Sunday, December 16, 2012

PT's 10th anniversary

PT's gala 10th anniversary banquet
A week ago, my company, Principled Technologies (PT), celebrated its 10th anniversary at what I would best describe as a gala affair. At the picture to the right shows, it was a beautiful evening. It also was a wonderful opportunity to reflect on those years and to say thank you to the amazing group of people that helped make PT’s success possible.
A less than flattering picture of Mark and me 
Mark Van Name and I started PT 10 years ago. We had worked together at that point for over 17 years. We had written well over a thousand articles (and a book) together and had worked to create ZDBOp and ZD Labs for Ziff-Davis. What we started 10 years ago was a blend of all that we had learned over the years in the computer industry about product evaluation, marketing, and running companies.

In some ways, from the very beginning, we considered PT to be an experiment. We obviously hoped to earn a living at PT, but we wanted to do more than that. Even the name we chose, Principled Technologies tells a bit about our thinking. We’ve always been technophiles, so the Technologies part of the name was easy and obvious. But, at least as importantly, we wanted to create a place firmly grounded in principles we believed in, both then and now. Over the years, PT has grown far beyond what we ever envisioned and keeping true to those original principles (and ones we added along the way) has been a challenge. But, a challenge I believe we have risen to meet.

Like most small businesses, PT has changed over time. When we started, we were mostly a testing company that tested technology products for our clients. We did things such as run benchmarks to show one desktop computer was faster than another. Over time we added capabilities such as a drop table for testing the durability of notebook computers, power meters for measuring power consumption, and a data center for keeping cool the servers we test. We also added the expertise of new people while continuing to develop the skills of the talented people already at PT.

We came to realize that our technology testing was largely used in support of our client’s marketing efforts. We were doing what we have come to call fact-based marketing. The goal of fact-based marketing is to help buyers understand the advantages of a product when making purchasing decisions. 

To do a better job of that, we have spent the last couple years adding the necessary people and facilities to present the facts our testing uncovers in more and more compelling ways. This year, we built a studio complete with a sound booth, a large green-screen area, LED lighting, microphones, and cameras. We also hired some great people so we could tell about our work in innovative ways.















Watch this video to both understand better what we do and what our team is able to create. (It is best seen in full screen--by clicking the icon in the lower right of the video.) Our studio team did everything from the music to the videography to the special effects. I think this video shows that we really do believe that Facts matter.®

Principled Technologies strives to do great work for its clients while being a great place to work. I think we have largely succeeded at those goals. The reason we have done so is the amazing group of people that make up PT. That is why I’m proud of the company and the people at PT. After 10 years, I am truly humbled by and thankful for the efforts of each of the folks at PT. Thank you.
 

My family at the PT gala: Emily, Davey, Nathan, Sarah, Bill, Susie, Becky & Steven



2 comments:

  1. Great piece, Bill! It has been a pleasure and a privilege to work with you for all these years.

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  2. Thanks. They have been good years. Looking forward to the future ones as well!

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