Maybe in some small way, Drew Buhrow’s analytical ways played a hand in his emergence as an award-winning producer of smoked meats.

There’s a technique involved, just as champion golfers and football and baseball players must hone their skills. 

Buhrow knows this because he tends to analyze everything he watches. That’s why he realizes that his cherished Chicago Cubs, well, stink.

“At times, it annoys my wife,” he said of his penchant for detail.

Let’s chalk it up to dedication. Not a bad characteristic to have if you are interested in technical fields.

“I have always gravitated toward science and technology,” Buhrow said. “It was a natural fit for that. I have always liked analytics and working with people.”

Buhrow knows that information technology work can be a grind, so he has volunteered for various organizations to take his mind off the details every now and then.

For example, he has worked with Norwalk’s HyperStream program, a program of the Technology Association of Iowa that helps promote awareness of technology careers. 

Buhrow is an alumnus of the IT Leadership Forum.

True to his pay-it-forward approach, Buhrow volunteers with the IT Leadership Forum Charity Open, which raises money for college scholarships for qualifying students who are attending Iowa colleges and studying technological disciplines.

He also directs the Norwalk Twin Rivers baseball program and has coached. 

He plays in volleyball and golf leagues and likes to boat, hunt and fish. 

“I have volunteered as long as I can remember,” Buhrow said. 

“It’s just part of my DNA. I try to leave things a little bit better than I found them.”

Reasons he’s a forty:

• He manages a multimillion-dollar budget and more than 40 information technology professionals.
• He is a volunteer leader at the St. John the Apostle Parish in Norwalk.
• He helps run the IT Leadership Forum Charity Open.
• He directs the Norwalk Twin Rivers baseball program.