Q&A with Brian Olah

Written by Innovate New Albany@InnovateNA12 years ago

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Brian Olah’s Strategic Thinking Industries, one of New Albany’s first incubator businesses, is riding a growth trajectory fueled in part by his proprietary archival and retrieval system that addresses federal regulations mandating medical electronic record keeping. The New Albany resident who chose his business location to be close to home has found the city a hospitable environment for entrepreneurs.

What is the company’s value proposition?
Strategic Thinking Industries is constantly discovering new ways to build efficiencies in healthcare that not only effectively use technology but bend the healthcare cost curve. For instance, our latest product can save between $50,000 to $100,000 a year – the amount many hospitals are spending to maintain older IT systems which they often do for up to 20 years. Our system costs a fraction of the cost.

How has your business evolved since you started?
We were primarily a professional IT services firm specializing in OB-GYN, but a year ago a hospital approached us to help them manage older medical records. Later, they asked us to expand the scope to develop a solution to store and view the older files. We built a new platform that is being piloted in 20 hospitals across the country. Now we are getting ready for a mass release of what is essentially a “virtual computer” that allows them to archive older files and still be able to easily retrieve the information so they can retire the older IT systems.

Did Innovate New Albany helped you in your business development efforts? How?
We completely bootstrapped our business with no outside funding. Innovate New Albany gave us a place to establish our business without worrying about leasing or infrastructure costs.

Why did you decide to move into Suites@8000?
We have had a wonderful experience here. There is a tremendous entrepreneurial spirit and we like being part of that synergy. So, when we ran out of space, I felt Suites@8000 would give us that gentle next step. We are still part of the New Albany incubation community that is very near and dear to us, but we have more space and offices.

What would you say to entrepreneurs interested in Innovate New Albany?
New Albany provides a continuum of support services that can help companies at every stage of their development, from the napkin idea to a product launch. If I am fortunate enough to grow out of the new space there is ample space and opportunity for emerging companies in the business park. It’s a community that is always willing to challenge the status quo to raise the bar whether its business, schools or community planning.

Innovate New Albany, the city’s incubator for technology startups, entrepreneurs and small businesses, features 16,000 square feet of space within the New Albany Business Park’s Signature Office Building, 8000 Walton Parkway.