We Are IT | Meet Cory Pillar

Cory Pillar was born and raised in Tallahassee, where his interest in technology began at a young age and led to a 20-year stint at Delta Technologies. He has been working at FSU for 7 years as a network technician, handling all the structured cabling on campus. His favorite part of the job is going behind the scenes of FSU Athletics, seeing upgrades firsthand, and working on rewarding projects like the wiring for the new FSU Student Union. When he’s not at work, Cory enjoys spending time with his fiancée and their children. 

Where are you from? 

Tallahassee, born and raised.  

Where did you attend school?  

I went to Amos P. Godby High School, right here in Tallahassee. 

Why did you choose to work in technology? 

When I was in high school, my parents told me that if I wanted to get a car for school, then I was going to need a job. So, my dad set me up with a job at Delta Technologies to help with office and technology tasks. I started working on the weekends, after school and during summer breaks. Then once I graduated high school, I continued to work there full-time and ended up working there for 20 years until I started working at FSU. 

How long have you been at FSU?  

7 years. I started working with FSU ITS in 2017. 

What is your role at FSU? 

I am a network technician. My team does all the structured cabling on campus, so when someone on campus calls and asks for a data line in their office, we arrive and do the cabling.  

What do you enjoy most about your job? 

I've always been an FSU fan, so it's exciting to go behind the scenes of FSU Athletics. I got to see the new locker room being built before anyone in the public did when we redid their cabling. I get to work with football, baseball, and every sport on campus. Whenever there's an upgrade, I'm there. It's neat to see every sport on campus get upgraded in one way or another over the past few years. 

What is the most rewarding project you have worked on at FSU? 

My favorite project was assisting with the wiring for the new FSU Student Union. A lot of people were sad to see the old union close and were nervous about what the new one was going to be like. So, it was exciting to be a part of this new, beautiful state-of-the-art building and to have had a part in that.  

What is your favorite app? 

Facebook is always a fun one to keep up with what my friends and family are doing. Meanwhile, I am also enjoying Microsoft Copilot. I have had a good time using it to create funny graphics.  

If you were to invent one piece of technology, what would it be? 

 A teleporter. I am a fan of traveling, but not a huge fan of driving and flying, so if I can create an easy way of traveling somewhere, I’d do that.  

What is a fun fact about you? 

My sister-in-law is from Colombia, and I had the amazing opportunity to visit Cartagena with his brother and family. Since she is from Colombia, we got to explore behind the scenes. We even went on an island-hopping boat adventure with a man we met who had walked 13 days from Venezuela to Colombia to seek refuge who ended up being our boat captain. We still keep in touch to this day.  It was hands down the coolest trip I've ever been on. 

Talk a little bit about your family.  

I am engaged to my fiancée, Bonnie McLendon, who also works at FSU. We have 5 children between us and are excited to welcome our baby boy in December. 

What do you do in your free time?  

My family and I love spending time outdoors. Whether it’s going to the pool or beach, we enjoy being together out in the sun.