Travis A. Earls left a six-figure salary and a job at a Fortune 100 company and invested his family savings into starting his company, DEKA Technologies Inc.
“It was terrifying and led to many sleepless nights and stressful days,” he said. “I believed starting my own business would eventually provide a better future for my family. It has paid off.”
DEKA is an IT managed services company that provides technology solutions in alignment with the objectives of its clients.
DEKA aims to grow through acquisitions in 2023. The company is focused on combining data centers to help control costs and allow DEKA to better position itself against coming price pressures. DEKA has brought together cyber thought leaders to collaborate on best practices and emerging technologies. This strategy led DEKA to develop a Lead with Cyber Protection campaign, launching in 2023 to help the marketplace better protect itself against cyber attacks through education and free technology assessments.
Under Earls’ leadership as CEO, DEKA has developed mentorship and education programs to introduce students to technology and how work gets done.
“Perhaps the greatest achievement this year was in fostering and participating in community programs for young people to learn about careers in technology and how to pursue technology education at the collegiate level,” Earls said. “These community outreach programs pave the way for high school students from any socioeconomic class to have hands-on opportunities to learn systems engineering, network engineering, infrastructure, programming, desktop operating systems, telecommunications and cloud technologies from DEKA employees. These programs work to provide foundational technical knowledge while participants build an entry-level, employable technical skill set. This can help young adults discover their technology passions and earn a better-than-minimum-wage income while continuing their education.”
In addition, Earls used some company resources to develop a scholarship program for employees and their families to help with the rising cost of education. Employees or family members interested in business or technology pursuits are eligible to apply and receive tuition assistance from DEKA.
“This is a significant investment that I thought would never be possible 10 years ago,” Earls said. “Being awarded as a titan made me realize I did not want to be the kind of business/industry titan that continually chased money, but rather a true titan that has achieved and begins to provide opportunities for others to one day become a titan in their own right.”
