As an AV Technician working with Audiovisual Solutions at Pearl Technology, Marshal Allen Pruitt helps to install, service, and provide network engineering for the team. He currently works part-time and provides help wherever he’s most needed. Given his background, Marshal also provides insight to help the team in problem areas and assists our clients with issues that other team members might not address.
How He Serves
A student at Illinois Central College (ICC), Marshal is studying Network Engineering and brings educational acumen and technological expertise to the team.
“Right now, I’m working 30 hours per week with Pearl Technology,” Marshal explained. “I’m a full-time student at ICC as well. I got pulled in to help the team because I work on so many side projects, which helps me bring relevant expertise to the team. If something is broken, there’s a high probability that I can help fix it.”
Marshal, who is familiar with all aspects of Pearl Tech’s business, drew the team’s attention because he worked extensively with cybersecurity. Most recently, his team (Dog 4 Shell) won top awards for their Capture the Flag exercise during Central Illinois Cyber (CIC) 24.
In addition, Marshal has been involved with the Tech Showcase at the Riverfront Museum. His curiosity and extensive industry knowledge have helped him learn and excel with all types of technology services at the company.
“I am currently working with the AV team, but no two days look the same,” Marshal said. “And that’s a great thing because my ADHD would not have it any other way.” His achievements at such a young age prove how true that is!
Marshal works from the Peoria Heights office and remains active in the cybersecurity community and various competitions in the area.
“I typically travel and work with clients on-site,” he said. “I work to install or fix issues with AV solutions. Traditionally, I work with a small team of two or three.”
What His Experience Means
Before joining the team at Pearl Technology in October 2024, Marshal worked as a professional graphic designer with Pekin Community High School. He’s won multiple awards, including the CyberPatriot award (platinum semi-finalist)—a national cyber defense competition that puts teams of middle and high school students in the position of newly hired IT professionals tasked with finding and fixing cybersecurity vulnerabilities while maintaining critical services.
Marshal is also a member of Phi Theta Kappa and serves as acting president for the honors program at ICC. “I’m a nerd and proud of it. I have an expansive home lab, strong team-sharing resources, hundreds of completed projects, and continue my education for fun. I’ve been involved with each of Pearl Tech’s branches in some way—audiovisual, cybersecurity, data centers, and IT.”
Marshal is also a seven-time nationalist—three times in congressional debate with the National Speech and Debate Association, two times in extemporaneous speech with SkillsUSA, once in telecommunications cabling with SkillsUSA, and another time with extemporaneous speech with FFA.
A student at ICC since he was 15, Marshal holds a 4.0 grade point average. In the past, he volunteered at Pekin Public Library, where he started and ran a free robotics and programming class for local kids for almost a year.
But that’s not all. Marshal has been a Cisco Certified Networking Associate (CCNA) since last August. He received that designation from ICC. He’s also been certified as a TestOut PC Pro since April 2022. He continues to work on other certificates and awards. In the past three years, Marshal has spent most of his time traveling and preparing for speeches, competitions, and conferences around the country.
“I love working with Pearl Tech because it’s different every minute. It’s so tech infused. And I enjoy the hands-on aspects of the job.”
That’s one reason Marshal loves the Tech Showcase. “I love getting my hands on all the new technology. Seeing all the new stuff is exciting for me!”
Marshal hopes to help with integrating stronger cybersecurity solutions with Pearl Tech’s AV technology. In the future, he believes the industry will go with more network-controlled solutions, particularly with AV, rather than analog audio and visual.
He has already helped a client with an issue they had with a system installed a few years ago. Technology has already changed so much. “I was able to work with one of our networking support vendors and get five new network switches for them, which helped to upgrade their infrastructure from copper to fiber.”
“I love learning whenever I can and, at Pearl Technology, I have stepped out of bookwork to work more hands-on in the real world. It’s been fun to apply my skills to real problems and with clients.”
What Sustains Him
Marshal lives in Central Illinois when he’s not traveling (which is most of the time), and he says ambition keeps him going. His motto aligns perfectly with technology: “New has a short window before it becomes what always has been.”
In his spare time, Marshal enjoys building and running data center services, running his own VPN, AI, video editing, and graphic design. He also enjoys spending time with five very close friends. But he travels so much that free time can be difficult to find.
“I’m really a hobbyist for almost all things tech,” he added. “I’m familiar with all Pearl Tech offers, and I love building custom gaming computers. I’ve already made more than 100 for people. I also have a server in my kitchen and own a Red Box. I restore vintage computers—it ties in with my interest in reusing technology. I’m definitely a nerd,” he laughed.
Does your business need help with IT solutions, cybersecurity, data centers, or audiovisual integration? Contact us to see what technology solutions might work best for you.
