A public workforce system works best when tools disappear into the background and people get to work faster. Paul Toomey, founder and president of Geographic Solutions, has spent three decades building software that does exactly that.
Toomey’s journey began in a two-bedroom apartment in 1992, where he wrote the first lines of code that would become a nationwide platform for employment and training. He introduced Virtual OneStop in 1998 to unify labor exchange and case management, then advanced a reemployment solution that helped unemployment insurance claimants reconnect with work sooner. States later adopted the Geographic Solutions Unemployment System, bringing self-service claims filing and faster reemployment support to millions. Along the way he kept a cadence: ship improvements, listen to agencies, refine until outcomes improve.
Results are measurable. In partnership with the State of Iowa, the Reemployment Case Management system launched in 2022 and helped deliver an estimated $250 million in savings, a return that turned heads and rebuilt confidence in data-informed policy. Toomey’s team has since integrated artificial intelligence across offerings, including résumé creation that yields higher quality scores than manual versions. Georgia saw AI-generated résumés climb by 70%, while Texas reported more interviews and stronger skill alignment for job seekers.
Toomey established multiple channels so employees stay connected to strategy, client wins and product milestones. Quarterly in-person gatherings bridge the virtual and physical divide, and company-wide forums invite open dialogue on ideas, concerns and questions. Those habits helped produce a 96% retention rate and a workplace where people feel their work advances a mission bigger than any single release.
The vision reaches beyond traditional labor exchange. Geographic Solutions is expanding assistive technologies to support individuals with mental or physical disabilities in securing meaningful employment, and the Virtual OneStop Reentry Employment Opportunities system is designed to reduce recidivism by equipping people with modern search tools before release. The focus remains constant—speed access, strengthen dignity and show progress that families can feel.
Service to the broader community runs through Toomey’s calendar as surely as sprint reviews. He partners with regional tech organizations, hosts the Pinellas Tech Network meetup and offers apprenticeships that give students a real path into the field. An employee-driven scholarship invests in high school seniors who pursue STEM, business or public service. Partnerships with Microsoft, Alison, ID.me, Indeed, Canon and global public employment groups reinforce a simple premise that collaboration multiplies value.
A Titan 100 Honoree, Toomey leads with a straightforward credo: Lead from the front and by example. Recognition from industry programs across SaaS, DevOps, security and work technology circles reflects both technical depth and public impact, yet the metric he cites most often is the one that matters at street level—how many people found work faster because a system finally got out of the way.