a. Yes 13 16. If so, what administration tasks have been performed on the appliances? a. Configuration of standard firewall rules, policies, VLANs, monitoring, backups, etc. 17. Is your staff able to troubleshoot problems with iPhones/iPads? a. Yes 18. Is your staff able to troubleshoot problems with copiers and scanners? a. Yes 19. Is your staff able to troubleshoot email issues with Microsoft 365? a. Yes 20. Is your staff able to perform administration/configuration tasks with a Mitel on -premise VoIP system? a. Yes 21. If yes, what tasks has your staff performed? a. Acorn has performed, but is not limited to, the following administrative tasks: i. Changing Extensions of lines delivered to End Users ii. Changing Class of Service Options for Ring Down and Ring Delay iii. Extension Forwardi ng (Immediate and Delayed) iv. Voice -mailbox Creation and Voicemail to Email Notification v. Password Resets vi. Basic Call path Troubleshooting vii. Advanced IP Network and Connectivity Troubleshooting viii. Interact with Primary Mitel Support Vendor for Advanced Troubleshooting ix. Interact with Primary Service Provider for Advanced Troubleshooting CITY OF LA PALMA PRO POSAL INFORMATION TECHNOLO GY MANAGEMENT SERVICES | PAGE 3 OF 7 22. Is your staff able to troubleshoot problems related to an electronic Geographic Information System (the City uses ESRI ArcServer and Desktop)? a. Yes 23. If yes, please give some examples of how you assisted clients with identifying and resolving the problems. a. Acorn has performed, but is not limited to, the following administrative tasks: i. Client -Side Application Installation ii. Client -Side Application Reconfiguration iii. Database Ba ckup / Restore iv. Troubleshooting Interactivity on the ESRI portal v. Assist users with Logon and Access problems to ArcGIS Desktop and related Software vi. Interact with Primary GIS Support Vendor for Advanced Troubleshooting vii. Interact with ESRI Directly for Advanced Troubleshooting 24. Is your staff familiar with Nimble Storage products and able to perform configuration tasks and troubleshoot performance issues with SAN devices? a. Yes 25. Does your firm have application developers on staff? a. Yes 26. How many application developers/programmers does your firm employ? a. One developer 27. Please list programming languages your staff is proficient with and years of experience developing applications in those languages? a. Python (4 years), Javascript (4 years), C# (1 year), HTML/CSS (4 years), C++ (5 years) 28. Please describe any custom application(s) your firm has developed that has solved a business problem by streamlining processes. If so, please describe what the problem was and how your application solved the issue and include the cost/time of the project. a. Acorn developed an application for another local government agency to correct issues with hard coded file path links in thousands of spreadsheets allowing the agency to move to a new file structure without breaking critical sprea dsheets formulas related to financial documents of many years years. The application was developed in C#. It gathers a list of all .xls and .xlsx files in a specified folder and replaces all instances of an old file path to the new file path. The cost as sociated with this project was $6,100. 14 29. The City is looking to move our IT infrastructure and services to the next level using innovative and forward - thinking technology and solutions to accomplish this. Please describe either a custom application your firm developed or solution your firm implemented that provided a service in a unique way. a. Acorn has developed more than a few unique solutions for our customers. The following are a few examples: i. In an effort to bring more affordable off -site backup to local municipalities, especially those with a police department requiring CJIS secure backups, Acorn developed a solution where police and city backups could be transported over an encrypted VPN to a remote storage device housed at another city location in a CJIS compliant zone. The cities agree to house their CITY OF LA PALMA PRO POSAL INFORMATION TECHNOLO GY MANAGEMENT SERVICES | PAGE 4 OF 7 respective data at the other city, eliminating the need for expensive contracts with CJIS compliant data centers. Acorn maintains and monitors the hardware used to house the backups and backup image s at the remote locations to ensure their integrity. The solution is scalable to include multiple cities, potentially allowing a city to maintain their backups at many remote locations in the event of a disaster. ii. To provide better, faster service to our ci ty customers, Acorn makes use of a dual -support approach stationing on -site technicians at our municipal clients, and also providing remote drastically decrea sed: the cities of South Pasadena and Monrovia went from two to one on -site technicians, and the city of Covina went from three to two on -site technicians. And by utilizing the remote helpdesk as a fallback for when the on -site technicians are otherwise en gaged, trouble tickets are more quickly addressed, keeping staff operational and reducing