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Entrepreneur: Oravsky Communications Inc. plugs schools, businesses online

Ken Oravsky hasn’t always been handy with computers.

He made it through college physics without a calculator. And, he made it most of the way through his career managing state and national parks without logging on. In fact, he only surrendered to computers when he had to.

Gazette Staff

"I finally got to see the benefits of PCs in the late-’80s when I was managing employee salary accounts for the state parks service," said the 44-year-old Oravsky. "It was taking me 100 sheets of yellow legal paper to pencil out what I could do easily on a computer."

Soon he was the person others in the office were going to with their computer troubles.

But, the bureaucracy of government work got to be too much.

"It’s not a place for a creative mind. It’s a place where a creative mind gets into trouble," he said.

After leaving the parks department, he decided to combine his long-time desire to run his own business with his information technology background to form Oravsky Communications Inc. The company consults with schools and small businesses.

At the Elder Grove School, for example, he is building a computer network that tracks student reading. Students can take quizzes about the books they read and earn points that can be cashed in for prizes.

Oravsky can be reached at 896-9206. His company also keeps a Web site at http://www.oravsky.net.

Here’s what else he had to say about running his own business and keeping up with the fast-paced changes in technology:
Nature of the business:

Full service technology program administration and support for rural schools and small businesses.

Why start this business:

OCI grew out of my volunteer work at Blue Creek School. My wife, Claire, and I started several small businesses over the past 15 years, but always as a sideline to full-time work. I finally realized you need to dive in full time to succeed. When I started Oravsky Communications, I envisioned it combining photography, interpretation, education, and technology; it was the latter two areas that took off.

Where did start-up funding come from?

Personal savings – the beauty of a service-oriented technology business is the start-up costs are very small.

How long have you been in business?

Three years

Biggest challenges in running the business?

Knowing when to quit for the day.

What was done to overcome those challenges?

Hire great people to help you, give them authority and trust them.

What is being done to expand the business?

Some targeted marketing, but mostly ensuring that we have "Raving Fans" (as Ken Blanchard would say) that keep recommending us to other potential clients.

Your worst business mistake?

Not starting sooner.

Advice for someone running a business?

Great customer service still wins out over technical expertise. Remember the old adage "People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care."

Number of workers?

Two full time, two part time, plus several consultants. My partner and vice-president is Steve Gomola. We’ve been working together for two years now, and Steve has contributed a lot to our success.

What’s your five-year plan for the business?

A five-year plan in the technology business? Ha! Things change every few months, so we plan about a year ahead at most. In a year, we envision balancing on-going support work with network design and installation work, adding 10 more small business clients, and expanding our server and computer leasing program.

If you weren’t doing what you are now, what would be your dream job?

My dream job is owning my own business. I wouldn’t care if I was hauling garbage, I’d still have fun doing it. I’ve had jobs that many people consider dream jobs, managing state parks, working in National Parks, but the bureaucracy was so stifling that they weren’t really dream jobs.

“Entrepreneurs” appears regularly in the WorkWeek section. The feature will help readers become familiar with new businesses, as well as educate others in the challenges of starting a business. If you have been in business for at least one year and would like to tell your story, please contact:
Chris Jorgensen
Billings Gazette
401 N. Broadway
Billings, MT, 59101
657-1311, office
657-1208, fax
[email protected]

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