Meet Jara Andrusyk, VP of Human Resources

Jara Andrusyk is the Vice President of Human Resources at FastServers.Net. She's been with the company almost since the beginning. Her debut with the company was in 1998, just two years after the company was founded. Jara is involved in all areas of human resource management and contributes to the overall growth assessment and planning for the company. With new staff members joining the team at such a fast pace, Jara is able to help the company quickly adapt to the needs of both current and new employees. So many daily tasks are involved with keeping the FastServers.Net crew moving forward. From new desks to new computers; to making sure paychecks are delivered and accurate; to planning events and ongoing efforts to ensure the employees are working in the "best" environment possible, Jara is the "go-to" person.

Jara majored in Psychology at Loyola University in Chicago with a focus in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. "I believe my education in addition to my eight years experience at FastServers.Net, has given me the tools I need to keep our staff running smoothly," said Jara. "This is especially true in an industry where Human Resources departments are oftentimes outsourced or non-existent." She also focuses on promoting communication between all FastServers.Net offices; making sure employees are able to communicate with each other in order to serve customers. And she claims her most prominent role is to make sure "FastSevers, Inc. continues to be a great place to work!"

Outside of the office, Jara enjoys checking out local music festivals, one being the Lollapalooza tour, held annually in Grant Park in downtown Chicago. "Three hot, sunny days, nine stages, and over 100 bands. There were so many great artists at Lollapalooza 2006, but I particularly enjoyed the shows put on by the Dresden Dolls, Violent Femmes, and Thievery Corporation," said Jara. When she's not checking out the local music scenes, you can find Jara at the Art Institute, studying the works of some of her favorite artists. "I love Frida Kahlo. Her strength, beauty and suffering are so openly portrayed. I find her life, both personal and political affiliations, fascinating; and her work deeply provoking," she said.

Jara is an avid traveler, be it a weekend getaway with her fellow "road sisters," or skydiving over the Swiss Alps. She enjoys describing her skydiving experience over the Swiss Alps as an "incredible adrenaline rush" caused by the free fall. "When the chute was opened, I had time to take in the spectacular peaks of the Jungfrau Mountains range, tree tops, lakes and green fields all below me. It was wild," she said. Sure, sky diving over the Swiss Alps is something to boast about, but Jara has also had a chance to climb the Eiffel Tower in Paris. "My hike up the Eiffel Tower was windy, rainy, and freezing, a typical Paris day. We stopped for an espresso and to check out the skating rink mid way. It was a beautiful view of the gray city."

Jara's travels also included a tour of the Tuscan countryside. She hiked through the Chianti region during harvest season and was able to tour a winery and surrounding estate in Greve. "I cannot wait to go back during the springtime to see the fields upon fields of sunflowers," she said.

Like most FastServers.Net employees, Jara says it's the people that motivate her to come to work every day. "Hands down it's the people, and not just because I have to say that," she said. She enjoys watching the daily collaboration between different departments and offices, "a free flow of ideas and solutions to problems." Jara elaborates, "It's also a diverse, fun group of individuals joining us from a variety of backgrounds, which definitely keeps things interesting. I am well aware that each day I come to work with some of the most talented individuals in the industry. I am proud to be a part of that team."

Beach volleyball anyone - Jara's bringing it back this summer on the sandy beaches of Lake Michigan. "We used to play a lot when the FastServers.Net headquarters were located in Cedar Falls, IA," said Jara. "I am very excited about resurrecting the FastServers.Net sand volleyball team this summer. But most importantly, I cannot wait to find our Chicago-based superstar!" Back when the FastServers.Net volleyball team was in full swing in Cedar Falls, Flip (Tim Hass), was the superstar on the team. Everybody wants Flip on their team when playing volleyball. So who will the superstar be from the Chicago office - you have to wait until we bring you news of the teams, scores, and much more in summer 2007!