Preface
I thought it might be useful for anyone considering working with me to understand a few of my accomplishments. I basically grew up poor in rural West Virginia so I have worked my butt off my entire life and it yielded a few good results and some fun stories. I am a Gen-Xer and I have lived that life through technology.
If you read the information below you will probably conclude that I have a wide range of skills. My skills and experience include but are not limited to construction, changing the engine in a car, editing photos with Photoshop, and soldering electronics. I do not consider myself an expert in any of my skills except perhaps troubleshooting and problem resolution.
Internet Services
In 1994 the small IT firm I worked for started an Internet service provider company called CityNet in Charleston, West Virginia. If memory serves me correctly, we were one of the first 100 ISPs in the US and if you were around back then, this was BEFORE AOL started their infamous unlimited dialup plan. I hosted four dozen websites on a single Windows NT Server before Microsoft even released Interent Information Server (IIS)–it was true technology pioneering. Having been exposed to the early days of consumer Internet, the experience I gained was invaluable.
The C8 Health Project
I was the primary architect on a large health study for a chemical contamination case. DuPont allegedly contaminated six water districts along the West Virginia and Ohio border near the Ohio River. The resulting settlement of $70M was used to fund a health study on the population. The data our teams collected and managed is published with the NIH and is the global standard for studying PFOA/PFAS chemicals.
I designed the workflow, security models, software, procedures, checks and balances, and more for the project. There have been several documentaries and a motion picture (Dark Waters) made about the case. My name is in the credits of “The Devil We Know” as I provided some information to them for the film.
CPR Solutions Group
Around 2002, shortly after I had started working for myself, I started working with two friends, Rob White and the late Jack Bratton. We focused our efforts primarily on Electronic Health Records solutions for physicians but we offered ERP/Accounting Systems, Document Imaging Systems, Network Management and more. During this venture we serviced clients across several states in our region.
We were truly one of the first Managed Service Providers, having built a network of more than 2000 computers and 300 servers across our client base. Our success with CPR Solutions Group fueled our ability to accomplished The C8 Health Project, mentioned above.
Consulting
For several years I performed consulting for due diligence projects for investors, primarily for Alvarez & Marsal. At the time I was considered a bit of an expert on Electronic Heath Records systems and Medical Billing. The projects I worked on were mostly in the $30-150M range and were of course medical facilities. As part of my work I would travel to the site, ask all the hard questions, and provide a report of my findings and professional opinion.
E-Commerce
Since my background in IT started early with the Internet service provider, I naturally gravitated towards web development at a light level. I have built several e-commerce websites using various platforms including Shopify, WooCommerce, X-Cart, and more. My personal work experience in retail and warehousing allows me to have the full picture of a fulfillment operation, which led to the success below.
Fast 50 Winner
In late 2016 I launched a website that turned out to be life-changing. My wife had purchased a Cricut machine almost two years earlier and we were making and selling handmade items. While doing so I started a YouTube channel (TroyTube)to teach how to create designs and use the materials.
This turned into a business selling supplies and boy did it take off. We launched our business in October of 2016 and in our first three years we did $3.2M, $12.4M, and $22M in sales! I have many stories I could tell about this business. In a business that grows that fast, nearly every day brought challenges and problems to resolve. I was there for it. Four days shy of our fourth birthday on October 6, 2020 we shipped our one-millionth order.
That same day I received the award for being #1 on the Fast 50 for Greater Louisville. Under my leadership from the beginning, our company achieved 609% growth in three years at the $20-25M category level. Unfortunately, a little over a month later conflicts with our primary business partner reached a point we were decided to walk away, sell our shares and leave the company. The day I resigned I received an email from Cricut and they hired me as a Director level position.