Innovation. Growth. Careers.
Dave Dyell, CEO of iSirona talks careers
iSirona, the downtown Panama City based medical software development company, is making nationwide headlines.
Deemed one of the fifth fastest-growing private companies in U.S. healthcare in 2012 by Inc. Magazine and ranked “One of America’s Most Promising Companies” in 2013 by Forbes magazine, iSirona is continuing on its path to growth.
iSirona founder and CEO Dave Dyell announced the creation of 300 jobs in Bay County by the end of 2014 during a press conference with Governor Rick Scott in November last year.
In an interview with Panama City Living, Dave Dyell tells us he is originally from Detroit, Michigan. He had relatives in Bay County, so this area was always a favorite vacation spot for his family when he grew up. He moved to Bay County permanently in 1993 and met his wife Camille, a teacher at North Bay Haven Charter School. They now have three children, ages 17, 13, and 12 – all raised in Panama City.
Dave Dyell states “I was always interested in computer science as a child, but never thought of pursuing it as a career, and it sort of came about accidentally.”
He was working as a nurse assistant in a hospital in Michigan and noticed the scheduling of patients was done manually, a process which he thought he could help improve and speed up. He wrote a computer scheduling program that was so successful that he was asked to join the IT team at the hospital. This was the start into a career that led him to create one of the most exciting local start- up companies that has gained nationwide recognition.
iSirona currently has 190 employees, which will be increased to 300 within the next 3 years. 65 highly trained individuals have already been hired toward the 300.
Dave, a veteran himself, said he has had the most success hiring veterans through the Gulf Coast Workforce Center. The veteran candidates already have the leadership and organizational skills that resonate with the project management positions he needs to fill.
He has also been successful in hiring at least a dozen interns from Florida State University and hopes that with the new ATC at Gulf Coast State College, the opportunities for interns feeding the talent pool will increase even more.
Some of the highly specialized positions have had to be hired from outside of Bay County, such as the FDA regulatory-related positions. “We just don’t have those types of companies currently operating here”, said Dave.
iSirona’s employees with families see it as an advantage to live in Bay County as local schools offer outstanding opportunities for involvement in the community.
Dave Dyell even helped bring some of the best and brightest talent back to Panama City. “A large percentage of our employees are those that grew up here and moved out of the area to pursue careers. This group of natives has been the most enthusiastic to move back to be closer to their families and back to their roots.”
“The biggest challenge has been hiring singles”, Dave added. Many of them moved from larger cities where activities such as major sports and museums were popular pastimes. But there are many cultural events in Bay County and it has much to offer for outdoor enthusiasts. Dave is sponsoring activities for new employees. Water sport, which is such a large part of the Bay County culture, is a staple in iSirona’s team activities. “We have put together support teams that help coordinate activities for singles to do together.” For example, the teams have gone on canoe trips and some have even earned their diving certifications.
With states competing for job creation, Panama City, Bay County and Florida were concerned in 2013 that they might lose a valuable company with high-paying jobs. iSirona is the recipient of two incentive programs aimed at increasing high-skill, high-wage jobs in Florida.
“iSirona could be in Silicon Valley but because of the highly competitive business incentives created by Florida’s legislature and Governor Scott, they located in what they like to call Silicon Bay in Northwest Florida,” said Senate President Don Gaetz.
“We love Panama City, so we never thought of just picking up and moving our company to another state,” Dave explains, “other states attempted to try and entice iSirona to re-locate, and we began to look at the offers. As a business person, it makes sense to at least consider the offers being made. There are many facets to consider, such as growth implications, talent pool and location.”
He says many factors played into the decision to stay in Panama City, but the number one was for personal reasons. “Our families wanted to stay,” said Dave.
By Amanda Bawn and Val Schoger