“ These kinds of relationships where time is invested in us would not be accessible if we ’ d not grown up in the community . The community pays itself back in a really cool way .”
LEO ZLIMEN Cofounder , Ladris Technologies has no local clients . Its success skyrocketed during the pandemic when it pivoted to create a new document mailing engine for attorneys and businesses that were impacted by shutdowns .
CEO Christopher Floyd , a former law enforcement officer and computer programmer , has navigated the ups and downs of small-town tech since the time of dial-up internet , and he ( mostly ) has it figured out . Floyd ’ s office happens to be situated in a “ very small footprint ” of area connected to fiber-optic cable , so connectivity has never been an issue at EDEX . In 2019 , the company fully transitioned from a Sacramento data center to Amazon Web Services , which has allowed for data storage without the periodical commute to maintenance servers .
In response to a PG & E wildfire prevention power shutoff last year , Floyd vowed his office would never be left in the dark again , and he spent roughly $ 3,500 to install a generator . He hasn ’ t had to use it yet .
Most importantly , according to Floyd , he hasn ’ t needed to dip into a stagnant hiring pool , as his 15 employees have stuck with him for decades . “ We don ’ t care what your skillset is . We want to give you the training you need . We hire for interpersonal relationship ability — as long as you have the right personality for us , we can train you for anything you want to be ,” Floyd says of his hiring process .
By virtue of being a tech company , EDEX offers wages at the higher end of the spectrum in Amador County , where the median household annual income is under $ 63,000 . The company also offers benefits including health insurance , but Floyd doesn ’ t believe pay is the most important aspect of employee retention .
“ I think money is no longer the driving issue . It ’ s job satisfaction ,” says Floyd , who has had employees leave for higher paying jobs in Sacramento and the Bay Area only to return to EDEX . “ It ’ s the culture as well as the product we make .”
But would he do it all again ? Floyd says starting his company in Jackson was not so much intentional as it was a twist of fate when he was presented with a family business opportunity in the area prior to starting EDEX . He won ’ t discourage others from making the same choice , but he advises to be aware of the hurdles lining the road to bucolic business bliss .
Dakota Morlan is a freelance contributor for Comstock ’ s and other online publications , as well as editor of the Calaveras Enterprise , a newsweekly in the Mother Lode region . She has won California News Publishers Association awards for her investigative reporting on crime and the COVID-19 pandemic . Read more at dakotamorlan . com . On Twitter @ DakotaNMorlan .
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December 2021 | comstocksmag . com 45