Delivering Tech Solutions To Schools

Tomi Selby, founder and owner of Information Transport Solutions (ITS) in Wetumpka, has found success as a female business owner in a male-dominated field.

Selby launched the company as a part-time venture in 1993, and incorporated it five years later. The mission has always been to provide information technology to small companies who couldn’t afford a full-time IT staff. Her friend, Barry Carpenter, assisted in developing a business plan and getting their idea on the move. Still, as a start-up business with few clients, Selby couldn’t afford to hire him full-time.

The potential of ITS took center stage in 1997 when Selby submitted a bid for a cabling job to the Montgomery Public School System. She won the bid. “From that job, I hired my mother, my brother, my sister-in-law and my husband,” she says, pointing out that they all became part-time employees lending whatever skills they had to offer.

In 1998, ITS claimed revenue of $272,000, and by 1999, Selby was finally able to hire Carpenter, who had been instrumental in the very beginning stages of ITS. Less than a decade later, in 2008, Selby’s Alabama-based company boasted revenues of $34.5 million.

Today, the full-service systems integrator works with K-12 and post-secondary school systems in all 67 counties of Alabama, as well as Georgia. While ITS also claims clients in healthcare and banking, 75 to 80 percent of its business is based in the K-12 vertical. Providing solutions, such as digital signage, video conferencing and high speed wiring networks, has helped clients move seamlessly into 21^st century technology. “All of our systems are customized to what our clients need,” she says.

According to the 2002 U.S. Census, ITS was one of 27.4 percent of women-owned businesses listed in Elmore County. Still, today less than 20 percent of women in are in the technology field. Nevertheless, she admits that her gender has never been an issue.

As one of four children raised by her parents in Elmore County, Selby remembers growing up poor. For about four or five years her family relied on welfare to survive. “My mother taught us that education was the only way out of poverty. She also encouraged us to do something we loved,” Selby says.

Perhaps the fact that Selby’s mother gave her a typically male name gave her an edge. (It always takes new clients by surprise when a female Tomi shows up for a meeting.) It also didn’t hurt that Selby always loved math and science. After earning a degree in electronic engineering from DeVry University, Selby worked in Orlando, Fla., fielding engineering problems, and then returned to Alabama to (the former) Gunter Air Force Base. She was there for nine years before striking out to pursue her own company.

Selby credits the experience she gained from past positions as one of the keys to her success. “I have a customer service/field engineering background and I am passionate about superior customer service. I get heavily involved in making sure we meet our clients’ expectations,” she says. Another key strategy to making ITS a top-ranking company is hiring people who bring expertise in different areas of technology.

As an entrepreneur, Selby has nurtured numerous employees into higher positions. “I get the greatest satisfaction out of watching people grow and change their lives,” Selby reflects. “I gave them an opportunity to work for ITS, and they turned this company into a better company.” Being responsible for 81 employees across the state can sometimes be a mixed blessing, she says. But in 11 years, ITS never has had a layoff.

Though there may be various keys to her success, Selby is quick to add that it all began with the foundation of her supportive family. “I owe so much to my mom and grandmother who inspired me and provided me the foundation to reach for some of the things I’m doing today,” she says.

Selby often encourages others who want to pursue a career in information technology. She says the first step is being passionate about the choice. “If you love what you do and do what you love, you’re going to be more successful at it,” she offers. The second step: Plan to be a life-long learner. There always will be new developments, and in technology, it’s important to be on the cutting edge or you could be left behind.

Selby also is committed to seeing more women in her field. She recalls that a recent survey released that only 7 percent of engineering degrees are awarded to women. “I think maybe girls see technology as geeky. We’re raised to believe that men are better at it,” says Selby, who participates in summer programs that promote math and science to girls. “We need more mentors. We need girls to understand that it’s OK to be good with math and science.”

—Chianti Cleggett