Kopis Wins CommunityWorks’ Entrepreneurial Success Award
The 20-year saga of how a small tech firm led by a former accountant grew to become one of the largest software developers in the state was honored Tuesday, May 7 at the CommunityWorks Excellence in Entrepreneurship Awards.
A Furman University graduate, Kurtz opened the first office of what was then known as Proactive Technology in a second-floor in the Plaza Bergamo downtown. The company has grown from there, but like all entrepreneurs Kurtz learned that economic fluctuations. There were down times and scrambles along with the success.
In 2015, Kurtz promoted Kevin Wentzel to chief operating officer and Adam Drewes to chief marketing officer with the goals of creating a plan on longevity for the firm, which would allow Kurtz the freedom to manage his own schedule and jump in as needed from a higher-level. In 2015, the company rebranded as Kopis.
Kurtz then began a series of acquisitions, starting with ACUMEN IT’s Enterprise Resource Planner (ERP) Division and ended with NWN’s SmartGov Division in early 2018. These two acquisitions alone doubled the company’s size and value.
“This has been an amazing journey over the past 20 years,” Kurtz said. “We have accomplished a lot of great things as a team and I expect many more years of success.”