About Agathon Group

Agathon Group has been providing hardware, software, and hosted solutions for a variety of organizations since 1999; before, during and after the infamous "dotcom bubble" that claimed so many other companies.

We started from a desire to help non-profits achieve their strategic goals by helping solve the harder technical hurdles. Our clientele today reflects those roots, ranging from regional telecommunications firms to worldwide mission organizations, from local high schools to secondary technical institutes in Europe, from a small blues festival in the Bay Area to the largest Christian ticketing firm on the internet.

We get asked frequently about our name. "Agathon" is a Greek term found in the New Testament of the Bible (Romans 8:28, Philippians 1:6) meaning, roughly, "That which is good." We like to just say, "The good stuff" as an indication of the quality of work for which we continue to strive.


 

Luke Baker, Systems Architect


Luke
Specialties: Systems development, systems architecture, web development
Other: Gardening, cooking, ultimate frisbee
Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan

While at Gospel Communications, Luke spent several years as a System Administrator before shifting over for several more as a Software Developer. In coming to Agathon, Luke brings a versatile tool set and body of knowledge blending his talents both as a systems architect and as a web programmer. View Luke's profile on LinkedIn.


 

Joel Boonstra, Software Architect, Owner


Joel
Specialties: Programming, interface design, database design
Other: Movies, softball, useless trivia
Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan

Joel came to Agathon Group from Gospel Communications, where his duties spanned technical support (for over 300 organizations), website development, and training. At Agathon, Joel creates usable and powerful web applications to help people get things done quickly. View Joel's profile on LinkedIn.

Joel has given conference presentations on Advanced PHP and Bootcamp: PHP. At this year's Bootcamp, he will be co-teaching the CSS, Javascript and AJAX session.


 

Morgan Foster, Support Lead


Morgan
Specialties: Customer service, troubleshooting, web development
Other: Music, sports, video games
Location: Chicago, Illinois

A graduate in Theatre and a musician on the side, Morgan has always had a passion for bridging the gap between technology and people, working most recently for Gospel Communications as part of their technical support team. He brings his technical knowledge and friendliness to Agathon, so that customers may feel at ease to ask questions and receive prompt and easy to understand answers.


 

Peter Green, CTO, Owner


Peter
Specialties: Linux servers, clustering, network systems and architecture
Other: Worship music, Spanish, baseball
Location: Lancaster, California

As the first System Administrator at both Gospel Communications and Donor.com, Peter laid the groundwork for the incredible growth that both organizations have experienced. In joining Agathon Group, he brings his considerable knowledge of Linux systems and network design to empower organizations and encourage their stability and growth. View Peter's profile on LinkedIn.

Peter has given conference presentations on How to Get the Most From a Contractor and Bootcamp: Linux Administration. He will reprise his Linux talk at this year's Bootcamp.


 

Marvin, Agathon Robot


Marvin
Specialties: Responding to emails with identical messages, assigning ticket numbers, volleyball
Other: Takes on the personality of all other Agathon group employees at various times but prefers Morgan
Location: Magrathea

Marvin comes to the Agathon Group from the year 2050, and though he is just a machine, he is a friendly machine, not a mindless killer. You can hear from him at anytime by emailing support@agathongroup.com.


 

Rachel Ramirez, Business Manager


Rachel
Specialties: Business & Project Management
Other: Spanish, ballet, tennis
Location: West Hills, California

Rachel, PMP, came to Agathon Group from Amgen, Inc. where she was a project leader for IT projects, both large and small. She has led teams to deliver both vendor- and in-house developed applications as well as process improvement projects. With her degree in International Business from Pepperdine University, Rachel complements the Agathon Group team with her financial, project, and business management skillset.

Rachel has given conference presentations on How to Get the Most From a Contractor and Managing a Virtual Team.


 

Alan Ritari, CEO, Owner


Alan
Specialties: Programming, database design, application architecture
Other: Photography, food, linguistics
Location: Kaimuki, Hawaii

Although trained as a filmmaker, Alan has spent most of his working life developing for the Internet. During tenures at Gospel Communications and Donor.com, he helped assemble and develop the technologies that enabled those organizations to grow explosively. He now uses those same skills to help organizations of all sizes grow and flourish. View Alan's profile on LinkedIn.

Alan has given conference presentations on Managing a Virtual Team, When to Hire a Contractor and Doing Ministry with Remote Staff. He will be sharing the "Top 10 Mistakes Christian Web Sites Make" at The Internet Ministry Conference this Fall.


 

Ron Veenstra, Developer


Ron
Specialties: Programming, database design, application design
Other: Baseball, video games, golf
Location: Jenison, Michigan

Before coming to Agathon Group, Ron was a software developer for Gospel Communications, spending a number of years as the lead programmer of The Bible Gateway. He continues to write software and solve hard problems as a member of the Agathon Group team.