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The head of Worcester technology firm Geisel Software is the Massachusetts small business person of the year, the U.S. Small Business Administration said Friday.
Brian Geisel is the CEO of Geisel Software, a firm based at the Worcester Business Center whose clients include iRobot, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Carbon Black and PharmAdva.
Geisel was an industry consultant for years before starting the company out of a loft in 2011. By 2015 ran the company along with only one other full-timer and an occasional intern. But by 2018 the company moved into a small space in the Higgins Armory, later expanding its space there before moving into the Worcester Business Center at 67 Millbrook St. last year.
Revenue has grown by a compounded annualized rate of 83% since 2017, according to the company.
Geisel, who grew up in the Pittsburgh area and learned to write computer code as a kid, said he was excited to get the new of the Small Business Administration honor.
“I’m very humbled to received the honor. I told my team here we won the Massachusetts small business person of the year award, and someone said ‘You won,’” he said. “I said, ‘Yeah, but it’s about us as a business.’ So I’m excited for them.”
Geisel Software specializes in customized software development, particularly in robotics but also in medical devices.
“We get to work on really interesting projects,” Geisel said with pride.
Geisel Software specializes in the so-called internet of things, an online connection that allows household or workplace devices to send and receive data. Geisel knew some clients when he was brought in to help with a single project, but found that networking and reputation have been able to bring the company further along for such a small staff.
Being in Worcester and a bit farther from Boston has also allowed the company to hire talented engineers without having to fight against deeper-pocketed employers, he said.
Geisel has been quoted as an industry expert by Entrepreneur Magazine, Bloomberg Business, BBC, Forbes and others, the company said.
The SBA announced winners Friday for each state, and they’ll be invited to attend ceremonies in Washington, D.C., in May. The national small business person award will also be named at the same ceremony.