systems down -time. By rotating on -site technicians, a greater level of redundancy for support is in place, allowing for IT staff to be sick or on vacation with littl e to no impact on customer support levels. Trouble tickets are handled efficiently and escalated quickly to reduce resolution times and reduce dependency on one individual to know everything about a system and be available at all times. iii. Acorn implemented a Disaster Recovery solution for a publically traded firm that limits downtime to roughly 30 minutes in the event of catastrophic failure. Acorn built a secondary environment housed at the SWITCH Data Center in Las Vegas that replicates all data created on configuration changes to automatically reroute email through the secondary environment, and staff can access the recovery site through a simple terminal connection that is effectively identical to the down systems located at the customer premises. iv. attacks are regularly occurring, Acorn performs Risk Assessments, Vulnerability Scans and Security Assessments to help clients keep their systems and data safe. Risk Assessments are a basic introduction to security, where Acorn Security Engineers meet with staff to get a better understanding of the security measures already in place. Vulnerability Scans use sophisticated software deployed to the customer site to analyze software, firmware, patches, and configurations on a network or multiple networks that results in a detailed report with plans for remediation as well as an executive summary that provides a high level of understanding to management staff that may not be as technical. Security Assessments include both Risk Directory, review the practices in place and provide best practices alternatives, as well as recommendations that may include new hardware implementation, software deployments, and changes to internal policies and procedures. These services can result in a strong Disaster Rec overy plan that gets staff back up and running after an outage or failure occurs. 30. How many municipalities has your firm developed applications/solutions for? Please list the application developed and, if possible, a link to the application. Also, please include references for these projects. a. Acorn has developed for only one municipality, the aforementioned app to correct spreadsheets. It is private and cannot be shared. CITY OF LA PALMA PRO POSAL INFORMATION TECHNOLO GY MANAGEMENT SERVICES | PAGE 5 OF 7 31. Does your firm develop applications for mobile devices? If so, what language do you use to develop these Apps? Please list references of recent/current projects. a. No 32. How many years of experience does your firm have in Mac OS App development? Please list application(s) developed and references for project. a. Acorn does not have experience d eveloping Mac OS applications. 33. What are the pros and cons of using open source code as opposed to creating the code completely in - house? a. Pros of using open -source software include open standards, free support from the community, potentially fewer bugs and faster fixes, and better security since the code is not opaque. Some cons of open -source software are open source projects are not as friendly to unskilled end users, increased business risk associated with smaller developers, and minimal support leverag e. Pros of investing in creating code in -house include greater control and customization of the application, the ability to leverage knowledge within the organization related to the end business goal of the code, and no associated licensing fees. Cons of in -house code are cumbersome application upgrades and staffing limitations be it the resources required to see a project through to completion (a Project Manager, architect, designer, etc) as well as the quantity of developers an organization can hire. A limited number of developers reduces the breadth of knowledge of newer technologies and alternative technologies. Additionally, there are upfront and ongoing costs that make creating and maintaining code burdensome. 34. Do you test your code for security vulnerabilities? If so, do you use a third -party vendor to test the code? Please list references. a. Where applicable we would. We would either use tools like Nexpose for internal use o r third parties we have work ed with in the past like Qualys or CyberGuar d. 35. a. Acorn has a strong history of implementing new and alternative systems, working with both public and private sector clients. While Acorn maintains an interest in the cutting -edge, we also maintain a healthy amount of caution and perform rigorous testing before throwing our weight behind untried solutions, be they VoIP systems, Cloud solutions, Mobile Device Management (MDM) systems, as well as security, vulnerabil ity and disaster recovery solutions. 36. What type of cyber security & fraud detections training can your firm provide for internal staff? a. Acorn can provide staff focused security training related to email phishing scams, malware avoidance, s ocial e ngineering scams, network usage best practices, password policies, and safe browsing habits. 