Pia Pal Highlight: Meet Joe Spiller

Welcome to Pia Pal, our new series of blogs highlighting the incredible members of our Pia team. In this series, we’ll introduce you to the people who make Pia aiDesk the innovative platform it is today. These behind-the-scenes heroes are dedicated to helping MSPs elevate their service desks and achieve success. Today, we’re kicking things off with Joe Spiller, our VP of Technical Sales and an all-around tech wizard!

What’s your role at Pia?

JS: I am the VP of Technical Sales – but I do so much more! I do a lot of our technical demos with our future partners. You may catch me on our ongoing webinars! I am also on the Service Desk and Onboarding teams. In addition, I work with our Partner Success Managers to help our partners get the most out of Pia. Have you visited our YouTube channel or Knowledge portal? If so, I do a lot of our videos!

Tell us about your background. How did you find Pia?

JS: I have 20+ years of experience involving everything related to working at an MSP. Before the MSP days, I worked my way into turning a company into one. Way back, I was on a mission to be a Rockstar! But I needed a part-time job to sustain that dream. I started in one of the biggest EPSON printer dealers in the Midwest as a warehouse worker/delivery driver. EPSON came to us with their new computer line, and the next thing you know, we were assembling pallets of computers. The Rockstar dream faded…somewhat…but I was so intrigued with computers that I learned everything I could about them. We eventually turned into a computer dealer, then a break-fix shop, networking, and finally a full-fledged MSP.

Fun fact: Our first PSA was ConnectWise Manage. We were the 16th install, and Arnie Bellini actually came into town to set it up!

I ended up owning a percentage of this MSP. I went from a part-time delivery driver to an owner! After selling this MSP, I went on to work with multiple MSPs to help make them profitable. I had expertise in a lot of areas, mostly on the technical side, and had a passion for teaching the younger techs who reported to me.

I was one of the first US employees at Pia! When I first saw it demoed to me by Aron Hardy-Bardsley (our CTO) and staff, I was blown away and knew I wanted to be involved in the next evolution of MSPs. After that demo and a quick hiring, I was heading to Washington D.C. for my first Pia event!

What attracted you to Pia?

JS: I remember the first PSA systems. The first RMM solutions. The first Backup solutions. They were all game changers in our industry. When I saw that Pia demo, it was the first thing that popped into my head: Pia will be a game changer!

When you aren’t working at Pia, what will we most likely find you doing?

JS: MUSIC! The dream of being a Rockstar never left. When I am not doing tech, it is generally music-related. After multiple years in hard rock bands, I have a recording project with one of my best friends in Nashville. Speaking of technology, the things you can do now recording-wise from your own home are insane!

What’s a fun fact about you that most people don’t know?

JS: My bands have played in front of thousands of people, opening for rock bands like Stone Temple Pilots, Jackyl, and others. One of my favorite quotes about that: “I have played in front of thousands of people, but mostly tens.” I have even brought my music into Pia! My LinkedIn profile has pinned videos of me creating a few songs about automation.

What’s your hidden talent?

JS: Not hidden anymore…Music! But now, after watching those Pia videos again, I may add comedic acting!

What do you like most about working at Pia?

JS: I get to do a lot of different things and see different areas of our product. I believe it shows what we are trying to build as a team at Pia – a true partner experience. I have dealt with and onboarded so many vendors’ tool stacks over my career. The thing is, no one is perfect, but will you improve and get better? There are always hiccups along the way, but we as a team strive to make the product, the partner experience, and adoption better every chance we get.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

JS: So many people have given me great advice, but this quote sums it up for me:

“The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” – Sylvia Plath.