YOUR ALLY.
ALLY Communications was founded in 2012 in Florence, AL by Joel Peeples. Joel has provided IT and telecommunication solutions to over 2,000 businesses in North Alabama. After ten years of selling solutions for Comcast, he knew there was an opportunity to provide something more, something unique, something helpful to his community. ALLY’s core mission is in its name. Our core mission is to become a partner with our clients. While we do have over 100 vendor partnerships with companies like Microsoft, AT&T, Comcast, and Verizon, we are independent and our only alliance is to our clients. We don’t sell based on quotas, corporate initiatives, or even profit per solution. We provide the best solution and the best price, plain and simple.
ALLY Communications goes beyond selling phone services, Internet services, and IT services. We work as an extension of our clients’ businesses to help them see the big picture and help them make decisions that strategically support their business goals today and in the future. We aim to save our clients’ money, spare them aggravation, solve their problems, prevent as many problems as we can, and look out for their interests.
FRIENDLY, CUSTOMER-CENTERED SERVICE
MAKE US PART OF YOUR BUSINESS, AND YOU CAN BE PART OF OUR FAMILY!
OUR VALUES.
OUR TEAM.
Joel Peeples, Founder & Owner
Joel Peeples has over 20 years of experience in the telecommunications and IT industry. Joel’s industry experience started in the cellular industry and he then spent nearly 10 years working as Comcast’s Business Account Executive for the Shoals area. Joel was one of the very first commercial development executives who Comcast hired to develop their business division. His managed almost every aspect of business services in North Alabama and reported to the division VP. He was always a top performer nationwide and earned the President’s Club Award with Comcast Business Services in 2009. In time, his role transitioned into that of a sales rep. He knew businesses needed more than just a sales rep who would give them a toll-free number to a call center when they had a problem. Businesses need an unbiased expert advocate who can help them select and implement the best possible Internet and communication solutions. This drove him to found Ally Communications in 2012. Joel is married to Patricia Peeples and has two amazing daughters. Working with Comcast, AT&T, and others have spurred an interest in mixing alcohol with coffee. Ask him for his favorite recipes!
Chris Whitten, Operations Manager
Chris has lived in Florence for the last 20 years after graduating from UNA. His wife, Tosha-Paige, and he have 3 children. Chris has worked in hospitality operations management for the last 10 years and is currently working on a Juris Doctorate at Birmingham School of Law. In his limited free time, Chris enjoys golf, tennis, and the outdoors. He used to be a triathlete, but his kids have made him lazy!
Kristine Robinson, Finance & Systems Manager
Kristine Robinson has 20+ years of IT experience, 10+ years of programming experience and 3+ years in the telecommunications industry. She has worked & lived in North Alabama all of her life and lived in Florence since 2005. Kristine joined Ally Communications in 2016. Kristine hates finances but loves systems, so it’s kind of a wash. Kristine teaches a monthly class on how to hide your skills so that you don’t get stuck doing things you don’t like. It’s a great class. Sadly, she doesn’t like teaching classes…
Jacob Frye, IT Network Specialist - Team Lead
Jacob Frye has over 9 years of IT experience. He is CompTIA CE A+, CompTIA N+, and Watchguard certified. He is also a graduate of UNA with a major in Mathematics and a minor in Computer Science. He worked in New Orleans, LA for four years in a fast-paced onsite IT environment. He moved back to Florence and started his own business in late 2015. Jacob joined Ally Communications in 2017. His code name is Jaco6 (Jaco SIX)
Dan Howard, IT Network Specialist
Dan brings 13 years of IT and Telecom support experience through various roles in the IT field – most recently as Telecom Technician/Desktop Support Technician for LifePoint Health at North Alabama Medical Center and Shoals Hospital. He was born and raised in the Florence area, and has lived and worked in the DFW area prior to taking an on-site support position that brought him back to Florence in 2011. Dan joined the team in 2019. Dan grew a beard at age 5.
Whitney Lawson, Project Coordinator
Whitney Lawson joined our team in 2020. She brings a diverse background, having worked in construction, customer service, and most recently, the legal field. Whitney will be instrumental in ensuring our rapid growth doesn’t negatively impact our fantastic customer support and experience.
