Luis M. Alvarez
President & CEO

In less than a decade, Luis Alvarez has grown the Alvarez Technology Group, Inc. (ATG) from a small two-person consultancy to the premier information technology (IT) solutions provider on the California Central Coast, delivering IT services to more than 200 companies throughout the state.  A visionary who never shies away from exploring exciting new technologies that might give his clients a competitive advantage, Luis specializes in working with executives and managers of small- and mid-sized businesses, sharing his expertise by advising them on trends, analyzing their systems for improved performance and planning how IT can help achieve their business goals.

Luis is considered an expert in business process flow and the integration of IT for maximum profitability.   He is leading the industry towards a “managed services,” model, an operational strategy that allows ATG to offer continuous remote monitoring and management of their client’s  IT infrastructure at an affordable price point. Luis designed ATG’s iTeam™ Services based on this managed services model.

Prior to starting ATG, Luis was instrumental in building up another IT systems integrator, Hornbuckle Engineering, Inc. from a small Pacific Grove, California computer reseller of five people to a leading provider of computer and telephone integration (CTI) systems of almost 70 employees (MicroAge), which was sold to Applied Digital Solutions, Inc. in 1999. Primarily responsible for the growth and development of the technical and professional engineering group, Luis designed and implemented technology solutions for hundreds of companies throughout the United States, including Dole Foods, Monterey Water Pollution Control District, Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, Tanimura & Antle, Horan, Lloyd, Karachale, Schwartz, et al, Abramson, Church and Stave, Taylor Fresh Foods, Inc. and others.

Luis has lived and worked in the Monterey Bay area since 1986, after 21 years of combined active and reserve duty with the United States Air Force. While in the Air Force, he served in various command positions including the Air Force Information Warfare Center/Air Force Computer Emergency Response Team (AFIWC/AFCERT) and the Defense Intelligence Agency. 

Luis graduated from the University of Phoenix with a B.S. in Information Technology and is an alumnus of the UCLA Anderson School of Management, having completed their prestigious Management Development for Entrepreneurs certificate program. He also holds numerous industry certifications, including Master Certified Novell Engineer (MCNE) and Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP).

Brad Griffin
Business Development Manager

Brad Griffin, Business Development Manager, keeps ATG's clients and prospects informed about the services and products available to improve business proficiency, security and collaboration through technology. Brad is responsible for helping find the best solution by listening to the needs of ATG's clients and prospects, and advising them on the full range of services and products available, including network management, hardware and software solutions, security and backup programs, VoIP and hosted PBX telephone systems and more.

Brad is a long-time business development specialist, with experience in the information processing, pharmaceutical and manufacturing industries. He is well regarded and trusted by his teammates and clients for his product knowledge, professionalism and charismatic leadership.

Before joining ATG, Brad worked for Merck & Co. as a Professional Representative II, responsible for the promotion of several Merck medications to physicians and pharmacists throughout the Central Coast and tri-county areas. He was recognized as a leader and mentor, and received the Merck Vice President's Club Award for sales excellence.

Prior, Brad held sales and account management positions with Forest Laboratories, Kos Pharmaceuticals, Automatic Data Processing and Ferguson Enterprises.

Brad earned a B.S. degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing Management from East Carolina University.

Alex Gams
Systems Engineer

As Systems Engineer, Alex Gams works on-site with ATG clients focusing on system maintenance and repairs, software and hardware upgrades, new equipment installations and other special projects.

In his previous position as Technician for AB Computer, Alex honed his systems skills handling setup, installation and repair of both home-based and office PC networks outfitted with a wide variety of hardware and software.  Alex was also responsible for removing viruses, spyware and adware, as well as recovering data from corrupted files and damaged hard drives. 

Prior, during his four-year tenure as Sales Audit/Computer Technician for Dick Bruhn, in addition to many administrative and detailed accounting duties, Alex acted as Systems Administrator for the corporate office and the ten retail stores.  He was responsible for PC and POS setup, installation and maintenance, resolving software issues for accounting, shipping and sales systems, and for troubleshooting and repairing office equipment, such as printers, fax machines and copiers.

