Meet Gregory Pride | Vice President and IT Consultant

We had the good fortune of connecting with Gregory Pride and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Gregory, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
My business partner and I didn’t like what we were seeing in terms of IT solution providers. Especially, when they worked with minority organizations. We saw them oversell and under deliver. We wanted to be different. Knowing that technology was a game changer for small businesses, we wanted to deliver IT solutions that resulted in strategic outcomes and organizational growth for our clients. In addition, we wanted to provide opportunities for minorities to grow in the vast IT field. All too often, we would witness the disparity of minorities at conferences and in leadership positions in IT.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Innovative Vision Technologies, Inc is my dream come true. It was once just a dream that my business partner and I would discuss in our shared office where we worked as IT technicians. Working with my business partner as a peer before we started the company helped me grow my skillset exponentially. After several years, we had the opportunity to work on a big project on campus at an HBCU in our hometown. We ended up leading the project when the consulting group hired to lead the project faltered once the project was underway. We took the lead and successfully completed the project. However, we watched them collect the check for our work. That was the catalyst for starting the company. What sets us apart is that we are outcome driven. We are not a large firm with a deep list of clients, instead we have a small client list where we partner with them to deliver strategic outcomes. I came from a completely different background, so the transition to IT was completely foreign to me. However, I was hungry for a career change and being that I was married with a young family, I was desperate to find a career that would allow me to support my family and give them a better life. It was challenging trying to start a new career in my 30’s, but I was determined to learn everything. Fortunately, my business partner was very knowledgeable and willing to share information and mentor me. In business, we have complimentary skills which gives us the synergy that has allowed us to succeed. We are the best IT service firm that you’ve never heard of. We have collective experience that rivals the industry leaders, but we are too small to fail so we have to give every client our best effort to deliver the outcomes that they desire.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love Atlanta, even though I am not a resident, I know Atlanta very well. I have my favorite hangouts all around the city. I love restaurants so we would definitely go to places like Canoe which is a great restaurant situated on the banks of the Chattahoochee river. We would take an evening to enjoy a great classic jazz lounge in Alpharetta called The Velvet Note and I would finish the night at Cutter’s Cigars and Spirits in Alpharetta and/or The Red Phone Booth in Buckhead. As a cigar aficionado, my night is not complete without a fine cigar. One of my secret spots when I want to enjoy a lazy day is downtown Norcross. It’s a small enclave tucked away in an old historic neighborhood with restaurants and quaint shops. There’s also a small park with a water feature that makes for a very serene afternoon on the lawn.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My business partner, Kevin Banks and my former boss, Loretta Parham were instrumental in my career development.

Website: www.ivtechcorp.com

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/gregory-pride-6554b410