Interview With Lori Evans, CEO of Abrige Corp and C-Secure Systems, Global Volunteer

(www.bizchicksrule.com) — When I heard about CEO Lori Evans’ work to help business owners in Africa — while running two successful companies in the US! — I had to learn more about this amazing woman. Lori was kind enough to answer a slew of questions about her life, her experience, and her contributions to improving the global economy.

Kristen King, Biz Chicks Rule: Tell me about Abrige Corp. C-Secure Systems. What do they do? When was each founded?

Lori Evans, Abrige & C-Secure: Kristen, thanks for asking. Abrige Corp. was born in 2003 as the consultancy I founded, Sagacity, grew to include our proprietary performance management software. In 2001-2 our DISCOVERY application helped many healthcare organizations, from small to the largest (PacifiCare) move through HIPAA Privacy standards faster and in a more sustainable way than their peers. We’ve added many performance-focused applications to the Abrige suite since! C-Secure, born in 2004 and launched in 2006, leverages the Abrige software and adds hardware to provide the only turn-key machine communication and information system in the "M2M" market today.

Kristen: How long did it take you to get rolling?

Lori Evans: Each application has a different "get rolling" timeframe. DISCOVERY was an instant win due to the regulatory-imposed need in the market. Our PERFORMANCE application, that we were so eager to get out there to help the millions of knowledge workers add more value and find more joy in their work, was held up for about four years due to a customer contractual requirement. There are no holds now!

Kristen: What prompted you to start your companies? Abrige is the parent company to C-Secure, right? Why did you create a second organization?

Lori Evans: My passion to create and execute performance improvement (and risk management) solutions for more than a single employer was the primary motivation of started Abrige. Abrige is the corporate entity, yes. Abrige and C-Secure share resources and are powered by much of the same software, but while both are aimed at doing more with less… and improving communication is a big part of this… they are marketed differently. Abrige focuses on people. C-Secure’s focus is machines. We build a close relationship with customers and they see us as thought leaders and providers of solutions. We were asked if we could help with remote machine communication, and we then determined we could add amazing value in this market.

Kristen: How was it starting up a new company on your own? Did you have a lot of prior business experience? What kind of help did you receive along the way?

Lori Evans: Just about every day since starting in late December 2000, the feelings are a mix of scared and confident. When I started networking with other entrepreneurs I found that this is not uncommon. Yes, I have lots of business experience, certifications, advanced education and training. I have 25 years of experience in turning data into information and communicating complex stuff in terms that can be acted on. To keep up I’ve actually had to un-learn some of the academics and corporate ways. It wasn’t hard; it simply took time to do. A bigger challenge is finding others who also can learn s-p-e-e-d and plain talk. I had to get training and help for sales & marketing, especially to stay current. I have advisors and mentors that have done so much for me!

Kristen: Your companies are global. Tell me about your clients. Where are your various customers located and what type of work do they do?

Lori Evans: I LOVE being a global company. Every aspect of us is global: employees, partners, customers, suppliers… Our customers for our initial launch of DISCOVERY were all in the U.S. since they are the ones that needed to use this application with my expert (proven) content for meeting the HIPAA regulations. Most other Abrige applications also have stayed focused on U.S. customers, but that will be changing soon with some connections we are making in Asia. It is the machine communication solution, C-Secure Systems, that attracts customers around the World as they need to manage their business for better security, control, remote management and intelligence. Our largest C-Secure customer is in Africa.

Kristen: You do a lot of work with business owners in Africa. Tell me about what you do and the people you’re helping.

