In this episode of The Wired Garage with Pops, we pop the hood on global IT field services with Chad Mattix, founder and CEO of Kinettix, a field service provider that gets skilled IT technicians onsite in over 90 countries, often within 24 hours, 24/7/365. Kinettix supports large retailers, telecoms, banks, restaurants, and multi‑site enterprises with everything from wireless access point installs to CCTV, large displays, and data center infrastructure deployments.

👤 Guest: Chad Mattix, Founder & CEO, Kinettix
🌐 Kinettix: (add website / LinkedIn links here)
🎙 Host: Pops (The Wired Garage with Pops)

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Chad walks us through how Kinettix went from SmartSheets and SharePoint to a global dispatch engine that coordinates multi‑country projects, break‑fix work, and even highly remote satellite deployments, all while navigating VAT, currency, and compliance challenges. We dig into how AI, agent‑to‑context models, and better data are changing labor procurement, rate negotiations, photo validation, and end‑of‑day reporting at scale.

We also explore how IT leaders should think about:

• Relying on contingent field services vs W‑2 employees
• Building a global field tech network without sacrificing quality
• Platform choices (ServiceNow, Salesforce, Azure) and avoiding fragmentation
• DevOps, citizen development, and governance for AI and automation
• Roadmapping ITSM and AI investments over the next 12–24 months so you don’t get crushed by technical debt or obsolescence

Tags / Keywords
global IT field services, Kinettix, Chad Mattix, IT field technicians, multi site IT deployments, retail IT infrastructure, telecom field services, data center deployments, contingent IT labor, IT service providers, ServiceNow, Salesforce, Azure platform, DevOps, citizen development, ITSM roadmap, AI in IT operations, AI for field services, IT governance, shadow IT, portfolio management, global dispatch, The Wired Garage with Pops

These reflect core topics and phrases from the episode (global field services, contingent labor, AI, ServiceNow/Azure, governance).

If you care about large‑scale IT rollouts, multi‑site operations, or how to safely bring AI and citizen developers into your service delivery stack, this one is packed with field‑tested lessons.

🎧 Topics we cover:

• Why Chad founded Kinettix and the market gap he saw in global field services
• How Kinettix delivers IT projects in places like mainland China, Cairo, London, and remote mining facilities in Australia
• Moving from basic tools to a purpose‑built dispatch platform (and the $3.5M investment behind it)
• Using AI for ticket routing, skill matching, photo validation, and deliverable audits
• Managing margin, scale, and quality in a commoditized services business
• Citizen developers, Power Apps, and the “Wild West” risk without governance
• How IT leaders can protect against shadow IT and risky AI usage while still empowering teams

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🎙️ Episode Summary

🎸 Guest: Dave McCarty, guitarist
🎙️ Hosts: Brian "Pops" and Steele
🎧 Show: The Wired Garage with Pops

In this follow-up conversation with guitarist Dave McCarty, *The Wired Garage with Pops* shifts from gear talk to the deeper story — what it really means to keep music alive across decades of real life. Dave opens up about balancing gigging with family, how his relationship with the guitar has matured emotionally, and why playing in a band at 55 is less about ego and more about belonging. From going on the road at 18 to nearly quitting and buying all his gear back two weeks later, Dave's story is a relatable, honest look at music as a lifelong identity — not just a hobby.

✅ Key Takeaways

• Music doesn't retire — you adapt it. Dave has been playing since 13, and rather than quitting, he's continuously adjusted how music fits into his life around work and family.
• A supportive partner makes all the difference. Dave credits his wife of 31 years as the reason he's still playing — her patience and understanding gave him the freedom to continue.
• The people you play with shape who you become. Older bandmates on the road at 18 kept Dave grounded and away from bad decisions — a lesson in the power of musical mentorship.
• Ego fades, band chemistry grows. In your 20s it's about standing out; in your 50s it's about how well the whole band sounds together.
• Just do it — life's too short. Dave's direct advice to anyone thinking about dusting off their instrument: if it brings you joy without wrecking your life, plug back in.
• The younger generation of live musicians is disappearing. Both Dave and Brian observe that the local music scene is aging out, with fewer young players stepping up to fill venues — a broader cultural concern.
• Music as a mental anchor. Whether it's gigging twice a month or jamming in a home studio, music keeps you moving forward — especially important heading into retirement years.

