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Phoenix Data Corporation

2011 SAWIB WinnerCompany: Phoenix Data Corporation, Indianapolis,IN, U.S.A.
Entry Submitted By: Cordis, LLC
Company Description: Phoenix Data Corporation develops innovative solutions for information technology, engineering technical support and operations, with emphasis in information management, for government and private industry. Founded in 2001 by President/CEO Carol Curran, Phoenix is perfecting technologies for data imaging conversion and pioneering new technologies that may help transform electronic warfare.
Nomination Category: Company/Organization Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Technology Innovator of the Year

Nomination Title: Phoenix Data Corporation

Describe for the judges the activities and accomplishments of the nominated company during the eligibility period (up to 500 words):

Phoenix Data Corporation develops innovative solutions for information technology, engineering technical support, operations, document centers, call centers, electronic records and electronic medical records (EMR) with emphasis in information management. A certified woman-owned business with locations in Indianapolis and Marion, Indiana (Grant County), and job sites in three other cities throughout the United States, Phoenix Data Corporation’s services and technical solutions target federal, state and local government agencies; the military and the health care industry.

Growth Strategy
To enhance business growth, Phoenix Data Corporation joined forces in 2010 with Dr. Russell Eberhart, whose pioneering evolutionary computing work in particle swarm optimization earned him the 2012 IEEE Computational Intelligence Society Evolutionary Computation Pioneer Award. IEEE is the world’s largest professional association dedicated to advancing technological innovation and excellence to benefit humanity, and the award is the organization’s highest honor in the field of evolutionary computation.

New Technologies
Dr. Eberhart is the co-inventor of Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), which computes solutions for nonlinear problems in rapidly-changing environments for which traditional approaches are difficult, or impossible, to apply. This new technology rapidly calculates multiple optimal solutions—thousands of times faster than previous methods—for problems having multiple objectives and constraints, and dynamic environments.

Phoenix Data Corporation focused on military applications using PSO to create significant strategic and tactical advantages for the U.S. Military, such as radically increasing the efficacy in mission planning optimization, radio frequency and weapon resource allocation, and logistics and maneuvers within rapidly-changing environments. A project for the Air Force Office of Scientific Research using Particle Swarm Optimization reduced the time required for mission planning from two days to approximately 1.5 seconds. This pioneering work led to new projects at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane (NSWC Crane) involving the application of swarm intelligence to electronic warfare.

Phoenix is developing other potential industry applications of PSO, including logistics planning, medical diagnostics, optimizing networks and scheduling and distribution of resources.

Leveraging Technologies
The company’s expertise in image scanning, documenting and classifying large volumes of documents is streamlining workflow processes for government and private industry. Through its contract with the State of Indiana’s Family and Social Services Administration to process applications and documentation for the Eligibility Modernization Project, Phoenix scans, classifies and integrates more than 20 million pages of information per year into the electronic data system. FSSA’s system rollout to the remainder of Indiana’s 92 counties could double the current volume of work by year-end.

A new imaging contract with NSWC Crane allows Phoenix to provide engineers and computer programmers to scan, index and electronically archive classified naval documents. Phoenix received three additional partnering agreements with major defense contractors to provide NSWC Crane with engineering services, systems programming, IT support and technical personnel for electronic warfare.

Business Growth
The company’s focus on growth and technology has resulted in 16 new hires during 2011, Phoenix Data Corporation’s tenth year in business, a 52% increase from 2010.

List the URLs (web addresses) of any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that you would like the judges to see that support your entry. IMPORTANT: List each URL on a separate line, begin each URL with http://, and enclose each URL in square brackets. For example, [http://www.yourcompany.com/pressrelease.html]:

http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/big-wigs-new-gigs.asp?PartnerID=570

http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/newsitem.asp?ID=48479

http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/big-wigs-new-gigs.asp?PartnerID=392


Provide a brief biography of the nominated person(s) or the leader(s) of the nominated organization or (up to 100 words):

Carol Curran, founder of Phoenix Data Corporation, has a history of successful, entrepreneurial businesses applying technology to business operations. Carol leveraged her expertise in data image processing, IT services and applications development to start Phoenix in 2001 and acquired certifications for access to opportunities: woman-owned business (WBE), small disadvantaged business (SDB), 8(a) and HUBZone-certified.

Under Carol's direction, Phoenix has experienced exponential growth. Carol's philosophy is to attract and train employees from disadvantaged environments to provide a secure employment future, and she believes in giving back to community. She is active in the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association and the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), Indianapolis chapter.

Choose one (even if both apply):

At least 50% of the shares in this company are owned by women.