Dave Rizzo

Dave Rizzo

*****

Say Hello to the Future

David Rizzo

Age: 42

Company: Osprey Systems

Why he's here: Runs one of the most prominent Web firms in town

Osprey Systems Chairman and CEO David Rizzo says he is really a closet geek. That is OK when you re heading up a cutting-edge Internet commerce consulting company with major national clients.

Rizzo began his professional life in 1979 with an economics degree from The College of William and Mary and a sales job with IBM in Boston. IBM brought him to Charlotte in 1986, and he stayed with the company until 1992, when he left to start Osprey Systems with partner Olin Broadway.

Rizzo says at the time he decided to launch his own company, he had begun to see a transition from customers not simply wanting to buy technology products, but wanting a vendor who would help them in the implementation and management of that product. He says IBM prepared him with a broad understanding of technology and how to apply it to solve a business problem.

Rizzo's decision to start Osprey Systems after thirteen years with IBM, at the age of thirty-five, was prompted not only by experience but desire. Frankly I was at an age when, if I was going to do something entrepreneurial, it was time to do it, Rizzo says. He believes there is sort of a rule of thumb which says if you re going to do something entrepreneurial, do it before you re forty. You need to be old enough to have experience but not so mature that you re unwilling to take any sort of risks.

Rizzo s move to entrepreneur didn't come after months of planning and strategizing. He got in touch with Olin Broadway, who had a strong entrepreneurial track record in Charlotte, and he and I had lunch one day and just decided to do it. It was essentially an emotional decision.

Rizzo believes his strong background in sales and marketing in the technology field gave him the necessary preparation and credibility to make Osprey Systems a success. I knew what customers thought and what they were looking for, and I loved the technology, he says. Rizzo says that core passion for doing what you love is a prerequisite to being an entrepreneur, because the first six months are not much fun.

Osprey Systems took in its first outside investors in 1996, and in 1999 it raised $22 million from Morgan Stanley and Bank of America.

Did Rizzo have a vision he would be doing what he is doing today? I didn t have any idea, he blurts, adding, I think in our industry, if you try to look too far ahead, you wind up being wrong because the industry changes so fast. And in the Internet age it's changing even faster.

As for his short-term goals, Rizzo says with a laugh he just wants to get through Y2K. But he has big plans for the future of Osprey Systems, including taking the company public and growing it into a national Internet integration business. If we are able to do that, then I would consider it to be one of this area's great success stories.

	'à la carte' PR
	Dave Rizzo *** Say Hello to the Future David Rizzo Age: 42 Company: Osprey Systems Why he's here: Runs one of the most prominent Web firms in town** Osprey Systems Chairman and CEO David Rizzo says he is really a closet geek. That is OK when you re heading up a cutting-edge Internet commerce consulting company with major national clients. Rizzo began his professional life in 1979 with an economics degree from The College of William and Mary and a sales job with IBM in Boston. IBM brought him to Charlotte in 1986, and he stayed with the company until 1992, when he left to start Osprey Systems with partner Olin Broadway. Rizzo says at the time he decided to launch his own company, he had begun to see a transition from customers not simply wanting to buy technology products, but wanting a vendor who would help them in the implementation and management of that product. He says IBM prepared him with a broad understanding of technology and how to apply it to solve a business problem. Rizzo's decision to start Osprey Systems after thirteen years with IBM, at the age of thirty-five, was prompted not only by experience but desire. Frankly I was at an age when, if I was going to do something entrepreneurial, it was time to do it, Rizzo says. He believes there is sort of a rule of thumb which says if you re going to do something entrepreneurial, do it before you re forty. You need to be old enough to have experience but not so mature that you re unwilling to take any sort of risks. Rizzo s move to entrepreneur didn't come after months of planning and strategizing. He got in touch with Olin Broadway, who had a strong entrepreneurial track record in Charlotte, and he and I had lunch one day and just decided to do it. It was essentially an emotional decision. Rizzo believes his strong background in sales and marketing in the technology field gave him the necessary preparation and credibility to make Osprey Systems a success. I knew what customers thought and what they were looking for, and I loved the technology, he says. Rizzo says that core passion for doing what you love is a prerequisite to being an entrepreneur, because the first six months are not much fun. Osprey Systems took in its first outside investors in 1996, and in 1999 it raised $22 million from Morgan Stanley and Bank of America. Did Rizzo have a vision he would be doing what he is doing today? I didn t have any idea, he blurts, adding, I think in our industry, if you try to look too far ahead, you wind up being wrong because the industry changes so fast. And in the Internet age it's changing even faster. As for his short-term goals, Rizzo says with a laugh he just wants to get through Y2K. But he has big plans for the future of Osprey Systems, including taking the company public and growing it into a national Internet integration business. If we are able to do that, then I would consider it to be one of this area's great success stories.	Welcome Menu of Services Mission Site Map Calendar