Michael Traven
Systems Engineer

Michael Traven joined ATG in 2006, bringing exceptional experience and skill to the team.  Michael specialized in network design and management for his previous employers, and currently works with ATG clients on-site, focusing on technology architectural development and integration, new equipment installations, software and hardware configuration, and other special projects.

Previously, Michael consulted for a variety of technology companies and their clients, including  Solectron Corporation and INS/Lucent Technologies, where helped lead complex IT projects requiring in-depth understanding of networking, as well as of specific technologies and vendors, and strong management skills.  Michael has provided expertise to industry-leading companies on key projects such as: coordinating a multi-phase configuration and deployment of optical networking systems across nine states for a large internet/media company, management of more than 30 engineers for the installation of several thousand Cisco routers and switches for a leading national insurance company, leading the development of a migration and network design plan for converting a new network for a  well-known Silicon Valley software design company, and providing analysis and problem-resolution during  an eight-month networking project for the Hong Kong Airport Authority.

Michael’s knowledge-base includes experience with:  Cisco routers and switches, Windows 2003 Active Directory, Microsoft Exchange Server 2003, ATM, Frame Relay, ISDN, SONET, VoIP, Voice Over ATM, Optical/Photonic networking and various firewall platforms.

Celeste Parkhurst
OpsCenter Technician

As OpsCenter Technician, Celeste Parkhurst provides front-line assistance to ATG clients, assuring they receive fast and accurate IT help.  As part of the OpsCenter team, Celeste constantly monitors ATG client networks to make sure their systems remain operating smoothly, efficiently and securely.  In the event of a problem, Celeste and the other OpsCenter Technicians respond immediately to restore productivity and data protection right away.

Before joining ATG, Celeste honed her IT skills at Kiewit Pacific Co., where she handled District Network Support, including setting up LANs, configuring, maintaining and repairing desktops and laptops, installing and trouble shooting software, and resolving network issues.  Prior, as Customer Service Representative at Vreo, Inc., Celeste acted as the primary point of contact for clients, and was responsible for resolving support requests by phone and email, setting up new accounts and websites, providing basic and advanced website editing training to clients, and creating custom designed websites and virtual presentations. 

Celeste’s earliest memories are of playing Tetris & Lemonade Stand on the computers in her parent’s Apple computer store. While working in sales for an office equipment provider she realized she was best suited to a more technical field when the manufacturer’s representatives sent her to their technical support for answers to her questions.

Anil Melwani
Technical Project Leader

Anil Melwani, Technical Project Leader, is primarily responsible for managing and implementing complex technical projects for ATG clients. Anil is the single point-of-contact for ATG clients throughout the project lifecycle, including server installations, network migrations, firewall upgrades, as well as other major projects.

Previously, Anil was Manager of Technical Resources at ATG. He was responsible for ensuring ATG clients remained satisfied and their systems secure by leading the OpsCenter team, resolving escalated technical issues, and managing the scheduled maintenance programs for contract clients.

Anil joined ATG after five years as Network Administrator with National Geographic School Publishing/Hampton-Brown, where he provided 24/7 support for 250 employees nationwide. Responsibilities included maintaining server backups, managing enterprise software upgrades and system migrations, setting up servers, FTP sites, spam prevention services, VPN access, VoIP, web conferencing and more. Previously, Anil held technical specialist positions with Hayward Lumber and Red Shift Internet Services.

It was during his internship as a Windows NT Systems Administrator that Anil realized he was destined for a career in IT. Several years later, Anil graduated with honors from the University of Brighton, England with a B.S. degree in Computer Science.

Anil has experience with a wide variety of technologies and systems, including Windows NT 3.51/NT 4.0/Server 2000/2003/2008, Exchange Server 5.5/2000/2003/2007, Windows 9x/NT/2000/XP/Vista, MS office 9x/2000/XP/2003/2007, Mac OS 8.x/9.x/OS X, Citrix, Linux, SQL, HTML, ASP, IIS, DNS, WINS, DHCP, TCP/IP, Firewall policies, VPN, NAT, Ethernet standards and cabling. Anil regularly attends training to stay current with the latest technologies, and is designated as a Red Hat Certified Technician.

