Sometimes it takes a whole lot of praying before a decision can feel right.
And praying is exactly what Dr. Thomas L. Driver did when it came to the decision of making the move into running his own business.
Dr. Driver is the owner of Animal Intelligence Software, Inc. (AIS,Inc.), a Port Orchard-based software company. AIS, Inc. provides software products for veterinary medical, research facilities and universities nationwide and worldwide. Although the company has several clients in Washington State, the overseas need has been booming in places like Australia. The software is also currently used in Canada, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland, Kuwait and throughout several European countries.
In 2008, Driver’s best friend, Michael Philbrick, owned the company, but was burnout and mentioned to Driver he was thinking of selling it or closing the doors. Driver, a Naval Commander, was up for a promotion to captain. After spending more than 26 years in the military, he prayed repeatedly about what which choice to make: stay in or get out and buy a business.
Driver got out.
“God gives you gifts, so you use them,” he simply said.”After much consideration and prayer, I decided that’s what I wanted to do. I had to pray a lot. The Lord said, ‘you need to get out and run your business’.”
He recalls how difficult the decision was at the time. The economic downfall was hitting hard, yet Driver was at the height of his career.
“I literally had to pray. The economy was crashing in 2008,” said Driver. “We were losing clients; I saw the company drowning.”
For someone who always planned to use his talents to the best of his ability–he once wanted to be a surgeon–Driver decided on a new pursuit where he could use his educational experience to bring a business out of a slump. The leadership skills he learned in both the Air Force and Navy helped him to move into working with a team on a new level. Although challenging–some employees quit right away–Driver remained determined to stick it out.
He has a Ph.D in Administration and Management and “holds professional certifications and qualifications in Healthcare Law, Human Resources, Conflict Management, Medication and Arbitration and Six Sigma,” according to AIS, Inc.’s website.
With military training on his side, Driver easily slipped into a role of the company’s leader. Most employers have a certain way of doing things, a protocol they like to follow. With Driver, the protocol is to do things correctly, professionally and accurately, according to his staff. Of his 10 employees, half have served in the military, something that Driver believes is part of the natural laws of attraction. But even the employees who haven’t served in the military notice how straight-to-business and organized Driver is while running the company.
“I do notice there’s a commanding presence when he comes into the room,” said Rich Jones, an AIS, Inc. programmer. “We’re not in the military here, but he’s used to saying something and getting it done.”
Jones has known about the company for a long time as he lives in Port Orchard and knew the previous owner. From what he’s seen, the company has improved vastly since Driver took the reins.
“We’re moving forward with a direction,” he said of company development. “He communicates that to our clients.”
As a local resident, Jones is proud of the business and is grateful there’s a software company so close that he can work as a part-time employee.
“I always felt more comfortable working in smaller companies,” he said. “This is standing on its own. It’s producing software that’s being sold all over the world. It’s a great place to work for–(there’s) great leadership here. I think we’ll start to grow and it’s going to be even better for the local economy.”
Ray Jones —no relation to Rich Jones—has worked with Driver for several years and serves as his personal assistant. As a National Guard reservist, more specifically, a staff sergeant, Jones looks to Driver not as a boss, but more of a mentor because of his extensive militarybackground.
“I saw him more as a mentor and big brother, in a sense,” said Jones. “I take his guidance and direction, so working for him is easy.”
Jones, who serves as Driver’s gatekeeper so Driver can focus on business matters, said he enjoys working for a former military man. Especially since the business he works for is unique to Kitsap County, where technology and software businesses are not as popular as they are in Seattle.
“In a sense, it’s kinda Microsoft,” he said of the business. If he were a local business owner, Jones said he knows he would feel more comfortable if he knew tech-support was right around the corner.
The personal assistant also has learned to keep his promises.
“To sum all of it up, I learned to be humble about the things that are put in front of me because there is a purpose for everything,” said Jones. “Therefore, you must be a man of word. If you say you’re going to do something, be sure you can deliver, because if you can’t then you lack moral value in the eyes of others.”
Even when military members step back out into the public sector, there’s a huge amount of opportunity, Driver said. There are options for entrepreneurs willing to start a business, and there are more resources available now than when Driver left the Navy.
“Take advantage of them. Make sure you have a coach,” he urges. “You gotta take advice. Nothing is easy in business…to have a business is like anything else, it’s a gift.”
In addition to running Animal Intelligence Software, Inc., Driver is also owner of Panther Professional Services (a partnered company of AIS) and TLD Ministries, where he serves as a evangelistic preacher.
With his business expanding into other countries, Driver is thinking of long-term goals to keep the company thriving. Originally, the business headquarters were in Silverdale, and now he is thinking of setting up offices in other states and possibly other countries. Growth is always the plan, he said.
“We have a strategy,” he said. “I could literally put my business anywhere…and that’s the good news.”