IT Takes Two
Whether on your phone crushing candy, online for a fortnight grinding for gear, or ending friendships with blue homing shells, some of us have dabbled in video games. For twins Brian and Adam Kirchgessner, gaming was —and still is — a great way to bond, but it also presented some career-leading questions.
“From a young age, we were interested in how video games were made. That fascination expanded to how other technologies are built and operate,” Brian said. “Also, our dad is into hot rods, so we had an early introduction to mechanical systems. We applied those skills along with curiosity to learn more advanced tech. By age 13, we’d built a few recycled desktops and had interest in building a laptop. That made us ask questions at our high school, which led to our first part time job as student technicians.”
Adam and Brian are fraternal twins. They share about 50% of their DNA and have similar facial features, but they are not identical. What is identical are their roles at Pantex —system administrator within Information Technology (yes, you read that correctly).
Their youthful curiousness set them up for a successful career, but along the way, they weren’t without the occasional, unintentional mix-up.
“One day in first grade, just for change, we switched our different colored backpacks,” Adam said. “We didn’t know that our backpacks were how our teachers could tell us apart. When confronted, we tried to tell them what had happened and that I was Adam and he was Brian, but they didn’t believe us. Our principal had to call our mom down to the school before they acknowledged who we said we were.”
Similar to the early games of the princess-saving plumbers, a splash of color made all the telling difference when it came to the Kirchgessner twins. Now it’s a bit easier, given Brian is one inch taller, and Adam is one minute older. Slight differences aside, genetics aren’t the only things the Kirchgessner twins share.
“We have the same type of humor and optimism,” Brian said. “Also, interests in fabrication, engineering, movies, video games, and food. We share a lot of the same passions like technology, game development and programming, and robotics, providing a mirror to bounce ideas off our whole lives. That’s led to some side projects.”
Like any good, lasting partnership, the “I” is just as important as the “us,” even if it causes a bit of friction.
“I’m a thinker and planner,” Adam said. “Brian is a bit more impulsive. While I’m OK with waiting to ensure a plan comes together, he’s ready to jump into the deep end, forming plans as he goes. We are not this way when it comes to work projects, just personal collaborations. When we have disagreements, we split it up and compare notes later. Doing this usually reveals what the other didn’t see. We can make a better product or project in the long run.”
The Kirchgessner brothers joined Pantex within months of each other four years ago, and continue to collaborate daily. They also share thoughts, values, and goals in their work.
“The ‘no knowledge lost’ idea presented during New Employee Orientation resonated with me. Like a living animal, a job is always evolving. That process fascinates me,” said Adam.” Many people do one job until they retire, and often don’t leave notes or train their successor. I think about what I’m leaving behind for someone else to have to figure out, or what will be made possible tomorrow. It’s our duty to bring the job to its next phase so the following generation has something functional and timely to keep moving forward.”