Dave Gray, Biso Collective

Dave Gray, Biso Collective

“Figure out what business we need to be in, and make it make money.” With that piece of advice from company founder Tom Patterson, Dave Gray was given the reigns of Daxko — the company he led for over 15 years — in early 2003. Sure, the two had conducted several lengthy meeting-of-the-minds conversations before […]

Ashlee Ammons & Kerry Schrader, Mixtroz

Ashlee Ammons & Kerry Schrader, Mixtroz

Can we talk? (NOTE: This post was originally published in 2018) It’s safe to say that the Mixtroz brand did not get off to the most auspicious start. Ammons remembers, “We’d come-up with dozens of name combinations. Any number of which involved the word Intro. I dreamed the word Mixtroz, which combines ‘mixer’ with ‘introduction,’ […]

Mazi Rasulnia, Pack Health

Mazi Rasulnia, Pack Health

“It’s time to start feeling better.” (NOTE: This post was originally published in 2017) In the United States today, some 150 million patients live with a chronic illness — which, by definition, is one lasting 3 months or more. That’s less than half our population, but the cost of treating them is nearly 85% of […]

Craig Parker, Guideway Care

Craig Parker, Guideway Care

“Every adventure has its own cycle.” (NOTE: This post was originally published in 2017) Cincinnati native Craig Parker and his wife Andrea moved to Birmingham in 1999 to be near her family. Neither felt comfortable raising their children in London — where he was working for a New York law firm. He almost moved here […]

G.T. LaBorde, IllumiCare

G.T. LaBorde, IllumiCare

There’s An App For That. This profile was originally published 12.20.19 in the Birmingham Business Journal  “Healthcare is the one place where technology has only made people’s lives miserable.” It goes without saying that, as a pitchman, G.T. LaBorde understands the value of a strong lead. So what’s IllumiCare doing to fix the problem? “Today, every clinician who […]

Andrew McMakin, NXTsoft

Andrew McMakin, NXTsoft

Taking a byte out of cybercrime This profile was originally published 12.20.19 in the Birmingham Business Journal  With the city of New Orleans still struggling to recover from an attack launched over a month ago, it’s never hard to find news of a prominent cyber security breach. What’s a lot harder is finding stories that don’t include a […]

Jarrod Morgan, ProctorU

Jarrod Morgan, ProctorU

Time-tested and proven. This profile was originally published 12.20.19 in the Birmingham Business Journal  Having “lost” the Jemison Award to Theranest in 2018, it’s possible soap star Susan Lucci came to mind when Jarrod Morgan learned ProctorU was a finalist again this year. So what fueled the justified confidence that his company could win the second time […]

David Sher, ComebackTown.com

David Sher, ComebackTown.com

A Success Story In Four Acts David Sher has a long list of career accomplishments he can justifiably take pride in, but none in my book greater than his role as the producer of Mr. King’s “T-Buff” commercials. For you unfortunates currently drawing a blank, Mr. King was once a Birmingham furniture store offering easy […]

Guest Columnist Lionel Tehini, Quinovas

Guest Columnist Lionel Tehini, Quinovas

THE PIZZA WAR PROVES IT: Every company is a technology company. It’s no revelation that every aspect of business today is driven by technology. That said, one of the most significant areas where smart businesses are using technology to gain a competitive edge is customer engagement — which includes directly interfacing with end users. On […]

Jarrod Morgan, ProctorU

Jarrod Morgan, ProctorU

Keeping it real (with artificial intelligence) In 2008, Jarrod Morgan was Director of Technology at Andrew Jackson University (AJU), and his then-employer — an online-only school — had a problem: Namely, ensuring that its students didn’t cheat on tests. “At the time, we had to send them somewhere to take their tests — typically in the presence […]