37. Does your firm maintain any active maintenance contracts on any of the systems listed on Pg. 10? a. Yes Use this opportunity to showcase any project your firm is particularly proud of that used technology to solve an issue and/or was able to save the company money. We are most interested in municipal projects, but would like to hear if your firm helped a private company solve an issue in a unique and innovative way . Please describe project and provide references. CITY OF LA PALMA PRO POSAL INFORMATION TECHNOLO GY MANAGEMENT SERVICES | PAGE 6 OF 7 When Acorn was selected by the City of Monrovia to provide general IT services, Acorn recommended and conducted an IT Assessment that included the following: i) Inventory of Workstations with the following d ata: Make/Model, Operating System, Processor, RAM, HDD total/used, recommended replacement schedule, location, and assigned user ii) Inventory of the Servers: Make/Model, Operating System, Processor, RAM, physical or virtual, primary function, recommended repl acement schedule, and other recommendations iii) Inventory of Network Printers/Scanners/Copiers iv) Inventory of Network Equipment: Switches, WAPs, Router(s), Modem(s), UPSs, Storage Device(s), etc v) Inventory of Phone System vi) ISP and Connectivity Information vii) Listing of Critical Applications and whether there is vendor support available viii) Remote Access Documentation: VPN, etc ix) Evaluation of Backup System x) Evaluation of basic physical and network security xi) Evaluation of Anti -Virus, SPAM and Malware xii) Network Diagram xiii) Basic Floo rplan with device and system locations This assessment also contained recommendations from Acorn for configuration changes, hardware upgrades and replacement schedules that allowed City staff to budget for their capital improvement plan being brought before City Council, reducing internal staffing from two staff technicians to one c ontracted IT Support Specialist, and created an IT roadmap for multiple years out Additionally Acorn implemented other innovations at the City of Monrovia that would translate well with the City of La Quinta, includin g but not limited to: System Monitoring Having monitoring tools in place to provide warnings when systems fall outside of certain thresholds, alerts for predictive failures, and alarms for outages. These systems allow Acorn to be proactive (where possi ble) to address issues before they become problems and address problems before they become crises. This helps reduce downtime, which means less non -productive work for staff, less interruption to City services, and improved public safety. These efforts r esult in costs savings to the City. These systems are monitored by both people and automated systems with redundancy built in to reduce the likelihood that a critical alert is missed due to human or computer error. Some of the systems Acorn can monitor i nclude, but are not limited to: Internet connectivity, server hardware, SAN hardware, switch hardware, network traffic, bandwidth use, battery life on UPS systems, security certificates, VPN connections, along with desktop/laptop hardware. Acorn bears th e costs for the monitoring tools, passing the benefits onto its customers. CITY OF LA PALMA PRO POSAL INFORMATION TECHNOLO GY MANAGEMENT SERVICES | PAGE 7 OF 7 Ticketing system : Acorn will provide the ticketing system that will be used to capture all of the trouble tickets created, either from phone calls, e -mails, or monitoring alerts. The ticketing system integrates with some of the monitoring systems allowing automated ticket creation and assignment. Reports can be generated as needed and ticket updates can be provided on a real -time basis to allow transparency. Ticket information c an be made available to City staff as desired. Procurement Services: Acorn provides or augments the vendor management and procurement services typically handled by City staff. Acorn leverages its buying power and passes the savings on to its clients. Acorn also works with government cooperative agreements and specific government vendors to ensure the City gets the best price for its hardware and software needs. This frees up City staff time, reduces costs, and reduces the likelihood that a non -technic al City staff member ends up procuring the incorrect equipment. Depth and Breadth of Talent : -site individuals, customers take advantage of the diverse range of talents possessed by Ac voltage cabling and desktop support to more skilled expertise like strategic planning and disaster recovery solution design and implementation are available. This reduces the need for additional third party vendo rs, thereby reducing City costs. Data Center Services: Acorn owns and operates its own data center along with having co -location space within the world renowned Switch facility within Las Vegas NV, which allows customers to take advantage of reduced costs for hosting, off - site disaster recovery solutions, and the utilization of Acorn hosted services such as SPAM filtering and content filtering in the event the City would like these services. Here is the reference information for the City of