When you run a business, it’s easy to say that you treat your clients like family. It makes for a great tagline in your marketing. It’s a pretty bold claim to make when you run an IT business, not traditionally known for being the most socially outgoing types.
For Brian Skaff, it’s simply who he is, thanks in large part to his DNA.
His dad, Joe Skaff, ran an executive recruiting firm here in Wayne for nearly 50 years after launching in NYC. It was while working for his dad that Brian found his calling in IT work, but to do it right, it would be done the Skaff way. It’s all about being grateful for what you have, helpful for those who need it, and treating people like family.
It’s working. Brian’s Complete Computer Solutions celebrated their own 20th anniversary in October. Embracing that family feel with his clients and his staff has driven him throughout the years.
Fathers can set the journey of your life in countless ways. Brian was raised by a man devoted to helping others however he could. “It wouldn’t matter who you were, where you were. No exaggeration - a ten minute conversation with him would change people’s lives. That’s the lesson I learned, and as a result, that’s how I try to live my life.”
His dad has always been his hero, according to Brian.
Part of the journey is the shared experiences that father/son relationship brings. For Brian and his dad, a big part of that was golf. “We learned how to play together, although he’s always been better than me,” Brian admits. “But not just playing, it was the social aspect of it that really pulled him in. We really bonded on the golf course.”
Going forward, Brian will likely share that bond with his own kids on the golf course. His father will be there with him, although it will now forever be different.
Brian’s dad passed away this summer, unexpectedly, after spending one last perfect day with his wife, Rosemary.
Now, when he takes to the golf course, Brian will have his dad with him as an angel on his shoulder, his life lessons staying with him, steadying him, moving him forward. And probably helping him drop that shot that might…just…go…in.
Joe had always said “move forward and carry on.” “His positivity radiated, Brian explains. “He’d barrel into my office when I was having a bad day, he’d listen to me, and I’d realize that it wasn’t that bad.”
When Joe passed, Brian heard hundreds of stories from people whose lives Joe had changed for the better. None of that came as a surprise to him, or his family. Help people when you can, Joe would say.
If you get to know Brian, you’ll know that Joe’s legacy is secure. Family is everything to Brian, whether you’re a relative, friend, or business family. It’s been Joe’s way, it’s Brian’s way, it’s the Skaff way.
“My mom and dad built a remarkable family. I’m lucky to have learned what family’s all about from the best in the business, both of them. I’m grateful to be able to say that I was raised by my hero.”
Complete Computer Solutions is at 504 Hamburg Turnpike in Wayne, right by the North Jersey Country Club golf course, because of course it is. (ccs-nj.com/)