The process solution firm known as Digerati began as a shared vision. For founders Brian Balasia and Joseph Klecha, that vision grew from their respective understanding of the principles of aerospace and computer engineering. While students at the University of Michigan, the pair discovered that these principles could be applied outside the academic world to solve critical problems for business.
While an undergraduate, Brian Balasia served as an intern for a Michigan-based manufacturing consulting company. Focusing on product teardown, he worked to reverse engineer objects to determine how they were made. This activity sparked a new passion for Balasia and introduced him to the concept of process mapping.
Over time, Balasia was given more responsibility and was eventually tasked to inventory the staff’s skills and knowledge to facilitate internal tech transfer. “At this company, each person had their own bag of tricks,” explained Balasia. “Everyone had their own specialty and was given specific projects based on their skill set. This created competition for work and as a result, methods and practices weren’t shared among employees.”
To help him document the knowledge and skills of the client’s workforce, Brian enlisted fellow student and computer engineering major, Joseph Klecha. Together, they implemented a new system that cataloged the staff’s capabilities and enabled efficient knowledge transfer between employees.
The project combined Balasia’s experience in process mapping and Klecha’s expertise in software development and planted the seeds for what would eventually be a new business model. It showed them that their method had nearly universal applications and also that there was a future in their continued collaboration.
After some additional, modestly successful projects, the team had its first breakthrough. Working pro bono for a large, Michigan-based automotive OEM, they designed process solutions that potentially saved their client $1,000,000 a month. It was 2001 and investors began to take notice of the team’s capabilities. Armed with new financial endorsements and some solid experience, Digerati was born.
“At the beginning,we faced a lot of resistance because of our age,” said Klecha. “People asked us, ‘If there was a better way to do things, wouldn’t someone else have thought of it by now?’”
Despite challenges, Digerati took on new clients in accounting, retail and medicine. They built relationships that allowed them to explore new ideas. “It drove us crazy to see a company spend money when it didn’t have to,” said Balasia. “Instead of buying new technology to solve problems, we wanted to prove that Digerati could make them more efficient with what they already had.”
While working for a medical group in Ohio, Digerati tested new ways to integrate the client’s existing but incompatible technology and software. They created timesaving processes that coordinated x-ray and imaging technology, scheduling, payroll and patient information into one unified network that translated into huge cost savings.
The team worked around the clock to implement the many improvements for the client. “We were sleeping at the doctors’ offices at the time,” said Balasia. “We were dedicating our lives to prove Digerati had what it takes.”
In 2004, Digerati moved to Detroit’s historic Guardian Building. Once there, the company reached out to civic organizations in an effort to get involved and engaged. “We always felt a connection to the city,” said Klecha “We knew it was important for Digerati to be in Detroit.”
The organization got its first taste of regional attention after streamlining the check- in process at the Detroit Regional Chamber’s annual Mackinac Policy Conference. “I had learned from the Chamber that this had been a really big issue at past conferences,” explained Klecha. “Improving their check-in system was great exposure for us. We were able to take a process that once took hours and cut it down to minutes. It opened doors for us,” he said. “Now other companies wanted to know who we were and what we could do for them.”
In addition to taking on a diverse group of clients and projects, Digerati became even more involved with the community. Through its relationship with groups like the Detroit Regional Chamber, the University of Michigan and the New Economy Initiative, Digerati has contributed to initiatives that address challenges facing the entire region.
Working with the University of Michigan, Balasia and Klecha researched trends indicating that many college graduates were leaving the area due to a perceived lack of opportunity. “Kids are leaving the state looking for work but at the same time, we have Michigan businesses struggling to attract talented workers,” said Balasia
In an effort to connect these groups and build intellectual capital in the region, Digerati is developing the internship matching tool, Classroom to Career. This web-based resource will automatically match college students with internship opportunities and provide businesses with highly qualified candidates.
As an added result of its work with the University of Michigan, Digerati created The Matching Opportunities for Entrepreneurs (MORE) Program, a nonprofit dedicated to helping entrepreneurs. Together, Digerati and The MORE Program are developing InsYght, a system designed to instantly match business owners to the specific resources they need.
Hoping to spark economic growth, InsYght has identified and inventoried thousands of business resources for entrepreneurs and gained support from more than 100 municipalities, universities and organizations including the United States Department of Commerce and the United States Small Business Administration.
“Entrepreneurs need support in order to be successful,” said Balasia. “The connections I made and the experience I gained as an intern were essential to me starting a business.”
“When you study engineering in school, you don’t graduate and suddenly have the ability to build a jet engine. You need guidance and experience to accomplish that. However, it does teach you how to face complicated problems with confidence because you know they can be solved,” he said.
“Digerati is based on these concepts. It employs individuals who can face complicated problems and eventually crack them,” said Balasia. “When you apply critical thought and the appropriate process – you have all the tools you need. Any problem can be solved.”