She was born and raised in North Alabama, and she is a proud University of North Alabama alumna. She currently resides in Killen with her husband, Kaisle, and their three rotten dogs. Ask her for pet pictures. Better yet, show her your own!
Sarah Whaley, Office Administrator
Sarah Whaley joined our team in 2022. With a background in various administrative and accounting positions in engineering, public health, & supply chain management fields, she brings her wealth of knowledge from those past positions with us. She’s a firm believer in the knowledge philosophy of “it’s better to have it & not need it than to need it & not have it.”
A recent transplant from the Cleveland, Ohio area, Sarah, her husband, Travis, & their 3 kids are excited to call Tuscumbia their new home (their 2 cats are only slightly less excited). When she’s not reading a new book, she can often be found planning her family’s newest adventure or latest Disney vacation.
Caitlin Waits, IT Support Specialist
Caitlin Waits joined our team in 2022. Caitlin was born and raised in Alabama and currently lives in Florence. Outside of the office, she enjoys a good story and is a big supporter of the local music scene in the Shoals, but also enjoys larger venue concerts. With two cats of her own, Sadie and Penny, and a frequent volunteer of Lauderdale County Animal Shelter’s “Doggy Day Out” program, it’s safe to say she loves spending time with animals as well. With the TVA Trails and Natchez Trace close by, Caitlin also enjoys spending time in the beautiful outdoors of Alabama.
Caitlin Waits has earned the Google IT Support Certification, soon to be certified in CompTIA A+ and N+; over five years of experience in customer service, and a background in Sociology at UNA, Caitlin brings a genuine desire to help our customers with anything they need in the role of technical support.
Steffany Flores, Project Coordinator
Steffany Flores joined our team in 2022. She has worked in customer service for more than ten years. She started her career with Walgreens Contact Center in 2011, working as a Contact Center Agent, QA Specialist, and Process Improvement Specialist. She worked with Walgreens for 7 years and then moved into banking in order to get a head start with her college degree. She is currently pursuing her Bachelor’s Degree in Management of Technology at Athens State University. She has always loved research and finding ways to help make improvements. She is beyond excited to start a career with Ally Communications.(Does it count if she was being paid while she said that? We think so.)
Outside of work, our family loves kayaking and spending time together outdoors. We are very family oriented and enjoy getting together with the whole family. We love to visit new places. My hope is to travel outside of the United States, and Mexico is first on her list.
Steffany Flores was born and raised in California. Steffany has called Florence, AL, home ever since her family moved here when she was 12 years old. She met her husband in middle school, and has been happily married for 14 years. They have 3 children together; Steven (13 years old), Isabella (8 years old), and Aislinn (1 year old).
Krista Woods, Project Coordinator
Krista Woods joined our team in 2022. She was born and raised in the Shoals area. She is a two-time graduate of UNA with a background in Criminal Justice and Psychology. She has worked throughout the legal system and in non-profit management for the last 12 years.
Outside of work, Krista enjoys spending time with her family and pets. She loves to cook, bake, and garden. She enjoys kayaking during warm weather, traveling to any island that will have her, and finding new music to check out.
Sean Charvet, IT Network Technician
Sean was born and raised in Washington state and is excited to start his new chapter in Alabama. He enlisted in the Marine Corps shortly after graduating high school and spent five years stationed at Camp Pendleton, California. Outside of work, Sean spends his time with his girlfriend, Cassidy, and their two dogs, Jack and Jeff. He also enjoys doing Jiu-Jitsu, golfing, and figuring out what piece of tech he’s going to buy next.
Sean currently holds his CompTia A+ and N+ certifications and is pursuing his Bachelor’s Degree in Cybersecurity as well as his CompTia Security+ certification. He is very excited to be a part of the team at Ally and can’t wait to begin helping customers.
Daniel Thompson, Installation Specialist
Daniel Thompson is a Firefighter at Florence Fire Rescue and works with Ally Communications part-time. Daniel ran his own business for many years before joining Ally Communications in 2015. Daniel likes to be called “Sweet Ryan”. Ask him about it.