Rich Gouette

I was born in New London, CT a couple of blocks from the ocean, but have been in Maine since 2 years old (except for 6 years as a sailor in the US Navy). I currently reside in Auburn, Maine. I have 4 children, 13 through 22, with the youngest being from Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Some fast facts: 

• I am in a musical family, and my wife and I have been on various church worship teams for 20+ years.

• I make wooden replica medieval shields. 

• I have made a working Uilleann pipe chanter (might have to google that one).

• I once played a guitar solo of The Star-Spangled Banner for some thousands of folks on Portland’s Western Prom, during a 4th celebration

• I bought my first sailboat last year and sailed her with great success!

• I once got to trap (land) on an aircraft carrier

Tell us about someone in your life who inspired you or helped you become who you are today.

That would be my wife, who is an inspiration to myself and to many. She brings out the best things in me, with her innate positivity, encouragement, deep faith, and stellar coaching skills. 😊

What motivates you or helps you feel fulfilled?

Probably two things: Music, and a desire to be helpful to people. 

What do you do really well? Is there anything you wish you could improve?

Hmm, well I’m a handy sort, doing all manner of DIY projects around the home. With 4 kids and 3 still at home, there’s no end to things that needs attention or fixing, I am also pretty good at improvising musically. I would like to be able to devote a little more time to multi-tracking in my little home recording studio.

What’s an accomplishment you are really proud of? Is there something you want to do, but haven't done yet?

Despite being a consummate introvert, I managed to overcome my shyness and major self-consciousness and play the singing role of “Peter Penguin”, in “Alice: A Return to Wonderland”, at Cumston Hall Theatre in Monmouth. Something I want to do: Learn to speak the Irish language.  

Let’s talk about your career journey. What inspired you to go into your current field? What first brought you to JAX? Has your job changed since you joined?

My natural curiosity to know how things work led me to dissect various electronic devices: destroying some, fixing others. I joined the Navy after hearing about their extensive electronics programs, and that’s where I learned component-level electronics. That background helped me land my first entry-level “computer job” installing midrange UNIX environments for municipalities.  From there, it was a steady upward climb, landing me where I am today. 

I kind of “stalked” JAX online for a few years, thinking to myself “that looks like a great company, headquartered in a neat place”. I caught wind of a remote opportunity, and the rest is history! I’ve not been with the company long, so I can’t say much about change just yet… though things move fast around here!

How do explain your current work to others? What’s your favorite thing about it?

I typically tell people: “I do computer stuff”. The ever-changing nature of IT keeps things interesting and forces you to keep learning new things. I work with a truly great group of folks, and I hope to be saying the same thing many years from now.

Only that I’m extremely grateful to JAX, for taking me on.