DIGITAL BOARDWALK, INC.
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA

The third annual EntreCon Awards are a high point of the annual business and leadership development conference hosted by Studer Community Institute. The event includes honoring business leaders in the community whose contribution to the Pensacola area has helped strengthen our economy and improve the quality of life for everyone. Digital Boardwalk is awarded the Small Business of the Year for 2017. This award is given to a business with fewer than 50 employees that has shown resilience and fortitude in overcoming obstacles and difficulties to ensure a secure and growing success. Tim Shoop, CEO of Digital Boardwalk, says, “It takes a team. This award goes to all team members of Digital Boardwalk. I may lead the vision, but it is their de Our systematic approach to I.T. will show you a better way to make technology work for your business. We will be happy to come out for a free consultation or a free hour of support just to try us out. Here are just some of the key benefits of partnering with Digital Boardwalk: – Each Digital Boardwalk client is assigned a dedicated Account Manager and Sales Engineer. They will assist your organization with IT consulting and planning to ensure you maximize the value from your IT investment. They will keep you updated on technology advances and ensure that you are leveraging your existing technology investments. – Each Digital Boardwalk client is assigned a Project Manager and technical team to ensure a consistent support experience for all users. Each of our technical staff is trained on your environment so that they can respond to support request quickly and with the knowledge necessary to address your needs. Turn-over? Not here! We have above-average pay, full benefits, and a culture like no other to ensure we keep the talent we seek. – Our vision is to provide our clients with the highest level of support and to be accountable for the results we deliver. Our guarantee’s show our level of commitment to your success and the belief in our delivery of IT support and consulting. Company History With a background in telecommunications from the U.S. Navy, Digital Boardwalk chief executive officer Tim Shoop set off for Los Angeles, California in 1995 to pursue his dream of acting. Upon his arrival, however, the entrepreneurial spirit of Silicon Valley captivated Tim’s interest and led him to Jeffries Technologies, the fastest growing I.T. Company in the area. After four years of providing I.T. services to the film industry and multiple Fortune 500 companies, Tim decided to take his experience and entrepreneurial ideas back home to Pensacola, Florida. Upon his arrival in 1998, Tim launched New Vision Computers, a chain of retail computer service stores in the Pensacola area. Following the launch of New Vision Computers, Tim leveraged several key contacts and acquired numerous large Government contracts that would ultimately catapult the retail chain to a whole new level. Although New Vision Computers focused on a consumer market, the retail chain also gained a large business customer base by providing high quality fixed-fee services. After about eight years of operation, however, Tim began to predict a changing industry, especially for businesses. The “reactive” model for I.T. support simply wasn’t cost-effective for businesses and it lead to profuse amounts of downtime and lost productivity. With the widespread adoption of broadband internet, as well as the introduction of new remote support technologies, the method by which I.T. support could be provided was also evolving. With all these changes on the horizon, and a plethora of new business ideas, Tim set off on a new project, Digital Boardwalk. Many of the world’s largest technology companies tell stories of how they were incubated in the confines of a drab garage. Digital Boardwalk too has a garage story. Rather than a small garage, however, Digital Boardwalk was born inside a glorified hallway in the back of a retail store, right next to a public bathroom. Contrary to the austere environment that lay behind it, a bright red door embodied the optimistic and innovative development that took place in this small hallway. Tim was joined by co-founder Brian Wilkey in 2008, and together they worked tirelessly on their idea for a new class of I.T. Company. At the time, the managed I.T. services industry was just beyond its infancy, and several I.T. companies were adopting the new concepts that managed I.T. introduced. Tim and Brian recognized one fatal flaw, however. Numerous established I.T. service providers were jumping on the bandwagon and implementing the new remote management tools, but they were not taking the time to truly grasp and embrace the new values that managed I.T. stood for.> As a result, many I.T. companies fell back on their traditional reactive service models. Tim and Brian sought to create a brand new company with a foundation based on the ideologies, benefits and values of Managed I.T., as well as addressed the poor customer service and slow response times that plagued the industry. After 18 months of rigorous research, development, beta trials, and integration of multiple software platforms, Digital Boardwalk was officially incorporated in 2009. By leveraging several state of the art software solutions, as well as the power of the cloud, we were able to automate nearly 70% of the arduous processes required to run a service business. This meant that we could dedicate the majority of our internal resources to customer service and supporting our clients. Additionally, by devoting so much time up-front to perfecting the business model and workflow processes, we could directly focus on providing the industry’s fastest response times. Since its conception, Digital Boardwalk has constantly evolved to meet the demanding and ever-changing needs of businesses and the information technology industry. Without straying from our roots, our consistent evolution, innovation and commitment to customer service has projected Digital Boardwalk far ahead of the competition. In 2012 we were recognized for our superior customer services, rapid response times, and philanthropic contributions to our community and were awarded the Small Business of The Year award by the Greater Pensacola Chamber. We are thankful for all of our clients, partners, and our wonderful staff for helping make Digital Boardwalk the success it is today.