Monrovia: THE CITY OF MONROVIA BRITTANY MELLO | ASSISTANT TO THE CI TY MANAGER BMello@ci.monrovia.ca.us (626) 932 -5571 Another project/customer note worthy: Other projects of interest were conducted for the Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands. Acorn implemented a new Wi -Fi system to cover over 200 acres of property that allows for the monitoring of irrigation systems for the golf course and grounds for conservation and maintenance purposes. Acorn has also provided IT Security staff and systems for high profile political retreats that met or exceeded the needs of the Secret Service. A new phone solution that interconnects four locations on the same system was deployed, reducing costs and improving phone service. Additionally, a disaster recovery solution was put in place with a recovery point objective (RPO) of 24 h ours, and an recovery time object ive redundant fiber paths into each facility located at the Estate requiring two failures before an outage is created. Here is the refer ence information for the Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands: Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands JOHN FINKLER | OPERATIONS MANAGER JFinkler@sunnylands.org (760) 202 -2275 Municipal References THE CITY OF SOUTH PASADENA (2015 - Current) MARC DONOHUE | CITY CLERK MDonohue@southpasadenaca.gov (626) 403 -7232 THE CITY OF MONROVIA (2016 - Current) BRITTANY MELLO | ASSISTANT TO THE CITY MANAGER BMello@ci.monrovia.ca.us (626) 932 -5571 THE CITY OF COVINA (2017 - Current) ANGEL CARRILLO | ASSISTANT TO THE CITY MANAGER ACarrillo@covinaca.gov (626) 384 -5415 Private Reference Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands (2009 - Current) J OHN FINKLER | O PERATIONS MANAGER JF inkler@sunnylands.org (760) 202 -2275 significant to include the Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands due to its proximity to the City prominen ce in the community, M anaged IT S ervices to the Annenberg Foundation Trust, Acorn has also provided staff who have served as CTO and consultants to work with federal agencies and vendors to pr ovide cyber security , telecom and general IT support services during very high -profile political retreats. 415 South Ivy Avenue ▪ Monrovia, CA 91016-2888 Office: (626) 932-5501 ▪ Facsimile: (626) 932-5520 ▪ http://www.cityofmonrovia.org February 19, 2019 Laurie Murray City Manager City of La Palma 7822 Walker Street La Palma, CA 90623 LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION FOR ACORN TECHNOLOGY SERVICES Dear Ms. Murray, As the City Manager for the City of Monrovia, I am often asked to write letters of recommendation for a variety of reasons. Every once in a while, however, I will come across a firm for whom writing a recommendation letter is a true privilege, and that is certainly the case with Acorn Technology Services. Nearly three years ago, the City of Monrovia engaged a comprehensive process aimed at finding an IT partner to help us transition our overall information systems service delivery model. After considerable deliberation, we selected Acorn Technology Services as our vendor, and in a very short period of time, their firm has demonstrated themselves to be so much more than just one of our contractors. In fact, Acorn Technology Services has proven themselves to be one of our most vital business partners, and words fail to adequately describe how pleased we are to have the chance to work with their team on the delivery of all of our IT needs. I understand that the City of La Palma is currently working through a Request for Proposal process to identify an IT service provider for your organization, and I just wanted to share with you that here in Monrovia, we have found Acorn Technology Services to be simply premier in all that they do. From their management team, to their service delivery approach, to their operational culture, to their negotiation style – we simply could not be happier with our selection of Acorn Technology Services. They are an experienced firm who has demonstrated to us that they are not only experts in building and maintaining information services technology, but that they also place tremendous value on creating lasting partnerships with the communities in which they work. Having personally worked closely with Acorn Technology Services, I can say with complete confidence that their team is one of the most talented that I have had the privilege of interfacing with. Given the chance, I know that Acorn Technology Services will impress La Palma as they have Monrovia, and I would urge you to give their application your strongest consideration. Of course, please feel free to contact me if I can provide any additional information. I can be reached at (310) 663-9837, or via email at ochi@ci.monrovia.ca.us. Best regards, Oliver Chi City Manager CITY OF LA PALMA PRO POSAL INFORMATION TECHNOLO GY MANAGEMENT SERVIC ES Appendix A Organization Chart and Project Staff Resumes Mickey Mcguire CEO Mickey Mcguire CEO La Quinta Project Team La Quinta Project Team Blake Pietrolungo Account/Project Manager Blake Pietrolungo Account/Project Manager Joel Noriega On -Site