good characteristics , but it was volatile ,” he says . In the fall of 1998 , the mortgage-lending market made a major correction . Keith lost 43 % of his monthly income , forcing him back into grueling days . Not only was his time with his family being sacrificed — so was his financial stability . “ That was a lightbulb that signaled something had to change . I didn ’ t know what it was — I just knew I had to change what I was doing ,” he says .
A MENTOR ’ S INSIGHT
Despite the challenges that plagued both of his companies , two consistent aspects of his work drove Keith to keep going year after year : application development and computer networking . There was little software to run a small business , so for years , Keith spent evenings at home developing business and accounting applications . Then , someone else noticed his skill and passion for technology .
One afternoon , Keith had sat down to lunch with his business mentor . They had been meeting once a month for years , but this lunch in 1999 proved transformational . Keith explained his dispassion for his two careers and that , after more than a decade of entrepreneurship , he was still struggling to secure the stability he ’ d always envisioned . His mentor responded to his conundrum with a simple question : “ Why aren ’ t you doing for others what you do in your own businesses ?” His mentor had always thought that Keith ’ s app development work was an unusual niche , but he had an inkling that other people needed the software solutions that Keith was writing . Later that year , at his mentor ’ s retirement party , he was introduced to another of his mentor ’ s clients . “ My mentor told us , ‘ You both can help each other ,’” Keith recalls . “ That ’ s where it all started .”
By the end of 1999 , Keith turned his evening passion into Advantage Industries . He started offering application development and IT services to clients and helping them improve and grow their business . Client by client , his business expanded . As the company grew , Keith asked his wife if he should keep it small , as planned , or let it grow . “ We decided to go for it ,” he says . “ We hired employees one , two , three , and we really started to build a business .” But this time , he was building a business around his and his wife ’ s shared family values rather than trying to fit his family into an unforgiving schedule .
Soon , a nine-person team from Advantage was in Mississippi , writing software for grants management in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and software programs for national lenders and title companies , some of which ran for more than two decades . “ In my earlier industries , we did not have clients continually using our services — only once every few years ,” he explains . “ But at Advantage Industries , we were always doing things that helped the clients and provided lasting value .”
As technology and the internet became more complex , he noticed his techs spent 50 % more time supporting clients with network services . Keith made a strategic decision to create a
" We ’ re providing our clients with business analysis and consultation and trying to help them find their operational pain points , which we then work to solve .”
greater workforce around managed services , and the MSSP side of the business became the organization ’ s flagship .
As technology advances and client needs continue to evolve and grow , Advantage Industries adds valuable core services like cybersecurity and compliance . “ It seems like every couple of years , we ’ re adding another department to handle another area of technology for our clients ,” he says .
As president of Advantage Industries , Keith finally achieved his career goal : instead of being just a one-time benefit to clients , he now offers clients valuable core services that are integral to their operations . That means adapting as tech evolves and ensuring he can provide what clients need to grow their businesses .
“ We ’ re not just doing network infrastructure and cybersecurity ; our mission is also operational efficiency and management vision ,” he explains . “ We ’ re providing our clients with business analysis and consultation and trying to help them find their operational pain points , which we then work to solve . When we take on a client , we can truly help them grow .”
“ OUR PLACE IS RIGHT HERE ”
Today , Keith jokes that now that he ’ s older , he looks only 10 years into the future instead of 20 . But the commitment he made to himself all those years ago — to build a life around family , health and providing enduring value to clients ( maybe a bit of golf , too )— still rings true . At Advantage , he ’ s built a successful and meaningful life around family and developed his passion for technology in order to provide lasting , valuable service to clients in a way he could never fully realize in his early life and career .
Still , after three decades of entrepreneurship , Keith doesn ’ t believe he knows everything — no one on the Advantage team does . Being excellent means being willing to participate in lifelong learning . “ It ’ s a continual journey that we ’ re all on to understand better who we are , how we work , and how we ’ re going to continuously provide value to our clients ,” Keith says . “ We genuinely enjoy supporting our clients as well as our employees and their families . We know our place in the world is right here .”
For more information on Advantage Industries , visit getadvantage . com .
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