With technology today spurring new ideas and ways of accomplishing old manual chores or business processes, everyone has a great idea for a product or company, and there is always someone willing to fund it. Unfortunately, as quickly as these companies pop up, they tend to fail. Successful businesses today are the ones that understand how to invest in their employees and establish trust with their customers, which ultimately brings long-term success. Bit-Wizards' 20-year history proves they are a company that understands how to build success at scale.
Where It All Began
In 1998, Bit-Wizards co-founders, Vince Mayfield and Louis Erickson, set out to build a software engineering company focused on treating their employees well and always doing the right thing fo the customer. This concept was new to the world of software development, and these guys got it right! Now, 20 years later, they have built a thriving company that launched two products and four additional lines of business—all located in the small, unassuming emerald coast city of Fort Walton Beach, Florida.
20 Years of Accolades
Over the years, Bit-Wizards accumulated numerous awards and honors to include:
- INC 5000 Fastest Growing Company (5 years)
- Inc. Best Workplaces (3 years)
- Florida Trend Best Companies to Work For (10 years)
- 48 ADDY Awards from 2010-2019
- 2014 Florida Governor Business Ambassador Award
- 2015 Kentico Solution Partner of Excellence
- 2013 Microsoft Greater Southeast Region Partner of the Year
Nationwide Customers & Partners Served
Along with the awards and prestige comes the excitement of working with national and worldwide brands. The Bit-Wizards team is honored to work with brands like Anheuser-Busch, Talking Parents, Magnolia Home & Standard Furniture, Studer Group, IMG Models, Rex Lumber, Heartland Steel, and Mapex Drums. Building a company like Bit-Wizards takes hard work but also strategic partnerships. Bit-Wizards is a Microsoft Gold Partner and helped lead the charge to cloud computing as the first Microsoft Azure Partner. Along with their journey to the cloud, Bit-Wizards is also a 15-year Kentico Gold Partner and helped Kentico build their cloud solution for the Kentico CMS (Content Management System). As technology is advancing, Bit-Wizards continues to develop new partnerships with rising companies like HubSpot, Movere, and Progress Sitefinity.
A Kick-off Celebration
On Saturday, January 11th, the entire Bit-Wizards team and their honored guests gathered as they always do at the beginning of the year to celebrate the exciting successes of the previous year. This year, however, they gathered to kick off a year-long celebration the culmination of 20 years of success!
It is hard to believe 20 years have passed! It's been a whirlwind, and I am so proud of what we have built, Bit-Wizards is so much bigger than just a business now—we are a family. Bit-Wizards has impacted the lives of so many people. Some of our employees got their break into the technology field because of their first job with us. We have helped our clients build successful businesses on the back of our successful projects, and we have always treated vendors and competitors with respect. Bit-Wizards has significantly impacted our local community over the last 20 years, with our involvement and support of various non-profit organizations. We plan to continue this legacy by leaving success and innovation in our path!
-Louis Erickson, Chief Operations Officer
The event took place at the Island Resort on Okaloosa Island in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. Vince Mayfield, CEO and Louis Erickson, COO honored stellar employees or wizards as they are called, with awards to celebrate their achievements and stand-out performance for the 2019 year. This year the stand out winners are Wizard of the Year: Brett Basel, Magical Performer: Loran Hauserman, Wizard’s Choice:
Jenni Taylor, and Director of the Year:
Sam Blowes.