08/31/2026
Before I begin, it is important for me to disclose details about my life and experiences are very personal and raw. Too often, social media is used to portray a false, sanitized version of a person's life or experience. It is my goal to present life as real and honest, with all aspects good and bad, while being completely transparent and relatable. Before you read the next paragraph, I want to emphasize that in life, we sometimes receive bad news or at least what appears to be bad or even terrible news. But these events may happen for a reason that may take years or even a lifetime to realize that seemingly terrible event at that moment was really the best thing that could have ever happened to us. In my case, I could not have asked for or even planned a more positive outcome.
I, Stephen Weindorff, owner and president of ALTIS Computer Services, Inc. was FIRED from a Shreveport based computer company over 30 years ago. Terminated, place your Motorola pager and keys to the building on the desk and leave, FIRED. Now some people in this situation might try to minimize this "event" and say they were "let go", or say their position was eliminated, etc which to each their own. But I stood on my principles and was immediately terminated for it. I will not give the name of the company or any individuals that were involved at this company which is no longer in business, so do not bother asking. I will, however give names, positions and recognition to those involved which turned this loss of a technical position at said company into a positive and helpful outcome.
The morning was like any other with my going onsite to repair a HP LaserJet printer at a school on Jewella Ave in Shreveport, just across the railroad tracks. While onsite, I get a page on my company issued Motorola pager telling me to come back to the office ASAP. It sounded urgent. Before I had headed out to the field for calls that morning, I had talked to my boss in the technical department about a call I received from a previous employer.
My former employer's name was Claude Merriman. He and his wife Terri Merriman owned and still do today, a medical equipment company named Audiometrics, Inc. I worked for Audiometrics, Inc. for 7 years and it was truly a dream job. Here I was back then, young man in my early 20's with a company car, expense account, benefits, commissioned sales and access to a vast amount of medical equipment, including EKG's, defibrillators, audiometers, tympanometers, vision testers, spirometers, Nervepace non-invasive equipment used for testing for carpal tunnel. I even sold and trained on the use of CMI Intoxilyzer breath alcohol equipment. So even though I have not worked with the equipment mentioned above for over 3 decades, I could still give you a hearing test, test your ears for fluid buildup in your middle ear with a tympanometer, check your lung capacity with a spirometer, connect leads to you for an EKG, though I never became proficient at reading the EKG results, and never shocked anyone with the defibrillator equipment I sold. Also, remember in school when you had a hearing test with the red (red goes on right ear) and blue earpieces and the black Beltone case or in some cases it might have been a Maico brand blue case? Chances are if it was between 1990 and 1996, it is quite possible that I calibrated that equipment during the school summer audiometer calibration program.
So not only did I have a dream job that I was privileged to work closely with cardiologist, pediatricians, ENT's, pulmonologist, industrial nurses, etc., but at the same time, had bosses that believed in me and treated me like family. So why did I leave this dream job and what does Claude Merriman have to do with me getting FIRED? I am glad you asked that question.
Claude Merriman had called me quite some time after I had left Audiometrics. He started off by saying that he was planning to upgrade his office servers and computers. He wanted to know if I would receive any benefit or commission for bringing new business to my new employer which happened to be in the computer business. He was very clear that the only reason he would change who he dealt with for his computer needs was if I was to receive some type of benefit. If it were determined that I would not receive any benefit, he would continue using the same company as he had for years. I told him that I did not know since that situation had never come up, but I would ask my supervisor which I did. When I was called back to the office, I was asked in various ways who this potential customer was. I restated my request that I simply wanted to know how technicians would be paid, if at all for bringing potential leads resulting in new business. Evidently, there was not a policy in place to handle this type of situation. I protected the identity of my former employer and my current employer would not give me an answer unless I gave up the potential clients name. I would not and I was terminated on the spot. So yes, Claude Merriman was indirectly responsible for me getting fired. Getting fired was absolutely in God's plan but I did not see it at the time. Just recently, I stopped by his office in Bossier to personally thank him.
Now that the foundation has been laid for the ALTIS story, I will provide a few names of individuals that played a pivotal role in the creation of ALTIS Computer Services. One person in particular was not only important, but played a critical part in the formation of ALTIS Computer Services. His name is Jack Hobgood, former Executive Vice President and Director of Mansfield Bank and Trust, which became Community Bank of Louisiana in 1997. Sadly, Jack Hobgood passed away a few years back, but the impact of his life and actions live on in my life every day. More details to come on how Jack personally impacted my life and career. Others that played a supporting role in this process was Wendy Morgan (Wendy made a single phone call to me 30 years ago per Jack's request), and Kristi Rambin, current Vice President of Community Bank of Louisiana. Details of that short phone call will be discussed in later post. Stay tuned to ALTIS, for all this and more.
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