IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Florida to Michigan and back, with Friends, Josh Cross
The Friends of the Boca Grande Community Center is a hub for entertaining, educational and thought-provoking programs that set a tone and reflect the interests of the people of the island.
One of the behind-the-scenes people who help make this happen is Josh Cross, the organization’s technology specialist. Josh likes being behind the scenes, not exactly shy, but humble and happy to be part of the inside workings of Friends.
“When I moved here, one thing I knew I didn’t want to do was work for another big company,” he declared. “I wanted to work for a smaller company. One where I knew everybody and that was real personal. And I don’t know if there’s another group I could work for that would have this type of environment.”
Josh is a “fresh transplant to Florida,” he said. He and his family moved from the Muskegon area of Michigan in 2021, searching for something more than a job. He had been working in a hospital for 15 years, and loved it for a long time, but its attraction waned considerably during COVID. He was a computer analyst and was on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That was tough, but that was not the whole problem. He needed the freedom to slow down and enjoy his life more.
Happily, his wife, Rachel, and kids, Toby, 21; Ian, 17; and Avi, 14; were all game for a big move. They considered a number of places, but when Josh mentioned the possibility of Florida, the deal was sealed. Rachel does not like the cold.
“I was just so grateful that they were all ready to go on this adventure with me,” he said.
In fact, Josh moving to Florida was actually a homecoming. He was born in Florida, but his family moved to Michigan when he was very young. He does not remember it, but he said his mother has the pictures to prove it.
“So, I’m actually a Florida native,” he said. “I think that’s interesting because a lot of people here are from another state, but I am just ‘back home, where I belong.’”
Part of the impetus to move came long-ago, while camping.
Photo submitted
“We were on a trip to Pictured Rocks, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We were on this very long hike, where we were hiking, camping and continuing to hike again. So we were putting a lot of miles in. I had a foot injury, so I wasn’t moving as quickly as the rest of the group, so they were going ahead of me and then I was catching up to them. It kind of felt like a negative thing.”
He went on: “But I eventually realized that, as I was walking slower, I was seeing more. I was seeing the blueberries on the side of the trail, picking and eating them. I was looking out at Lake Superior and just appreciating the beauty of that lake and the wildlife that were all around. Ever since I had that experience, I just realized that slowing down lets you experience more.”
Josh even started wearing “barefoot shoes” which have little structure and padding.
“They’re slightly less comfortable than regular shoes, since there is no cushion in them or anything like that,” he said. “But they kind of force you to slow down. I’ve taken that into my day-to-day life. I have just implemented it to say that life is better when you take it slow.”
It looks like Friends was the perfect match. Josh and his family had only lived in Rotonda a couple of months when he was hired by Friends to handle its IT work. Since then, he has developed many programs and systems that not only make things run more smoothly, but also provide more service to patrons. He hints that there is more to come, with renovations at the Community Center.
“It’s like a night-and-day difference, compared to what I was used to with management, and just the chaos of a hospital,” he said. “I was on call, so I had to carry a pager, and all of these things. And then to come here and feel like family, it has been really wonderful.”
He explains his job, using humor to make the complex electronic workings seem more accessible. “I get to help everybody who is terrified of technology feel more comfortable with it.”
Helping people is high on Josh’s list. “There’s this dynamic thing that goes on here at Friends, and at any given time somebody could walk through the door and be like, ‘Oh, my gosh, this isn’t working,’ and I’m like, ‘Look, I got it!’”
He continued: “I help Kyle Rich (Friends’ show production manager) with a lot of the production elements, too. When we have concerts or we do lectures, we livestream a lot of this stuff, and there’s technology involved in that, and I get to support it, either by running the cameras or making sure everybody is viewing it who is supposed to be viewing it remotely.”
He is also involved in the data aspects of Friends.
“And then there’s our database, with information so we can keep track of tickets that were purchased. I just became the center of that universe as well, so that nobody in the office needs to deal with all of the complicated things that have to do with databases. With the new renaissance campaign for the renovations happening at the Community Center, I have basically the ability to build out the whole system. It’s going to be a brand-new system. It’s still in development, but it’s exciting to know how accessible it’s going to make the Community Center to other people, and how easily they’ll be able to communicate with us if there’s a problem. It’s exciting for me to see that on the horizon and have a part in it. I just love it!”
He acknowledges that most people would not find his work especially exciting, but he has found it to be creative and helpful, two things that bring him fulfillment. He has developed a system that can remind patrons of a performance or program for which they have bought tickets. A reminder goes automatically to them three days in advance of the event.
“That is something I created,” he said, “and it’s automated. The system just handles it all on its own, and it takes a load off the team. I had a ton of fun setting it up, and I continue to feel proud about what that’s done for the company, but also for the people that use it.”
Josh was not always part of the technology revolution. When he was growing up he wanted to be a marine biologist. He did a lot of volunteering at summer day camps and other programs, going out in boats and testing the water. It was interesting, but he realized he did not want to be on the water all the time.
“I love the water, but to work in it wasn’t really something I loved. I discovered it was not something I really wanted to do,” he recalled.
In high school he got into computer-automated drafting.
“My teacher enrolled me in some state competition, and I took first place. It made me wonder if maybe this was what I was supposed to be doing. I did my internship at a local company and I was stuck at a desk the whole time. I didn’t see anybody, and I realized, nope, this is not for me.”
He said that really “bummed him out,” since he had seen the kind of salaries such people made. The experience taught him that he did like working with computers.
“There are always opportunities in this field,” he said. “The world of technology is always evolving. There’s always something new, and I went from supporting a desktop computer to supporting servers and networks, and phones and door access systems. As much as you want to be involved in, it’s there. It’s a really good fit for me.”
His older son is not following in those footsteps, although he has followed him to Boca Grande. Toby recently accepted a job at The Gasparilla Inn, assisting a pastry chef. This looks like a real career move, since he had been working at the Cape Haze Publix bakery before this opportunity came along. He is really enjoying the work and the opportunity to learn recipes and processes.
The other two Cross offspring are still in school, being home schooled by their mother, Rachel. This is another development that came from the COVID pandemic.
“They sent all the kids home and they were doing remote learning,” Josh said. “Rachel said, ‘If I’m going to be at home with my kids while they’re learning, why not just home school them? Why do I need to rely on the school system? And she also appreciated how she could sort of guide them and help them in the areas they are especially interested. They have a lot more freedom, as far as what they’re learning, so it’s like they are getting a head start on life.”
And then there is Mango, the green-cheeked conure that is the family pet, but mostly Avi’s pet. This pint-sized bird (a type of parakeet) is billed as being sweet and even cuddly, but Josh says that behavior is reserved for the people who feed him. Josh is not one of those people, so the relationship is a little less than cordial. The two have sort of a truce: Josh works outside the house most of the time, and Mango rules the roost. It works. Josh does not mind the arrangement. He enjoys bringing his wife, or the family, to the island on the weekends for a bite to eat or relaxing on the beach.
“As far as it being a new place, and being a new person in a new place where you don’t know anybody, the people here have been nothing but kind and welcoming,” he said.
In most places, people are moving faster and are often inconsiderate.
“But out here, everything moves just slow enough that you don’t see that, and it’s beautiful.” He adds, “Out here it feels more like a community, a family.”
