Employee Skills Training Grant Award

Bit-Wizards

Bit-Wizards, based in Fort Walton Beach, was awarded an Employee Skills Training grant for $40,000 to be matched with $108,268. The innovative technology company provides professional custom software engineering, web design and information technologyconsulting services. A Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, Bit-Wizards provides full-service software engineering services focused on solving real-world business problems with innovative technology solutions. The company founders, Fort Walton Beach natives and lifelong friends Vince Mayfield and Louis Erickson, wanted to build a business where innovation and creativity would flourish while adhering to proven software engineering methods that provide quality solutions within schedule and budget.

“Bit-Wizards currently has 22 employees, and we believe strongly in continuous training for all staff,” explains Owner and Vice President Louis Erickson. “The WIRED Northwest Florida Initiative funding has given us the chance to do some extraordinary training.”

“We don’t look for people to stay in traditional roles,” adds Owner and President Vince Mayfield. “We sent our receptionist to SharePoint training. It’s important to grow our own talent and give each employee a progression path. Also, we need every employee to be well-rounded. They have to be able to talk to the customer and do the technical work.”

With an average salary of $57,000, Bit-Wizards pays well above the local, state and national averages. The company also offers a strong benefits package to retain employees, staving off competition from the area’s numerous defense contractors.

While Bit-Wizards must recruit many of its senior engineers from other locations, Mayfield insists entry level employees come from within the region. Matthew Parry-Hill is one of the recent success stories.

“We hired Matt away from a research lab in Tallahassee. He was really underutilized and had topped out in that position,” explains Mayfield. “Matt received his first pay raise within a few months, and his salary has almost doubled in the two years he’s been with us. Given the right environment, he flourished.”

“We believe in paying people what they’re worth, not just what they’re willing to work for,” states Mayfield. Parry-Hill went on to win the Employee of the Year award his first year and followed up with Bit-Wizards’ Star Performer award in 2009. He is now being groomed for a senior position.

“The WIRED funding allowed us to be more flexible and take chances on our employees,” says Erickson.

“The WIRED program gave me time to learn on the job,” Parry-Hill explains. “As a result, I have learned new technologies and developed a more robust skill set.  This program has helped me to grow professionally, making me more of an asset to Bit-Wizards.”

Mayfield and Erickson, best friends since their days at Okaloosa County’s Choctawhatchee High School, initially incorporated Bit-Wizards in Austin, TX, one of the nation’s top locations for technology businesses. In a year’s time, however, the duo decided to return to their roots and moved the company to Fort Walton Beach.

“Northwest Florida is a great place to live and we saw a lot of opportunity to grow the business here,” states Mayfield. “We really see the community coming together and working more regionally. It’s also a nice place to visit, so clients enjoy coming to us.”

With many clients in Mobile, AL and expansion plans in Birmingham, AL and Jacksonville, FL, Bit-Wizards is bringing dollars into Northwest Florida. Annual revenues are around $2.3 million and growing. In 2009, Bit-Wizards came in at #1617 on Inc. magazine’s Top 5000 Fastest Growing Privately Held Companies list. The recognition came on the heels of a 198% growth spurt from 2006 to 2008.