Support Specialist Joel Noriega On -Site Support Specialist Remote Team Remote Team James Walter Director of Service Operations James Walter Director of Service Operations Daniel Gutierrez Helpdesk Manager Daniel Gutierrez Helpdesk Manager Alejandro Lazo TSR1 Alejandro Lazo TSR1 Andrew Banks TSR1 Andrew Banks TSR1 Brian Siemens TSR1 Brian Siemens TSR1 TSR2 TSR2 Alfred Gonzales TSR2 Alfred Gonzales TSR2 David McKissic TSR2 David McKissic TSR2 Edgar Ramos TSR2 Edgar Ramos TSR2 Mike Robbins TSR2 Mike Robbins TSR2 Nate Wilson TSR2 In Training Nate Wilson TSR2 In Training TSR3 TSR3 Daniel Balkoski TSR3 Daniel Balkoski TSR3 Lyle Jones TSR3 Lyle Jones TSR3 Patrick Knox Lab/Site Manager Patrick Knox Lab/Site Manager Lab/Site Staff Lab/Site Staff Rachel Hemond Purchasing Manager Rachel Hemond Purchasing Manager Jesse Castillo TSR1 Jesse Castillo TSR1 Kyle Black TSR1 Kyle Black TSR1 Michael Castillo TSR1 Michael Castillo TSR1 Proposed City of La Quinta Operational Team Bryan Cochran On -Site Support Specialist Bryan Cochran On -Site Support Specialist Lisa Natasia Account Manager Lisa Natasia Account Manager Ryan Wambolt Project Manager Ryan Wambolt Project Manager Mickey McGuire Chief Executive Officer mmcguire@acorntechservices .com 1960 Chicago Avenue, Suite E9 Riverside, CA 92507 951 -784 -3500 Education MBA, Gary Anderson Graduate School of Management (AGSM); June 1999 Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, University of California, Riverside December 1997 Experience Chief Executive Officer, October 2015 Current VP of Sales & Customer Service , March 2005 September 2015 Acorn Technology Services | 1960 Chicago Avenue, Suite E9, Riverside, CA 92507 VP Operations , GamePlex Entertainment, 200 1 -2005 Responsibilities As CEO & CFO for Acorn Technology Services , Mickey is responsible for day to day operations, personnel management, and providing strategic leadership for the company . Mickey directs and evaluates the organization's operational function and fiscal performance. Mickey also maintains close ties and relationships with the leaders and decision makers for key customer accounts. As the VP of Sales and Customer Service for Acorn Technology Services , Mickey has i dentified and developed the market opportunity for Acorn to provide Managed Information Technology Services to small and mid -sized organizations in So. California expanding business in 19 states, Canada and Germany ; Accountabl e for providing customer service management for systems and IT services for over 6 5 public and private client institutions ; Management of strateg ic and tactical technical activities to ensure client satisfaction, delivery, contract compliance, and resource management ; Managing organizational growth: sales, profitability, employees, vendors, and new products and services ; Development of technology visions to align IT strategy with customers' business goals . Skills Mic key has expertise in the following: Management Business Planning Customer Service Leadership Problem Solving Market Strategy Alignment of IT Strategy with Organization Objectives Customer Service Representative lnatasia @acorntechservices.com 1960 Chicago Avenue, Suite E9 Riverside, CA 92507 951 -784 -3500 Education Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration, University of California, Riverside, CA Experience Customer Service Representative , May 2014 Current Acorn Technology Corporation | 1960 Chicago Avenue, Suite E9, Riverside, CA 92507 Administrative Support , 2011 2014 Faya Corporation | 2330 S Archibald Ave, Ontario, CA 91761 Website Admi nistrator, 2007 2011 Deltamedia International Inc | 9060 Rancho Park Court , Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730 Responsibilities As a Customer Service Representative for Acorn Technology Corporation, Lisa is responsible for serving clients by providing product and service information , and customer issues. Lisa is r esponsible for acting as a liaison be tween customers and Acorn. The CSR is an advocate for the customer and a ssists with orders, errors, account questions, billing, cance l ations, and other queries. As CSR, Lisa is also accountable f or completing sales objectives and assuring general quality of service. She is responsible for generating new business for the company by meeting with new potential clients and companies. Skills Lisa has expertise in the following: Customer Service Product Knowledge Quality Focus Problem Solving Market Knowledge Documentation Skills Conflict Resolution Analyzing Information Multi -tasking Blake Pietrolungo Account and Project Manager bpietrolungo@acorntechservices.com 1960 Chicago Avenue, Suite E9 Riverside, CA 92507 951 -784 -3500 Education /Certifications University of California, Riverside; Media and Cultural Studies 2007 -2013 Experience Account & Project Manager, January 2015 Current Lab & Site Man a ger, December 2012 January 2015 Acorn Technology Services | 1960 Chicago Avenue, Suite E9, Riverside, CA 92507 Freelance Computer Consultant, 2005 -Current Responsibilities As the Account and Project Manager for Acorn Technology Services specializing in local government