📝 Show Notes

Dave McCarty returns to *The Wired Garage with Pops* for part two of his conversation with hosts Brian ("Pops") and Steele. This episode goes beyond the gear and into the heart of what keeps a musician playing through the seasons of life.

Dave shares stories from his earliest days — hitting the road at 18 with older bandmates who became mentors — to the present, where he's still gigging a couple times a month at 55 with bandmates in their 60s. He talks candidly about nearly quitting, selling all his gear, and buying it all back within weeks.

The conversation also touches on passing music down to the next generation, the challenge of getting kids interested in live music today, the shift from 80s shredding to 90s groove-based playing, and why Iron Maiden fans will absolutely call you out if you improvise a solo.

Whether you're a weekend warrior musician, a lapsed player, or just someone who loves honest conversation about life and identity — this one's for you.

🔑 Keywords guitarist lifestyle, adult musician, keeping music alive, hobby musician, band life, music and family, aging musician, Dayton Ohio music scene, cover bands, Iron Maiden tribute, local live music, music mentorship, balancing music and work, returning to music, music identity, gigging at 50, home studio, 90s music, 80s guitar, in-ear monitors, wired garage podcast

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"Something Big Is Happening" — AI: Fear, Opportunity & Your Career
The Wired Garage With Pops | Hosts: Brian ("Pops"), Steele & Toby

The crew reacts to Matt Schumer's viral article "Something Big Is Happening," dissecting AI's real-world impact through the lens of IT professionals who've lived through every major tech wave — from CNC machines to cloud to containers. The episode runs in two halves: Fear and Opportunity, with raw, honest stories from the trenches.

Part 1 – Fear: The hosts tackle the uncomfortable reality that AI can now do in seconds what used to take skilled workers hours. They discuss job displacement, government unpreparedness, AI security risks (cyberattacks on water/power grids), prompt injection vulnerabilities, and the danger of blind trust in AI output. The concern isn't the technology itself — it's people using it as a crutch without critical thinking.

Part 2 – Opportunity: The tone shifts to what excites them most — eliminating "zombie work" (repetitive, low-value tasks) so IT professionals can focus on what humans do best: relationships, trust, accountability, and innovation. Real examples include ServiceNow's BuildAgent, AI-powered ticket routing, and using AI as a "round table of nine experts" to challenge and sharpen your thinking.
The episode closes on an optimistic note: be the giraffe, not the ostrich. AI is coming either way — the question is whether you'll adapt or get left behind.

Something Big Is Happening by Matt Shumer, Feb 9, 2026
https://shumer.dev/something-big-is-happening

✅ KEY TAKEAWAYS

• AI is already here — and faster than most realize. Schumer's core argument: this isn't a future problem. It's a now problem.
• Stop using AI as a smarter Google. Treat it like a round table of domain experts — challenge it, argue with it, push back.
• The "Brian vs. AI" trap. Employers who cut skilled staff to save money will quickly discover that the human judgment, context, and accountability don't transfer.
• Zombie work is the biggest opportunity. Offloading repetitive, low-value tasks frees teams to innovate. That's where the real ROI is.
• Critical thinking is the new superpower. The better your input, the better your AI output. Garbage in, garbage out — but brilliant in, brilliant out.
• The two emerging trends: Technology will manage technology. Humans will get better at managing humans — empathy, trust, and relationships become the premium skill set.
• AI is not one-size-fits-all. Know when to use it, when to review it, and when to trust a human instead.
• Upskill now or fall behind. Like the machinist who learned to program the CNC machine, the goal is to evolve with the tool — not resist it.
• You're still the 10th person at the table. AI gives you nine-tenths of the answer. Your judgment, experience, and context complete it.
• Be the giraffe. Head up, eyes open, long view — not the ostrich with its head in the sand.

🔑 KEYWORDS / TAGS
AI and jobs, Matt Schumer Something Big Is Happening, AI fear and opportunity, artificial intelligence career, future of work AI, AI replacing jobs, IT career advice, AI in the workplace, AI upskilling, technology and employment, ServiceNow AI, AI automation IT, zombie work automation, AI critical thinking, ChatGPT vs Claude, AI prompt engineering, AI job displacement, generative AI for IT professionals

#ArtificialIntelligence #AIJobs #FutureOfWork #ITCareers #AIAutomation #TechPodcast #GenAI #UpskillWithAI #ServiceNow #CriticalThinking #AIOpportunity #WiredGarage #AIFear #ZombieWork #BeTheGiraffe

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