I have known James for going on a year now, but never really took the time to get a complete understanding of his company, Informative Technologies. I originally met him at the UNC Charlotte campus where I was holding an electronic waste (commonly called “E-Waste”) collection and he came by to grab any computer components that had been dropped off. Intrigued by why he was doing this, I struck up a conversation with him where I learned that his company erases all the data on the computers, restores them to working order using spare parts and open source software, and then makes them available to low income families suffering with the digital divide (lack of access to the internet). With my company focusing on helping people identify sustainability causes they are passionate about (climate change, clean water, clean air, etc.) in their community and giving them weekly opportunity lists of how they can take action, the social good aspect of his company aligned well with mine and I was curious how he operates company with this focus driving it. The audio of this interview is just over 39:00, so in case you don’t have the time to listen to it all, these were some of my key takeaways:

• Using his network, he was able to identify school and state-sponsored programs that paid for his workers (workers came from these programs).
• The workers he brings in are mainly teenagers who have some flag in their past that makes other businesses hesitant of hiring them. He teaches them everything they need to know about building a computer and builds their professional skills they normally wouldn’t be exposed to. Plus, if they need a computer, the first one they build goes to them.
• His workers are also largely from the demographic households James is trying to impact, so the process of identifying areas to sell his computers (most are ~$100), his employees are extremely helpful.
• His main competition are non-profits. Even though Informative Technologies incorporates so much social good in its operations, people still are hesitant on why he is making money and think donating items is best.
• In his prior career, James made use of programs that were free or the company paid for in order to advance his knowledge. He didn’t know this existed until he had been at his job for years. With his employees, he introduces them to all of these similar opportunities right away.

Continue reading