DALLAS, Pa. — When Penn State Wilkes-Barre needed an electrical contractor for a project this summer, the business owner who handled the project was a campus alumnus.
It was a full-circle moment for Michael Terkowski, a 2008 graduate who earned his degree in information sciences technology and later became a Penn State-certified data contractor. He is the owner of Advanced Communication Solutions in Tunkhannock.
Interest in computers
From a young age, Terkowski was interested in computers and networking, particularly the telecommunications aspect.
“When I was younger, I liked building computers and working on computers,” he recalled. “I decided to take that further as something to do for my career.”
After graduating from Greater Nanticoke Area High School, he went to Luzerne County Community College (LCCC) and earned an associate degree in CIS (computer information systems). He then enrolled at Penn State Wilkes-Barre a few years after that. Penn State Wilkes-Barre has articulation agreements with LCCC that help students more easily transfer credits.
At the time, he was working full time doing Internet technical support at RCN Corp.
“I had planned on getting my associate degree from LCCC as a stepping stone and wanted to get a bachelor’s degree,” Terkowski said. “What better place to go than a Penn State campus? I wanted to have my degree from Penn State, and I liked the Wilkes-Barre campus because it was smaller and close to where I lived and worked. That made it easier for me.”
Learning at Penn State Wilkes-Barre
When Terkowski thinks back to his time at Penn State Wilkes-Barre, he remembers the connections he formed, both with his peers and with faculty.
“Since my classes were small, I developed a great camaraderie with the other students in my program,” he said. “It was an at-home feeling, and I met friends there I speak with to this day.”
He said he also appreciates the technical knowledge he gained, as well as the skills he developed that have benefitted him in his career.
“We got to learn about emerging technologies in software and ways to implement those tools,” Terkowski said. “And IT people often have a stigma of being introverted, but I found that working with other people made me come out of my shell. I learned how to work in groups and how to lead groups.”
His program’s name has now transitioned to information technology (IT) at Penn State Wilkes-Barre and continues to teach all the fundamentals of the field, in addition to the skills Terkowski developed while a student.
Internship to employment
Terkowski worked with Frouke de Quillettes, associate teaching professor of information sciences and technology (now retired), to transfer his LCCC credits to Penn State Wilkes-Barre. He remained close with her during his time at the campus and said he appreciated her open-door policy whenever he needed help.
De Quillettes knew of Terkowski’s background in telecommunications and was friends with the owner of Guyette Communications, based in Plymouth.
“She told me about a paid internship they had and said I had strong qualifications based on what I was already doing at my current job,” Terkowski said.
He applied for the internship and was accepted. In that position, he worked on installing camera systems and fiberoptics, “which were already in my wheelhouse, so it worked out great,” he said.
Upon graduation, the company offered him a full-time position. Although he didn’t know it at the time, that role would one day bring him back to work on projects at Penn State Wilkes-Barre.
Becoming a business owner
After working for Guyette for 17 years, most recently as a systems administrator, Terkowski received an offer from another company that piqued his interest.
Leonard Crawford Electric, based near Tunkhannock, was looking to establish a data side of their company and reached out to Terkowski.
“They knew of me through the industry, since I had done work for them through Guyette,” he said. “So they asked if I was interested in working for them to start this side of the company. They told me I could pick the name and logo and do everything I needed to take the company off the ground.”
While it was a difficult decision for him given his length of time at Guyette, he liked the idea of working for himself.
“I had the mentality that I wanted to make my own waves, so I wanted to jump on board with them,” he said.
Advanced Communication Solutions, with Terkowski at the helm, was officially launched in June 2023. As president of the company, he oversees all operations and also has the benefit of profit sharing. The company is based in Tunkhannock and has six employees. They do work such as installing security cameras, low-voltage wiring and fiber optic lines. They serve clients in the commercial, education, industrial, government, and oil and gas fields.
Back to Penn-State Wilkes-Barre
While working at Guyette, Terkowski worked on numerous Penn State projects, including at University Park. He spent several months during the summers living in State College and working on wireless access projects in the residence halls. He also installed all the wireless access points around Penn State Wilkes-Barre several years ago.
After he moved into the realm of business operator, Advanced Communication Solutions became a Penn State-certified data contractor, allowing him to continue working on projects for the University. His company has done work at the University Park, Lehigh Valley and Wilkes-Barre campuses, and has an upcoming access point project lined up at the Scranton campus. In the summer of 2024, the company was hired to remove fiberoptics lines to the temporary trailers at Penn State Wilkes-Barre.
“It’s funny how life comes full circle sometimes,” Terkowski said. “It’s really nice to give back to the place where I went to school.”
Terkowski now lives in Larksville with his wife, Amy, a 2009 graduate of Penn State Wilkes-Barre with a bachelor’s degree in business. He continues to implement what he learned at Penn State Wilkes-Barre at his company today.
“I learned skills like system integration, project management and leadership by working with other people,” he said. “My professors taught me how to work with people and develop those leadership skills.”