Photo by Christina VanHorn,
UNH Human Resources

To some he's "The Printer Guy." To others, he's "Head BurgerMeister". But to everyone who knows Jeff Hoffman he's "one heck of a nice guy."

After doing construction work in the 1970's, Jeff began work repairing typewriters in 1980. When he noticed a majority of his customer base going from typewriters to personal computers, Jeff dove into computer and printer repair business in 1984. "I worked for several small service companies that required me to do a lot of traveling," he states. "I eventually became very weary of working for small repair companies, having owners with small mind sets, and limited resources for compensation and equipment to do my job."

Jeff came to work at UNH in 1996 as a Technician in the Computer Service Center. In 1998, he took a full-time position in the MUB Copy Center as a Digital Equipment Operator and two years later became an Information Technologist in the Computer Service Center. "Two of the reasons I came to work at UNH were to stop traveling to such a great degree and also to work for a larger institution that could offer more stability and better benefits," Jeff explains. "I really had no idea what a great place UNH was to work until I started working here. The benefits still amaze me. For the first time in my career I can actually plan to stay working in one place until I retire and start planning my retirement. UNH really cares about the people that work here and it shows."

While the benefits package is important to Jeff, so is "being one of thousands of other employees all working for the same University. If something isn't right, there are thousands of other voices calling for change. This is hard to ignore and most of the time things get changed for the better. Besides the good friends I've made here, the great people, and feeling that my work is appreciated, that's another reason UNH is a great place to work. And as far as traveling is concerned, I've got the best of both worlds now. I still get to meet and visit people in their own environments, which I've always enjoyed, but I only have to travel a mile or two at most to visit them in their offices and provide them with on-site service!"

While some of the skills needed for Jeff's position include "mechanical ability, attention to detail, good people and communication skills, logical thinking for troubleshooting, and familiarity with specific machines and technologies," Jeff uses those skills along with a desire to truly help his customers understand the equipment they use on a daily basis and a commitment to help them save money whenever possible. He says, "It's satisfying to me that I've been doing this long enough to be able to 'size up' a situation quickly (i.e., a client's attitude and frustration level, how many clients are affected by the situation with the machine and the specific situation with the machine and how usable it is with it's malfunction), and at the same time knowing general product market value and cost of repair(s), potential repairs that may be needed in the future, etc., to be able to advise those clients knowledgeably about repairs vs. replacing the malfunctioning machine." (Jeff is fully certified on Dell's entire line of products, as well as on Apple laptops and desktops, and on a list of HP printers that is "way too long to mention".)

When asked who or what at UNH has had a positive impact on him, Jeff's response is "I've been very lucky to work under several excellent managers during my term here at UNH and specifically CIS. They were patient, understanding, reasonable, and they listened to their people. The very best of these was Dick Dumas (former Manager of the CSC Hardware Lab). Dick retired last year. He taught me a lot and demonstrated to me, daily, what it is to be a great manager. I miss him."

It's been said that "man does not live by bread alone". Jeff would have to agree to this as the "Head BurgerMeister" likes a hamburger between his 2 pieces of bread, and French fries right next to it - every Friday. He and Dick Dumas began what is now a UNH Friday afternoon dining tradition known as Burger Day in the Fall of 1996. In the past 8 years the group has grown and changed, though many members would certainly fall in the "regulars" category, and Jeff says "I feel it's important to keep Burger Day happening as a mechanism for folks who want a lunch out of the office with other friends and co-workers on occasion."

Jeff (and his wife, Anna, who works at NHPTV) are Deerfield residents. They have 2 children who are both UNH grads - Jason, age 27, owner of "Big J's Dogs" in Concord and Hooksett, and Shanna, age 26, who works in Natural Resources at UNH.