Interview with Phil Yanov - Founder of GSATC

August 7, 2008

I recently talked with Phil Yanov of the GSA Technology Council. We had a great discussion of Phil’s career to date, his involvement with different groups throughout the Upstate, what excites him about technology in the Upstate today, and how to infiltrate Bill Gates’ secret lair.

SCStartups: It seems like you’ve had a pretty solid career in IT since your graduation from Bob Jones University. Can you give us some of the highlights from then up until now?

Phil Yanov: Coming out of Bob Jones, my interest was really in IT more than anything else. I really would have been a computer science major, but at that time the university didn’t even offer it as a major. While I was still in school, I worked for a small software company doing AS400 software development. I was there for a little, and it wasn’t really my thing or something I was good at. I then went off and worked for the very first “software-only” store in Greenville. The name of the store was “Software One.” I made a lot of great connections in the few years I was there. Software One decided it was too early to have a software-only store, and that it couldn’t be ramped up quickly enough. They sold the business, but they gave me a few clients with which I founded Phillip Yanov Associates.

So what did you do there?

I ran Philip Yanov Associates from ‘86 to ‘92. We did software development, networking, and computer sales. I always thought of us at a software development shop first. (We mostly developed in Paradox! They called these “third-generation” software environments.)

I built that into a little business until I sold it in ‘92. I sold it to MidSouth Data Systems. They were going through a consolidation and ramped that business up very quickly. They went from a number of small cash register companies to bringing all of them together and creating the world’s largest reseller of IBM systems. This became Kyrus Corporation. We grew from about 43 employees to somewhere near 700 employees.

Was that an exciting time?

Absolutely. I’ve always said that the ride up was spectacular. The ride down, not so much. You reach a peak there where you bring in a lot of folks, and you end up having to eventually downsize. It was one of those things where coming from a small business to having hundreds of employees and always going through growth, I never realized I would become good at letting people go. This was a very tough thing to do.

What happened next?

We parted ways in 2001. After that, I had a bit of experience and wanted to run my own PR business. I went off and did that for a little while. Basically, I wasn’t really thinking about running a PR business, but running a PR hobby that would pay me. That wasn’t a particularly good model. It was fun, but it wasn’t greatly profitable. For me, it was all about having a good time, and that didn’t really scale.

Did that lead to forming the GSA Technology Council?

I’m a self described recidivist community builder. I helped start the very first PC users group back in 1983. Over the first 15 years, I took on the job of President seven different times. We ran a really great BBS system though, and with that as something that would attract people, we actually had more than 1,000 members. We were larger than the Charlotte or Atlanta users groups at the time. Around 1995, Microsoft flew me out to Seattle to find out what exactly it was we were doing that was so successful. It was a great chance to talk about what we were doing and share some ideas. It was during the heyday of Windows 95, so I was able to see the inside of Bill Gates’ vault.

Was that inspiration for the GSATC?

It was a ton of fun, but I realized that I had really built a hobbyist group. That was fine, but I became more interested in professional uses of computers than hobby uses of computers. The idea was that I really wanted to create a professional organization that helped people build careers and companies around technology.

In September 2002, I wrote the first letters GSATC in my moleskin notebook and decided this is what the group of the future might look like.

What were some of the ideas you originally had for GSATC?

I thought then that it was for straight technology professionals – guys working in IT primarily. I was really trying to think about people doing networking – how do they learn about new technology and get connected to it. How did software developers decide upon platforms? My career at that point had been in helping IT people meet their full potential and figure out their future technology roadmap.

That’s what we figured out with GSATC early on. Let those people meet and get together.

How has GSATC expanded to help people get connected today?

The primary story of the GSATC is of just great growth. We started off with 1,300 names in a mailing list in 2002, and now we have 11,000 or so – people exclusively in the Upstate.

We also went from IT only to IT plus entrepreneurs and now to include other technologies such as chemists or people involved in pharmaceuticals. I’d say the biggest change is the growth and change in audience. The change has been to expand our mission and continue to connect people.

Do you have a favorite anecdote to share of people that have been involved in the GSATC?

There’s a person that is building a software business here, and he and I originally connected when he used to come to the PC user meetings when he was in grade school. A lot of the folks I know today I met when I was selling software and they were still in high school. That’s very exciting to think that we’ve been able to help people get excited about technology.

What’s the first step for people to get involved with GSATC?

We try to get new people into the email list to let them know periodically of what is going on. (Editor’s note: visit www.gsatc.org) Part of our mission is also to let everyone know about all the great technology groups out there. This is why we have this calendar that display meetings for many different events and groups. These groups are helping the point people in technology – people out there developing software, we help them get connected.

I’ve always noticed that a lot of smaller groups have failed because they didn’t find their audience before the original founder ran out of the enthusiasm to get it started. We’ve always thought one of the things we could do is help someone trying to start a group is help them find those 20 or 40 people that share similar interests and help them get connected. (Editor’s note: visit the GSATC calendar here.)

One of the recent events that has grown in popularity is Tech After 5. What are your plans for it?

We started TA5 because people always said that they loved lunch meetings, but they didn’t get a chance to talk enough with each other. We kept hearing that message, so we decided we needed to come up with an event that is a true networking event. There’s a different crowd that just wants to talk with each other, and we want help those people meet.

I wasn’t sure this would work for a very long time, but we finally launched it in March of this year, and we’ve seen tremendous growth every month.

We built a simple model for people to connect – we get them to RSVP online, drop a business card in a bowl, you get a free beer, and then you’re on your own. We know there are entrepreneurs, tech professionals and investors in that room - these are people that can help. We’re going let you make something happen.

What are some of the things you’ve seen in Greenville that have you really excited?

At risk of leaving someone off, what Jim Oswald is doing at PinPoint GeoTech is a fascinating model. His timing couldn’t be better. They place GPS devices inside city trucks so that trucks can tag a problem they notice while driving. Someone else can then come back to that problem. The city dispatcher then gets the work ticket and adds it to a person’s job queue. There is a great efficiency to be had here. Think about all the big trucks with awful gas mileage rolling around the city. They’re doing the best they can, but right now they don’t have the best information. This service help cities get information to the right people.

I’m also excited about Innegrity. They are making fibers that have most of the strength of Kevlar at a fraction of the price. They’re in a mode where when they get real traction, they are going to become a fantastic business. (Innegrity just received a $15 million investment. Read about it at the GSATC site. )

As far as Greenville goes, what do you think has gone well over the last few years, and what are the next steps to make the city even better?

There are so many people involved in making the city “better,” there is no one group – it’s our ability to come together and create the idea that we’re headed in the same direction. For us to reach out and communicate. Today, I can communicate with people like at the Upstate Carolina Angel Network and help them get companies in their pipeline. We’ve really managed to fill in some gaps – we used to not have an angel network; we didn’t have FastTrac Venture Training. We’re happy to be part of all of these things. These things are dramatically different from where were five or six years together.

Why are you doing this? Why not go be a partner in a PR firm? Why do this?

I can’t help myself. This is something that, when I started with the PC users group, I’ve done as a hobby most of my life and been lucky enough to stumble into some success with it. The real thing for me has been to get people connected and make sure they have a good time. It’s just the way I’m wired.

Written by Adam Steinberg · Filed Under Startups ·

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