Every business has a story, and in Steamboat, those stories are part of what makes this community so special. Our new Meet the Owners series, a behind-the-scenes look at the people, families, and local businesses that help shape Steamboat Springs.

From family legacies to hometown favorites, Meet the Owners shines a light on the stories, values, and personalities behind the storefronts, signs, and familiar faces we know so well.

Today we’re featuring Jon Quinn, owner and President of Northwest Data Services, whose unexpected introduction to IT led to a career helping Northwest Colorado businesses navigate the ever-changing world of technology.

For Jon Quinn, a career in technology wasn't exactly part of the original plan.

Jon moved from Avon to Steamboat Springs with his partner in 1997, looking for a stronger sense of community. Once he arrived, he worked a variety of jobs, including in the restaurant industry and at a local bank, before landing at Alpine Taxi. That's where his unexpected introduction to IT began.

At the time, Jon had no technology background. But when Alpine Taxi needed someone to manage its network and servers, Jon was apparently the right person for the job, largely because his office happened to be closest to the server closet.

“It was an unexpected introduction to IT,” Jon says.

Alpine Taxi partnered with Northwest Data Services for IT support, where Jon met his future business partners. That chance opportunity eventually led him to become part of Northwest Data Services, a company that has been serving businesses throughout Northwest Colorado for more than 25 years.

Building a Business on Reputation

For Jon, the foundation of a long-lasting local business comes down to something simple: reputation.

“In Steamboat, nothing is more important than your reputation,” he says.

That means keeping promises, showing up when you say you will, and taking responsibility when things don't go as planned. It's especially important in an industry where problems don't always wait for convenient business hours.

“IT is a humbling profession because mistakes are inevitable,” Jon says. “What matters is how you respond.”

For Northwest Data Services, that means owning mistakes, making things right, learning from them, and continually improving the services they provide. The goal is to give local businesses confidence that their technology is working behind the scenes so they can focus on running their businesses.

When the IT Emergency Happens on Christmas Eve

If you've ever wondered what it looks like when an IT professional truly saves the day, Jon has a pretty good example.

Northwest Data Services supports a large hospitality client whose SIP trunk router lost its configuration on Christmas Eve, one of the busiest days of the year for the business.

Naturally, Jon was on vacation.

Fortunately, he was able to remotely access the router and rebuild the configuration in about an hour. Service was restored before the issue seriously impacted guests, and most people never knew there had been a problem.

“It's moments like that that remind you why you do the job,” Jon says. “Every once in a while, you get to wear a cape to work.”

It's a fitting description of the behind-the-scenes role technology professionals often play. When everything is working, nobody thinks about it. When something goes wrong, suddenly it's all anyone can think about.

Cybersecurity Isn't Just a Big-City Problem

For local businesses, Jon says one of the biggest misconceptions is assuming that being part of a small community makes a business less likely to be targeted by cybercriminals.

It doesn't.

“Don't assume that because you're in a small community, cybercriminals aren't paying attention to your business,” he says. “They are.”

The good news is that protecting a business doesn't always require an enormous technology budget. Jon recommends starting with the basics: strong, unique passwords, never reusing passwords across services, and enabling multi-factor authentication, or MFA.

And that protection shouldn't stop with banking or financial accounts. Email, social media, and other platforms can also be valuable targets.

“A little prevention today can save a tremendous amount of pain tomorrow,” Jon says.

Finding Community Beyond the Screen

When Jon isn't working, you'll likely find him skiing, hiking, or enjoying live music.

Music, in particular, has always been important to him. For Jon, it's one of the few communities that is truly open to everyone. It brings people together, creates connections, and adds a little more joy to life.

It's also one of the things he appreciates most about living in the Yampa Valley.

Steamboat is known for its outdoor recreation, but Jon says the community's vibrant music scene and the people who support it are just as special.

“It's a place where people genuinely connect with one another,” he says. “And that's something special.”

After nearly three decades in Steamboat, Jon's path from an office next to a server closet to leading a local technology company is a pretty good reminder that careers don't always follow a straight line.

Sometimes, the unexpected door turns out to be the right one.

Meet the Owner is a Chamber series highlighting the people behind the businesses that make up our local business community.