Start-up Business of the Year Finalists
Adrian Mintz (left) and Dave Adams of
Emergency Reporting
A lot of entrepreneurs start their businesses after noticing a gap in the market. For Dave Adams and Adrian Mintz, that gap appeared unexpectedly.
And they were just the ones to fill it.
Adams, owner of Webefx, and Mintz, owner of Summit GIS, were working on a project together developing a software solution for capturing Emergency Medical Services data for Skagit County 911 incidents.
“Near the end of the project, it became evident that there was demand for Web-based software to support fire and EMS agencies across the country,” said Adams. “A contact named Monty Gearhart introduced us to Jeff Sedivec, then president of the California State Firefighters Association, and Alan Cowen, retired fire chief for the City of Los Angeles. Cowen said, ‘this is the best system I’ve seen. When are you guys coming to L.A.?’”
Adams and Mintz, himself a 12-year firefighting veteran, quickly began developing software that could serve both EMS and firefighting agencies. Not only did they develop the software, they also made sure it complied with both the National Fire Incident Reporting System and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Theirs is the only system that satisfies the requirements of both.
Just two years since its birth, Emergency Reporting now serves approximately 200 agencies in 22 states, and is growing every day. Adams said it sometimes takes just a few weeks from his first contact with an agency for it to decide to use the Emergency Reporting data management system.
“We sell access to our system on a subscription basis, and all upgrades are free,” Adams said. “From a cost standpoint, it’s a no-brainer.”
Adams said the system is continually being improved, and now boasts 12 data management modules capable of tracking everything from personnel and training to equipment. Agencies have several subscription options, and can choose features a la carte.
Adams attributes the success of Emergency Reporting not only to the quality of the product, but also to how the company treats its customers, and said he sees continued growth in the future as more and more agencies hear about the Emergency Reporting system.
“We want to be the Nordstrom of customer support,” he said. “We want to be the Starbucks of (fire and EMS) records management,” he said.
Dave Adamson’s Fitness Together franchise has
been named Fitness Studio of the Month twice in
the last six months.
When Dave and Leslie Adamson opened their personal training service in Bellingham in January 2003, they based their business model on one simple philosophy – one client, one trainer, one goal.
“That’s something we believe in with all our heart,” Dave said.
Fitness Together is a 200-unit franchise offering one-on-one personal training, and the Adamsons’ Bellingham location is the only business in Whatcom County that does so in a private, homey environment.
“If we only had the smell of home-made cookies, you might think you were at home,” Dave said. “Although your weight-loss goals may not come true.”
The Adamsons moved to Bellingham, where Leslie was born and raised, to raise their two young sons. They had previously considered opening a Fitness Together some years ago, and finally decided this was the time.
“We liked their model and how it worked,” Leslie said. “It’s got a really good reputation and, after meeting several other owners, we really liked the management.”
Leslie managed the books when they first opened, but their success has recently allowed them to hire a bookkeeper so Leslie can be a full-time mom.
Fitness Together currently provides personal training for an average of 30 people a day, keeping its three studios more or less full from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
Dave said part of the reason Fitness Together has been so successful is that it tailors training programs to its clients’ specific goals and needs. More importantly, said Dave, it realizes them.
“We have many, many, many success stories,” he said. “And they are not only ‘I am thinner,’ or ‘I am stronger.’ Some of them are, ‘I can walk again.’”
Dave also makes sure his trainers take a personal, hands-on approach to each of their clients.
“Everyone is hand-held through the entire process,” he said. “It’s one-on-one the whole time they’re there.”
Leslie is a Pilates student and said she knows firsthand the value of one-on-one training.
“People like accountability,” she said. “I like to know when I’m doing something wrong.”
It was Leslie who picked the color scheme that adds to the homey comfort of the facility.
“I chose some paint colors to try to give the room a warm feeling,” she said.
The Adamson’s Fitness Together was recently named Fitness Studio of the Month by the Fitness For Life Franchise Corporation, beating out 250 other locations for the second time in six months.
Thanks to the success of their first Fitness Together franchise, the Adamsons now hope to open a second location later this year, sharing ownership with their staff.
Unity HR founder and CEO Troy Olney,
(right), with CFO Erick Simmons
Picture this: It’s the last week of the month and you haven’t even looked at your payroll. One of your employees injured himself on the job, the new guy wants to sign up for direct deposit, and you don’t even have time to check your email – let alone take care of your customers. If this sounds at all familiar, Troy Olney can help you.
Olney founded Unity HR in January 2003 as a service to employers who either don’t have the time to fill the role of an HR director themselves, or don’t have enough employees to warrant hiring an HR professional.
“I work for my clients, and I work for their employees,” he said. “We’re just here to make sure they don’t get blindsided by a compliance issue so they can focus on what they got into business for in the first place.”
Unity HR essentially is a one-stop-shop for everything from employee payroll, taxes and benefits to quarterly reports. It also handles any employee garnishment issues or L&I claims that may arise.
“We enter into what’s known as a co-employee arrangement in which we are responsible for the payment of employees and remittal of taxes,” he said. “(The client) remains in control of day-to-day business operations including hiring and management of employees.”
For the employer, this means someone else takes care of what can be a hugely time-consuming responsibility, and for their employees, the only difference is the business name at the top of their paycheck and a more direct path to answers for payroll, tax and benefit questions.
“All of those phone calls come to our office,” Olney said.
Olney learned the business after a knee injury cut his career in ship repair short in 1999. His employer found him a desk job investigating workers’ compensation claims with Consolidated Human Resources, an outsourced HR company much like Unity. CHR sent him to Washington State to look for new business, and when it changed hands in 2002, Olney found himself with enough clients to break away and start Unity in Bellingham.
Unity now has its own building in Bellingham’s Fountain District, and last year processed $6 million in payroll for 140 clients.
Olney said another benefit of choosing Unity to handle HR needs is its ability to take a personal, hands-on role in handling employee needs. He said he understands the huge trust issue involved in taking over an employer’s books, and takes that responsibility seriously.
“With larger companies, you truly are just a number,” he said. “Having a local presence here, we’re able to recognize when something doesn’t look right and we can make the phone call.”
It is this attitude that has led to Unity HR’s growth and success, and has made it a finalist for the 2004 Start-up Business of the Year award.