Before he started his career in technology, Rick Pleczko taught himself computer programming at night.
In the years he spent working at technology companies in various jobs, he learned the skills that would be invaluable in launching his own systems management software company, BBS Technologies. Since founding the company in 2004, Pleczko has served as its chairman, president and CEO.
Pleczko first recognized the opportunity to launch BBS in 2003, when he saw the challenges that many IT organizations faced in acquiring and deploying systems management software, which was expensive and complex technology. These organizations were spending millions of dollars to install, configure and deploy software, but Pleczko believed he could create a new generation of software to make it easier and faster to solve the same customer issues.
With this vision, Pleczko left his well-paying job at a software company and founded BBS with a staff of five, one product and a few initial customers. He also personally funded the seed money to get the business off the ground. That meant that BBS not only face the challenge of building products that could be deployed and operating in minutes but could also manage thousands of servers, he also had to find a way to raise capital. Yet with the drive of a talented team, BBS has overcome these obstacles and developed leading technologies in its industry. Today, the company employs hundreds of people and has grown from offering one product to dozens for its 9,000 customers.
As a hands-on CEO, Pleczko, also used his versatile IT background to leverage BBS’s risk-taking approach by taking advantage of the economic downturn to invest in new product development. Pleczko’s strategy paid off in positioning the company for the upturn, and in 2010, BBS posted record revenue.
How to reach: BBS Technologies, (713) 862-5250 or www.bbstech.com
