Name of the Organization: Percival Inc
Industry: Cybersecurity
CEO/Founder: Sam Ely
1) How has MTIP impacted your company or ability to hire interns?
MTIP has enabled our company to find, recruit, train, and retain new Maryland team members in new ways. MTIP provides the financial lift needed to enable our company to continue to grow.
2) What inspired the founder to start the company?
Percival was started based around the concept that finding and retaining the best people should be a company’s #1 goal. Projects will come and go over time, but the team is what makes the company successful. Prior to this company, Sam found himself working with other companies that continually traded people for profit. As a result, Percival was born.
3) What problem is the company solving, or what service or feature is the company providing?
Percival is focused on providing cyber security for DoD, state, and local companies to ensure the safety of their information and the freedom to pursue their missions without fear of a cyber security risk. Our company prides itself on providing honest and unbiased assessments of cyber risk and assists with mitigating those challenges.
4) Can you share a major milestone or success that has had a significant impact on your company’s growth?
One of the greatest successes (and challenges) was that of the loss of our first office. At just 3 years into our company, we had grown past a virtual office and opened up our first physical location in Columbia, MD. The paint was still wet and we hadn’t finished making the construction payments when the office was destroyed in a gas explosion. This could have been a catastrophe for Percival, but our team assembled, rose to the challenges, and successfully navigated the need to continue to support our customers with the need to recoup. The result is that our team bonded and became much stronger. Then just a year later we moved into a much larger office which has been our home ever since. The teamwork and bonds formed during that challenging time solidified our belief that any challenge can be overcome if you have the right team together to do so.
5) What is your company aiming to achieve in the next 5 to 10 years?
Our goal is to expand our current customer base both inside and outside of Maryland; further expanding the reach of our Maryland based team and talents to solve the toughest challenges coast to coast.
6) What advice would you give to someone wanting to start a company in your industry?
Be deliberate in your decision to start a company, be passionate about what you are going to do, and prioritize the company’s growth over short term personal benefit.