It all begins with an XT and 123.
I graduated from Clark University in the mid-eighties with a major in Applied Mathematics and dreams of being successful. Through the years of my professional career, I have achieved things I could never have imagined back then, and everything I could have hoped for. Most importantly, I have had the pleasure of working with great people who have helped shape me as a person and businessman. The day I was handed my diploma at Clark, I was focused on “being successful” but have since come to realize the journey itself is so much more meaningful and enjoyable.
I began my professional career at a time when technology was just emerging in the business world. My first desktop computer was a duel floppy IBM XT with 128 KB of RAM and I ran Lotus 123 on it. A year later I had access to a Compaq portable (laptop) that weighed 28 lbs! I began a 30-year journey of software development that took me through many development languages and platforms all the way up to web development and today's content management systems.
In the mid-nineties, I found myself part of a small business team that set out to start two new insurance companies. Our technical strategy was to build a platform that solely ran on a network using client-server technology, which was just emerging at that time. My job was to network together all of the agencies with the corporate office and provide them with software and a sound workflow to run their business. It was during this period that I began to understand what an entrepreneurial environment was really like, and I was lucky enough to work with great people.
In 2000, two individuals and I started Blue Cod Technologies Inc. Blue Cod delivered a SaaS product to many insurance companies across the United States. It also had a top-notch business process outsourcing division that ran the back-office of several insurance companies. Many of the same great people I worked with in my first start-up helped me build Blue Cod into a very successful business. At Blue Cod, I designed and developed much of the software we used to service our customers and run our business. I also designed and built the infrastructure to support our outsourcing business. Running Blue Cod was a great experience and I learned a great deal about people, business, and myself.
We grew Blue Cod to be a $25M company with over 200 employees. The best achievement for me at Blue Cod was when our employees voted us “Best Place to Work” in the Boston Globe. We had a great family of employees, all working towards one common goal.
I left Blue Cod in 2012 to start my own business, Clearly Works Inc., using my 25 years of experience to help others. I have worked with a range of businesses, from small two-person companies to large corporations, addressing technology issues and business problems. In September 2013, I discovered coworking, which resonated with me as I was struggling to balance working from home (this was pre-pandemic). In the fall of 2015, I launched Clearly Coworking Inc. which was the first professional coworking spaces in Worcester. Over the span of 5 years, over 600 businesses used our space, and we were honored to be voted Worcester’s Best in Business for three consecutive years. Then came the pandemic… and as I sat in the space alone for several months, I made the decision to close Clearly Coworking and move on to other experiences.
I am now the Regional Director for both the Western Region and the Berkshires (all counties West of Worcester County) for the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center. I have the pleasure of working with innovative entrepreneurs every day to help them growth and thrive.
I've learned that success comes from working with great people and providing effective solutions that help businesses grow. Money or titles can't match the satisfaction of seeing my products benefit others. Over the years, my "product" has varied, but my goal has always been to create solutions that improve businesses and help people succeed with their clients and teams. I am excited for what comes next!