Lori Evans: This is so exciting to talk about…and I will try to stay brief. In Africa we started with remote management of water vending machines leveraging the GSM/GPRS (cellular) network there and the Internet and data center operations here. The machines include cashless RFID and prepaid card systems and full monitoring for security as well as water safety. Safe, affordable water is in great need throughout the African continent. Our largest customer, who resides in CA and manages the machine in Africa in part from CA, can instantly know what is happening with his machines, including their profitability, service needs, quality, safety (as I mentioned) and much more. With C-Secure he can connect this machine information to the rest of his business for a full view of performance. I am also working on the re-opening of a manufacturing facility in Namibia that can bring entry-level employment and opportunity to up to 15,000 people. The initial requirement for them is Abrige software and knowledge transfer (a good bit of my work experience has been in manufacturing).

Kristen: What prompted you to share your time and your knowledge with these African business owners?

Lori Evans: It’s an interesting question and without meaning to sound too poetic, it was the Universe. I wrote down a statement that Abrige intended to help organizations with big needs. It was probably too general of a statement so this (Africa) is what came to me. Of course I could have changed course. The opportunity to add so much value (technology, knowledge, integrity) in Africa has kept me on this course. A drawback is the travel time from WA State J

Kristen: What’s the most important thing you’ve learned from your work in Africa?

Lori Evans: I can’t pinpoint anything in particular to Africa so my statement covers all other countries and especially what we call third world countries. Values likely will not align with yours. "Yes" may not mean yes. A signature may not mean a promise or a promise may not be taken seriously. Side deals may be expected. Women may have no say. Communication style could express to you something other than what they mean to say, and visa versa. This being said, I have been doing business with other countries for many years and it is my choice to continue. I am finding fulfillment in doing so.

Kristen: How do you balance the needs of two companies AND your work in Africa? What’s a typical day like for you?

Lori Evans: Many would not want my life and would not feel balanced. I do everything I want, more than most, and although at times I do feel overwhelmed, it is so… worth it! I’d rather focus on how I feel than meeting someone’s definition of how I should be or spend my day. My energy is much higher now than when living the corporate life. My day? Up around 6:10am, help my daughter get ready and get ready myself, then hit the most critical task of the day for an hour before checking email. Overseas calls are handled between 7am and 10am (Right now India, Saudi Arabia, Europe, Africa) and then again between 7pm and 9pm (China, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia…). I don’t have calls every day and they never take up all the time allotted. They take only as much time needed to get the communication across (so much more productive than the typical corporate meeting). I’ve relegated emails and meetings to certain time slots and the team respected the new time blocks immediately. These past few weeks I’ve worked many hours because I’ve hired several people that need some my attention before they can be self managed. I also feel it is important to get them to a point of adding value within their first week starting with us. Training well now gives you peace of mind later. So my team gets about 3 hours a day right now. I’m also trying to fit in time for writing and multimedia! Luckily I do not travel much nor do I have a daily commute…

Kristen: What do you know now that you wish you’d known when you started? What kind of mistakes did you make and how did you move forward?

Lori Evans: Marketing. Internal work (thicker skin, more diligence when hiring/partnering). I am someone that gains trust quickly…because I earn it. For way too many years I fell prey to giving my trust to others, who did not earn it, and some who misused it. It is amazing the gifts that have come to me once I started giving my power away.

Kristen: What advice do you have for other women who want to do their own thing?

Lori Evans: KNOW YOUR PURPOSE (your agenda) and stick to it. If you want to change it, go for it!… just make sure it is a conscious choice and not triggered by someone else manipulating you to their agenda.

Kristen: Is there anything you thought I’d ask you and you’re surprised I didn’t? What was it, and how would you have answered?

Lori Evans: It’s been fun, Kristen. And, no, I think your questions – and hopefully my answers – will prove useful to your readers. Feel free to contact me at lori@abrige.com or lori@csecure.com. I’m feeling lots of gratitude so it’s a great time to reach out to me (I’m in give back mode)!

Visit Lori Evans online at Abrige Corp. or C-Secure Systems.

Contents © Copyright 2008 Kristen King

Tags: womens business blog, biz chicks rule, kristen king, lori evans, abrige, c-secure, africa, volunteer, global economy