Welcome,

Nearly 20 years ago, I remember looking out of my spare bedroom window with my chin resting in my hands, thinking to myself, “What in the world am I doing?” I had just taken the biggest business risk of my career, and I wasn’t sure if it would pay off as I hoped. Truth be told, I knew in that moment that I had no other choice than to charge ahead. Three years earlier, I had opened an IT outsourcing business with a cofounder, and a few weeks prior to this moment, he came to me and disclosed that he wanted to sell the business we had worked so hard to build.

I knew I did not want to sell the business, but it became immediately clear that we did not have the same values or passion for serving our customers, so I started the lengthy separation process. Faced with lawsuits from that cofounder, completely empty bank accounts—I mean $0—and no roadmap of how to move forward, Tom Andrews, my wife, Raquel, and I started Divergys.

In September of this year, we’ll hit our 20-year anniversary of serving small to medium-sized construction businesses in the Houston area with all of their IT needs. I often think back to that moment when I felt so lost because it serves as a reminder of the way many of our clients feel when they come to us. IT can be a tedious and overwhelming undertaking. As technologies change and new advancements are made, trying to figure out what things like “the cloud” mean can take valuable time away from business owners running their businesses and making strategic decisions.

I’m proud to say for the entirety of our 20 years of business, we’ve stayed true to ourselves. We serve our clients in the same way we run Divergys: ensuring integrity and stellar service are always top of mind. With 24/7/365 human support—no phone trees or chatbots from us—we help resolve any IT needs our clients have. I truly believe that parting ways from my first endeavor was the launching pad that got us to where we are today, but I wish there would have been more resources to figure out how to navigate that challenging time.

Our goal with this magazine is to be a resource, to create a community of business owners and community leaders who are looking to make an impact. If I could go back to my younger self 20 years ago, I’d tell him to lean on other business owners and thought leaders he trusted. We are more powerful together than we ever could be apart. At Divergys, our mission is “Helping businesses succeed through technology,” and this magazine is one more way to give back to the invaluable community we’re continuing to build.

As we spend the summer settling into a new office space to accommodate our growing team, we’re wishing you and your business good fortune, few hurricanes, and a relaxation-filled season.

No matter how turbulent times get, stay true to yourself. Your intuition will never lead you astray.

Dewayne Chappell CEO/Founder Divergys.com