and emergency services support , Blake has o ver 10 years of Information Technology related experience and is responsible for the continuous coordination of multiple high -complexity projects for various cities in the San Gabriel Valley ; facilitating strategic discuss ions about current and future/proposed projects with both Acorn Technology staff , 3 rd party vendors, and City staff; while focusing efforts on meeting timelines, maintaining budget requirements, ensuring high levels of customer service, and providing consistent and timely commun ication to all constituents , including customer service team, inventory/purchasing manager s , 3 rd party vendors, and CEO keeping them all apprised as to the status and mile stones of critical projects . Skills Blake has expertise in the following: Strategic Planning Project Management Customer service and relationship management O peration al direction and follow through Maintaining positive rapport with C -Level/Executives, senior staff, frontline staff, and vend ors Documentation and analysis of critical systems, applications, and processes. Ryan Wambolt Project Manager r wa mbo lt @acorntechservices.com 1960 Chicago Avenue, Suite E9 Riverside, CA 92507 951 -784 -3500 Education /Certifications Project Management Certificate University of California, Riverside Extension Center Comp TIA A+ Certification, 2009 Experience Project Manager, October 2015 Current Install Coordinator , June 201 3 October 201 5 Acorn Technology Services | 1960 Chicago Avenue, Suite E9, R iverside, CA 92507 Responsibilities As a Project Manager for Acorn Technology Services , Ryan has over 5 years of Information Technology related experience and is responsible for the management and implementation of multiple high -complexity projects for various Acorn customers, ranging from private organizations to public entities, including cities in the San Gabriel Valley ; oversees discovery and IT assessments for new and existing customers; while focusing efforts on meeting timelines, contributing to n etwork design, maintaining budget requirements, ensuring high levels of customer service, and interfacing status of projects . Skills Ryan has expertise in the following: Team Leader & Mentor Provides strategic and operational direction Extensive hardware and software knowledge Project Management Strong understanding of networks and servers James Walter Director of Service Operations jwalter @acorntechservices.com 1960 Chicago Avenue, Suite E9 Riverside, CA 92507 951 -784 -3500 Education /Certifications DeVry University, Network Management 201 5 Experience Director of Service Operations , J une 201 8 Current I.T. Manager, December 2015 June 2018 Technical Service Representative , June 201 1 December 201 5 Acorn Technology Services | 1960 Chicago Avenue, Suite E 9, Riverside, CA 92507 I.T. Consultant, Independent, 200 8 -Current Responsibilities As the Director of Service Operations for Acorn Technology Services , James has over 10 years of Information Technology related experience and is responsible for the design and implementation of multiple high -complexity projects for various cities in the San Gabriel Valley ; manages the Acorn Helpdesk as well as establishing internal policy; interfaces with vendors to ensure delivery of promised services; focusing effor ts on standardization of customer documentation, systems and network analysis, all while implementing best practices while delivering high levels of customer service . Skills James has expertise in the following: Exceptional Customer Service Skills Server Management Virtualization Technologies Operating Systems (Windows, Unix, Linux) Microsoft Exchange IT Best Practices . Helpdesk Manager d gutierrez @acorntechservices.com 1960 Chicago Avenue, Suite E9 Riverside, CA 92507 951 -784 -3500 Education A.S. Network System Administration, ITT Technical Institute, 2014 Experience Helpdesk Manager May 2 018 Current Technical Service Representative in Training June 2014 July 2018 Acorn Technology Corporation | 1960 Chicago Avenue, Suite E9, Riverside, CA 92507 Responsibilities As Helpdesk Manager for Acorn Technology Corporation, Daniel has more than 5 years of IT related experience. He and Tier 2 technicians , coordinates with the Lab & Site Manager for customer runs, trains and assists technicians, and contributes to technical problem s Customer Service Representatives to meet customer goals and address customer issues , as well as coordinating after hours On -Call staff and scheduling maintenance activities. Skills Daniel has expertise in the following: Ma intains a positive rapport with customers Team leader & mentor Skilled in installation, setup, migration, testing and repair of most IT related systems Provides strategic and operational direction Expert in computer hardware/software repair Lab & Site Manager pknox@acorntechservices.com 1960 Chicago Avenue, Suite E9 Riverside, CA 92507 951 -784 -3500 Education A+ Certif i cation, 2011 M CP Microsoft Certified Professional, 2012 Network + Certification, 2013 MCSA Certification, 2013 Experience Lab and Site Manager, January 2015 Current Technical Se