July 29, 2002 - As Published in the Joliet Herald
Argonne computer science veteran runs firm in Morris
MORRIS — Finding this city a convenient location between his hometown of Ottawa and his job at Argonne National Laboratory, Mike Nevins decided 10 years ago to make Morris his home.
Now, the computer scientist is making the rural Grundy County city the base of operations for his high-tech company, Nevins Software Inc. Nevins founded the company in 1999 after leaving Argonne.
"I always wanted to start my own company. I had achieved what I wanted to achieve at Argonne. Now, I wanted to do it for myself," Nevins said.
Nevins Software specializes in custom software development, database design, system analysis, design and integration, and technology consulting.
From college on
Nevins graduated with a bachelor of science degree in computer science from Elmhurst College. While pursuing his master's degree in that field from DePaul University, he began work at Argonne.
Much of Nevins' work at the federally funded research facility was for the Department of Defense. Nevins also did work during his 12 years at Argonne for the Environmental Protection Agency and other government agencies.
Nevins found the work for Defense particularly rewarding.
"What I did at Argonne was work on models for large computer simulations for the Department of Defense. And in particular, the transportation and logistics area," he said.
What gave impetus for the research, Nevins said, were problems the U.S. military encountered in carrying out the Gulf War.
"One of the models that I built was a multiyear development effort to optimize throughput at seaports worldwide," he said. During the war, he said, the military found that seaports often were bottlenecks when it came to moving supplies and equipment in a timely manner.
Nevins said the simulation, through the use of "what-if" scenarios, helps military planners improve their decisions regarding the movement of war materials.
"One of the things I would like to do at my company is continue that seaport work with the commercial sector," Nevins said. Nevins said the seaport simulation could be adapted to other areas.
During his years at Argonne, Nevins had research published in 17 technical journal articles. He also presented information at the Pentagon and before the U.S. Congress.
Own company
Since its founding in 1999, Nevins Software has compiled a list of clients including Union Bank, Grundy Area Vocational Center, Stelken and Associates, Terry's Auto Haus and others.
Particular jobs were: a system to allow Morris Grade School District parents to go online to find balances for lunchroom accounts, and building an engine to search the Internet for visual images for Naperville-based Ditto Inc.
When a business or organization has an absence of qualified computer technical expertise, Nevins said, his company can step in to fill the void. Assistance from Nevins Software can help executives improve their decision-making process with the result of lowering costs, boosting efficiency and improving communication between departments, customers and suppliers.
"A lot of the work we do is with the Internet," Nevins said.
In this case, Nevins Software works to link Web sites with corporate databases. For example, customers of a shipping company can visit the company's Web site to find the status of a package they shipped.
Nevins also launched a service he calls "Rent-A-CTO (Chief Technology Officer)."
Targeted at small businesses, Nevins Software will analyze a business's technical setup and make recommendations to keep it operating in a secure and dependable manner.
Rent-A-CTO, Nevins said, gives businesses access to professional technical advice without the expense of having a full-time technical expert on board.
"They can get the advice they need at a low cost," he said.
In the heartland
Nevins admits Morris may be a somewhat unlikely location for a high-tech company. However, he sees the need for such services and the ability of technology and the Internet to make it possible.
Morris may offer the best of both worlds.
"A lot of the work that we do is project-oriented. We need to get together with customers (on a face-to-face basis) to discuss what needs to be done," Nevins said.
"The work itself can be done anywhere, be it Morris or Silicon Valley."
