The “Getting to Know” series is sponsored by Applied Innovation. Applied Innovation is helping to shape the future of accounts receivable management. Product development is driven by customer feedback, agency profitability and compliance and includes platforms addressing client portal access, document management, payment negotiation, Regulation E focused electronic payment authorizations and TCPA communication authorization platforms. Partner with a company who understands your business challenges and evolves to provide cutting edge technology to overcome those challenges and achieve success.
My kids loved the movie, “Robots.” While the movie is about chasing your dreams, no matter how big or far away they might be, there is a line from that movie that I will always remember — “See a need, fill a need.” In the accounts receivable management industry, a prime example of that strategy is Mark Reinhard from Concepts2Code. He saw that collection agencies needed help getting on board the technology train, and he has built a successful business to help them accomplish that goal. It’s that kind of inventiveness, creativity, and desire to help that makes this such a great industry to work in. Read on to learn more about Mark, why he wants to visit your office if there is a mountain nearby, and why you may not want to bother him on weekend afternoons.
Name: Mark Reinhard
Current Role/Job Title: Owner
Company: Concepts2Code
Length of time at current company: 20+ Years
Length of time in industry: 20+ Years
How did you get your start in the industry?
I have been a software consultant for a long time working on everything from Emergency Dispatch Systems to Inventory Tracking, and Trucking Logistics systems. At some point I was hired to work on a compliance system at a Collection Agency. Once that was done, they asked me to tackle some other projects. Before I knew it, I was building their e-delivery system and creating a reporting system to supplement the legacy collection system. This led to me realizing that Collection Agencies are often trapped using very legacy systems that limit their productivity. I eventually decided to focus on helping agencies transition to modern technology, by creating integrations as API’s to allow agencies to use modern tools.
What is your career highlight so far?
Leading the creation of a powerful web portal and email services platform and assisting agencies to transition to new technology.
When or how are you most productive?
My most productive hours are often after 5pm when the calls and meetings tend to slow down. A big part of my role is communicating with customers about their projects. This takes a lot of time during the day. The fun part of building solutions generally has to fit around the day-to-day.
Which industry professional do you admire most?
Sam Galbo – Sam is very similar in how he got where he is. He was working with legacy software and knew it could be much better. He decided to create his own system and formed the company Smax Technologies. I talk to Sam regularly and we share the passion for building awesome software for our customers.
What is one thing you do better than everyone else?
That is a tough one. It seems pretty nerdy, but I’ve integrated hundreds of software systems over the years, so am pretty good at building and working with API’s to connect data systems. I don’t claim to be the best, but I’m pretty darn good.
What do you like most about this industry?
I like working with all the people. I meet regularly with lots of people from agencies and from software companies. I love learning how different people in different companies are solving the same problems in different ways. We can all learn from each other.
The Getting to Know Series is Sponsored By:
What is one thing you wish you could change about this industry?
All the crazy rules and regulations. Many rules are well intentioned, but they don’t achieve the goals they set out to do. At the same time, they create lots of unnecessary work for many people and systems.
If you weren’t in this industry, what would you be doing?
That’s easy – I’d be skiing. If you mean work-related, then I would probably be working at a start-up. I love the idea of working on something brand new and challenging the bigger companies to do things better and more efficiently.
Describe a typical work day.
50% meetings, 25% working with other software companies on integrations, 25% building solutions for our customers.
What is your guilty pleasure?
Weekend naps. I have so much planned for the weekend and then somehow a 5-minute break turns into a nap…
What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
My uncle owned his own business. He showed me that you can build a business and do things better than the competition. I have followed in that path.
What are you currently reading?
“The Book of Joy” – I’m in an awesome book club that is made up of people in the industry. This is our book this month.
What is one fact you’d like everyone in the industry to know about you?
I’m addicted to skiing. Anyone with an office in Colorado or Utah, I would love to visit you in the winter.
Who else would you like to see answer these questions?
Sam Galbo – Owner of Smax Technologies
The “Getting to Know” series is sponsored by Applied Innovation. Applied Innovation is helping to shape the future of accounts receivable management. Product development is driven by customer feedback, agency profitability and compliance and includes platforms addressing client portal access, document management, payment negotiation, Regulation E focused electronic payment authorizations and TCPA communication authorization platforms. Partner with a company who understands your business challenges and evolves to provide cutting edge technology to overcome those challenges and achieve success