rvice Representative in Training, September 2013 January 2015 Acorn Technology Corporation | 1960 Chicago Avenue, Suite E9, Riverside, CA 92507 Graphic Artist, Media Industry, 2002 -2013 Electronic Technician, Gaming Industry, 1989 -2002 Responsibilities As the Lab & Site Manager for Acorn Technology Corporation, Patrick has over 25 y ears of computer related experience and is responsible for c oordinating site visits to client locations, troubleshoot ing and repair of machines, configuring systems , direct ing and managing lab technicians, monitor ing lab and site work, coordi nation with all areas of the organization (Customer Service, Technical Support and Administration) to meet c ustomer and internal deadlines for lab and site specific responsibilities. Skills Patrick has expertise in the following: Maintains positive rapport with custo mers and internal staff Documents service and installation actions by completing forms, reports, logs, and records Accomplishes operations and organization mission by delivering desired results VP - Administration rhemond @acorntechservices .com 1960 Chicago Avenue, Suite E9 Riverside, CA 92507 951 -784 -3500 Education Albertson College of Idaho, B.A. Arts & Psychology 2001 RCC, Certificate in Human Services, S.B.A Employmen t Support Specialization Certificate Research Experience for Undergraduates: Cognitive Psychology Certificate Access Introduction and Practical Application Certificate Experience VP Administration, October 2015 present Purchasing & Inventory Manage,r March 2007 October 2015 Acorn Technology Corporation | 1960 Chicago Avenue, Suite E9, Riverside, CA 92507 Customer Service Representative/EQUINE Specialist, Retail, 2002 -2007 Responsibilities As VP of Administration for Acorn Technol ogy Corporation, Rachel utilizes over 13 years of experience in inventory management and is responsible for supporting company operations by maintaining office comprehensive purchasing functions for Acorn in compliance with mandated requirements; overseeing daily activities including major purchases associated with opening and expanding customer sites; responding to a range of inquiries regarding processes or pur chase status; negotiating terms and conditions with vendors and/or service providers; and achieving department objectives and goals within budget. As VP of Administration, Rachel is responsible for ensuring that the organization has the right amount of sto of documentation relating to inventory. Skills Rachel has expertise in the following: Supp l y Management Inventory Control Maintenance of purchase information, files and records Tracking Budget Expenses Manage Process On -Site Support Specialist jnoriega @acorntechservices.com 1960 Chicago Avenue, Suite E9 Riverside, CA 92507 951 -784 -3500 Education A+ Certification, 2008 Experience Technical Service Representative November 2011 Current Acorn Technology Corporation | 1960 Chicago Avenue, Suite E9, Riverside, CA 92507 Technical Support, Insurance, 2010 -2011 Freelance Computer Consultant 1999 -2011 Responsibilities Joel has over 20 years of I.T. experience and is responsible for ensuring the proper functioning of user workstations, s oftware and peripherals. Duties include installing, testing and updating computer equipment (computers, peripherals, programs and software); ensure maintenance, administration and secur ity of hardware; diagnose and treat incidents; write procedures and various technical documents; provide user support for the training on customer equipment and software. Joel was the primary On -Site Support Specialist for the City of Monrovia for three years, aided in on -boarding the c ustomer and building a s trong rapport with staff and department heads alike. Skills Daniel has expertise in the following: Operating systems (Windows, Linux) Office and messaging software Exceptional Customer Service Skills Local municipality experience Bryan Cochran On -Site Technical Services Representative bcochran @acorntechservices.com 1960 Chicago Avenue, Suite E9 Riverside, CA 92507 951 -784 -3500 Education /Certifications Riverside City College; Math, Physics and Computer Programming; 2004 -2007 Experience Helpdesk Technician; 2017 -Present Acorn Technology Services | 1960 Chicago Avenue, Suite E9, Riverside, CA 92507 Independent IT Consultant; 2003 -Present IT Support for -2007 Responsibilities As an On -Site Technical Services Representative, Bryan has over 15 years of Information Technology experience, and is responsible for ensuring the proper functioning of user workstations, s oftware and pe ripherals. Duties include interfacing with client staff on -site to assist with installing, testing and updating computer equipment (computers, peripherals, programs and software); ensure maintenance, administration and security of hardware; diagnose and tr eat incidents; write procedures and various technical documents; provide user support for the training on customer equipment and software. Skills Bryan has expertise in the following: Linux/UNIX MS Windows Operating Systems Microsoft Office Suites Troubleshooting + Problem solving Cabling/Equipment installation