The tech industry is thriving in Indianapolis. Because of this, many companies are seeking qualified software engineers and oftentimes these individuals are drawn toward larger, well-known businesses, often causing smaller tech companies to struggle recruiting talent.

Greenlight Guru is an Indianapolis-based software company that houses the only Quality Management Software designed specifically for the medical device industry. Because of their creativity and innovation, Greenlight Guru was finding success and looking to grow – starting with their software engineering team. Initially, they searched for candidates through professional recruiters and from local coding schools. They were introduced to several individuals but lost out to larger organizations that were also competing for qualified candidates. The need to grow their team was immediate because their smaller size reduced the rate that Greenlight Guru was able to provide valuable software to manufacturers, ultimately impeding their mission: to bring a higher quality of life by changing the way people make medical devices.

This mission is the backbone of the organization. “We love hiring ‘willing to change their life’ employees. This starts with investing in those with non-traditional tech backgrounds – different types of intelligence and experiences will trigger different things,” says Greenlight Guru Co-Founder and CTO, David Odmark. This vision for the future of their company is one of the many reasons Greenlight Guru was attracted to EmployIndy’s Employ Up program. Employ Up assists individuals who are unemployed or underemployed to take a path to a meaningful career by offering free skills training, job search support and access to the many high-tech companies looking for talent.

“Not only do we wholeheartedly support your mission, we were surprised and delighted at how easy it is to work with EmployIndy. When people say they’re going to do something, they do it right away. This was a welcomed surprise from other organizations we’ve worked with.”

– David Odmark, Co-Founder and CTO

This program has opened doors for Greenlight Guru to bring on candidates as apprentices. The brilliant part about that? This non-traditional way of developing talent is attractive because they are able to mold individuals to not only learn the critical skills needed to excel in the medical device industry, but also to “have folks who are truly Greenlight Guru teammates and have mentors equipping them with skills needed to succeed,” exclaims Chuck Dishmon, Project Manager for Greenlight Guru. Hiring apprentices through Employ Up creates opportunities for their company to hire those with unique talents to excel in both the tech industry and at their company.

EmployIndy has provided Greenlight Guru with the talent resources and support that to grow their software team by 25%. This growth has ultimately propelled their team and makes it possible for them to deliver critical post-market functionality to customers. The partnership between Greenlight Guru and EmployIndy has allowed them to provide stable careers in technology for new employees, strengthen the community, and support medical device companies.

UPDATE: Since this post in February of 2018, Greenlight Guru has flourished! Check out the launch of their new software and the impact it is having on their growing company.