Chris Hernandez
OpsCenter Technician

An integral part of the iTeam, Chris Hernandez applies his skills as an OpsCenter Technician by providing first-responder assistance to ATG clients, making sure they receive quick help in resolving IT issues. Additionally, Chris constantly monitors ATG client networks to make sure their systems remain operating smoothly, efficiently and securely. In the event of a problem, Chris and the other iTeam OpsCenter Technicians respond immediately to restore productivity and data protection right away.

Prior to ATG, Chris served as a Geek Squad “Special Agent” for Best Buy—a rank no other technician his age had previously achieved—where he was responsible for installation and troubleshooting of complex multiple client/server issues related to small businesses, and for providing leadership at the district level, acting as principal on-site technician in support of other “Agents”. Chris also owned and operated Netwerkz Computer Support, where he provided consulting and technical support to small businesses on the Monterey Peninsula.

Chris has attained designations as a Microsoft Certified Professional, and a Comptia A+ and Network+ Certified Technician. He has also received his Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician Certification, and a Cisco Academic Alliance Technical Achievement Award. Chris is proficient with Cisco networking devices, Windows Server 2003 administration, and Unix/Linux basics and shell programming.

Curtis Thomas
Senior Systems Engineer

Curtis Thomas, Senior Systems Engineer, works closely with ATG clients, expertly leading technical projects, such as performing network optimizations, upgrading and integrating new software and hardware, configuring servers, workstations and other equipment, and other special projects.

Prior to joining ATG, for nearly 7 years Curtis worked for CenterBeam, Inc. of San Jose, CA as a systems engineer and an implementation engineer where he was responsible for the installation and configuration of all IT tools, including remote monitoring and administration, VPNs, Connected backups, BigFix patch management, Diskeeper, installing all network services and devices and troubleshooting across enterprise environments. While at CenterBeam, Curtis became expert with MS Server 2003, MS Exchange 2003, DNS, DHCP, file servers, MS Windows 2000/XP, Application Servers, Access Points, Routers, and all critical data center servers that were crucial for operations of the CenterBeam environment. Curtis also worked with HP Open View, Microsoft Operations Manager, Remedy, Concord eHealth, Compaq Insight Manager, Dell Open Manage and Cisco Works as forms of monitoring and tracking tools.

Previously, Curtis worked as a systems engineer with Zip2/MyWay.com, specializing in the maintenance of more than 100 MS NT 4.0 servers that supported affiliate web sites. Curtis also supported the operations team for server build outs and migration of Windows NT 4.0, Netscape FastTack and SQLServer 6.5,and 7.0, to Windows 2000, SQLServer 2000 and IIS 5.0 test environment. Other positions include work as a computer technician for Computer Works in Monterey, and as a Petroleum Supply specialist in the US Army at Fort Lee, VA.

Curtis has achieved many advanced certifications, including: Networking Certification from Heald Business College, as well as technical certifications for MCSE+I, CompTIA A+, Network+, I-Net+, and QMS Laser Printer.

Curtis lives in Salinas. He and his teenage son, Curtis Jr., enjoy watching sports, playing basketball, going for rides on his motorcycle and working on old cars.

Sarah Stephens
Customer Service Coordinator

As Customer Service Coordinator, Sarah Stephens makes sure ATG clients receive fast, efficient IT support by keeping the OpsCenter Technicians and Systems Engineers on schedule. Sarah is the friendly, chipper voice clients hear if they need to call for additional help or to arrange for an on-site service call.

Before joining ATG, Sarah worked for Choice Home Health Care as an intake coordinator, where she assisted clients transition to utilizing home health services for their care needs by listening, taking information on each patient, keeping detailed records and collaborating with staff, agency personnel, patients and their families to assure every client received the best care possible.

Previously, Sarah held similar positions with Advantacare, performing intake customer service, and with Pacific Pulmonary Services as a customer service representative.

Sarah is a graduate of Monterey High and is attending Hartnell College, working toward her A.S. degree in Radiology. Proud Army brat, Sarah has lived everywhere from Germany to Fort Ord. Sarah is the first one to admit she has a fondness for animals and chocolate, but separately. She lives in Salinas where she enjoys spending time with her boyfriend Vinny, and kitty, Duff.