Cayce Hanger
Telecom Operations Lead, System Administrator, and IT Professional in Minnesota
Spotlight on Cayce Hanger
Born and raised in Daytona Beach, FL, Cayce shares an interesting connection with his wife, her parents, and their kids—all born at the same hospital featured in the Days of Thunder movie, Halifax Hospital. Drawn to Minnesota by family and the allure of experiencing all four seasons, they decided to move despite concerns about driving in the snow. He flew up for an interview and secured a job with Beckman, leading the family to settle in Apple Valley, MN, about 45 minutes from the Chaska site.
He and his wife, Rhonda, have been married since 2005 and have three children: Cayce, Rachel, and Charlotte. Their home is bustling with four dogs—Atlas, Molly, Topaz, and Chilli—and a cat named Magneto. His educational journey includes an A.S. in IT Network Administration, a B.S. in Information Technology, and soon, an MBA in IT from Western Governors University. He also holds certifications in Microsoft Certified Server Administrator and CompTIA A+. He enjoys various games—board, video, tabletop, and word games—as well as attending baseball games. These hobbies let him unwind and spend quality time with family and friends.
What do you do and how long have you been at Beckman? Have you had any other roles at Beckman?
August is my anniversary month! I’ll have been at Beckman Coulter for 8 years this August. I have been the IT Site Lead at Chaska the entire time, but it’s never boring due to the diversity in my workload.
What has kept you here at Beckman for so long?
It’s wonderful that I get to be a part of a company that helps people, and that really helps me be proud of what I do. Beyond that, I really enjoy the people here. From Chaska to Brea, Clare, Hebron, Johannesburg, Marseilles, Mexico City, Miami, Mishima, Sao Paulo, Sydney, and Suzhou, I think we have a great culture. Everyone I have met or been in contact with has an awesome attitude.
What did you do prior to Beckman and what attracted you to your role here?
Prior to Beckman, I had a Work Study position in IT at Florida Technical College while I was enrolled there. That helped me secure an internship at the City of DeLand in FL, where I ended up staying for 6 years and worked my way up to Network Administrator. There’s also a Pall site there—who knew?! Before breaking into IT, I worked in the Deli and Produce departments at Publix, as a long-distance operator for Sprint at FirstData, a Shift Manager at McDonald’s, and an Assistant Manager at Blockbuster Video (so be kind, rewind).
What attracted me to Beckman was knowing what we do helps patients and that gave me a sense of pride in the work I do every day, especially when I could see projects that I may have helped out with launch with great reception in the field!
What projects are you currently working on?
There’s so many! Our ISO 27001 audit for Chaska is in August, so we have been doing a lot of prep for that. There’s also the Together @ Gemba initiative, which will require the remodeling of 3 different floors. Our manufacturing line is expanding, and we have remodeled, re-equipped, and reopened Building 317 to accommodate that growth. We are also preparing to replace the UPS in our datacenter and looking to implement new technologies at our Animal Operation Facility to provide a faster and more stable network connection there. Outside of Chaska, I also help administrate the Managed File Share site and I am trying my best to keep up with the awesome IGA (Identity Governance and Administration) team and help with the SailPoint project however I can.
What is something that you do in your spare time that your coworkers may or may not know about you?
My family fosters dogs! In the past few years, we have helped about 15 dogs find homes and I helped coordinate an onsite event in Chaska with visiting puppies.
Do you have a favorite place that you’ve been to?
I have not had the opportunity to travel the world, but I have gotten around a bit in the US. So far, I think my favorite place that I’ve been is the Black Hills. All the experiences that come with being able to visit Mount Rushmore, Devil’s Tower, Badlands National Park, and Custer National Park are beautiful and amazing. There’s nothing like having a herd of buffalo 5 feet away from you!
What are your professional goals?
Did I mention how much I love the people here earlier? One day I hope to be in a people leader position that allows me to use my experience and knowledge to help others find what they love and be the best they can be at Beckman.
If you could go back in time, what would you do differently with your life?
I am definitely the kind of person that wouldn’t change a thing, but there was a time when Bitcoin was at about $100 and we had an extra $1000…oh well.
Words of wisdom for your fellow IT associates:
Words of wisdom…Strive not to waste your time, whatever that means to you. Whenever possible, I suggest using it to enjoy your family, friends, self, and work.