Jim Melvin
Jim Melvin | |
|---|---|
 Melvin in 2015 | |
| Alma mater | Tulane University |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur,investor,andphilanthropist |
| Known for |
|
| Spouse | Beth Padnos |
| Children | 3 |
James Walter Melvinis an Americanentrepreneur,investor,andphilanthropistwho founded and served as theCEOof several notable software companies in thefoodserviceandhospitalityindustries. His software products have been installed at more than 125,000 stores worldwide for companies such asMcDonald's,YUM! Brands,Burger King,Wendy's,Disney,Darden Restaurants,K-Mart,Costco,FedEx,Walmart,Foot Lockerand many others.
Early life
[edit]Melvin was an early fan ofDungeons & Dragons.At 15 years old, Melvin metGary Gygaxat a fan convention, where the two discussed an idea for automating the role of theDungeon Master.At the urging of Gygax, Melvin created GameAssist usingZ80 assemblyonTRS-80computers. GameAssist was a tool to assist Dungeon Masters in the Dungeons & Dragons game with tracking player statistics and inventory and in managing and generating creature encounters. Melvin sold theIntellectual propertybehind GameAssist in 1980 to a gaming supplies store after he left to attend college atTulane University.
Introduction to the foodservice industry
[edit]Melvin's career of creating technology solutions[buzzword]for the foodservice industry began when he was 18 years old, when he was hired by aWendy'sfranchisee to develop software for the franchisee's Wendy's stores. This software was later adopted by Wendy's corporate.[4]
In 1986, Melvin co-founded Techwerks. Techwerks became one of the largest global resellers of NCR retail hardware. While at Techwerks, Melvin developed touchscreenpoint of salesoftware called "Foodwerks" forfast food restaurants.
Foodwerks was sold in April 1989 for almost $2 million to an investor group led by Melvin.[5]
Compris Technologies
[edit]With support fromDave Thomas,and financial backing fromIBM,Melvin founded Compris Technologies in late 1989. The primary product offered by Compris Technologies was a point of sale (POS) software application. IBM, in a partnership with Compris Technologies, created the first commercial IBM touchscreen POS units, IBM kiosk POS units and IBM handheld POS units. As a result, the Compris POS software application was first mainly installed on IBM46xx Serieshardware, but later supported by several other POS hardware manufacturers includingNCR.Between 1989 and 1992, Compris quickly grew to become the dominant global provider of foodservice technology. The Compris POS software continued to increase in popularity throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, winning severalMicrosoftRetail Application Developer (RAD) Awards.[6]
Apigent Solutions
[edit]
In 2000, Melvin founded Apigent Solutions. Other technology companies, such as Par Technology Corporation, partnered with Apigent Solutions to provide comprehensive technology offerings[clarification needed]to foodservice chains within the quick service (QSR) segment.[7]At the time, Apigent Solutions was the onlySun MicrosystemsSunTone Certified data center in the foodservice industry.
In 2002, Apigent Solutions was sold to eMac Digital, a joint venture backed byMcDonald'sandKKR.[8][9]
SIVA Corporation
[edit]On January 1, 2003, Melvin acquired SIVA Corporation, a provider of cloud-based POS software, from a private investor group. Melvin shut down the business for a year following the acquisition to rearchitect the underlying technology as an enterprise-focused system. Upon completion of the reengineering effort,Darden Restaurantsbecame iSIVA's first customer in 2003. Over the next four years, the iSIVA product grew in popularity and was adopted byLuby's,Fuddruckers,Legal Sea Foods,CoCo's,Carrows,Miller's Alehouseand many others.[10]
Other ventures
[edit]Following his tenure at Par Technology Corporation, Melvin served as an advisor and investor for several technologystart-upsin the foodservice space. In 2014, Melvin joined the board of advisors for the House of Genius, aStartup accelerator.Melvin currently occupies the role of CEO for Intelligent Transactions, a strategic technology consultancy for the foodservice industry.[11]
Philanthropy
[edit]In 1998, in a partnership with theNational Restaurant Association,Melvin co-founded the technology pavilion for the association's annual trade show in Chicago to help promote innovation within the foodservice industry. Melvin's other philanthropic endeavors included serving on theFDA'sFood Safety Technology Advisory Panel and participating as an advisory board member forRound It Up America.[12]
In 2013, Melvin co-founded the Food Service Educational Alliance, anon-profit organizationdedicated to investigating and advancing educational opportunities for workers in the foodservice industry.
References
[edit]- ^"PAR Technology Corporation Announces Acquisition of SIVA".November 2, 2006.
- ^Gallagher, Sean (July 2, 2003)."McDonalds Technology Trials".
- ^"NCR Corp. to buy Compris Technologies".July 30, 1997.
- ^"Jim Melvin Bio".
- ^"COMPRIS TECHNOLOGIES INC v. TECHWERKS INC".
- ^"COMPRIS WINS 2001 RAD AWARD FOR HOSPITALITY – FOODSERVICE".June 18, 2001. Archived fromthe originalon June 2, 2003.RetrievedSeptember 12,2020.
- ^"ParTech, Inc. and Apigent Solutions Strike Strategic Partnership".October 19, 2001.
- ^"EMAC DIGITAL ACQUIRES APIGENT SOLUTIONS".April 15, 2002.
- ^Gallagher, Sean (July 2, 2003)."McDonalds Technology Trials".
- ^"Siva receives $5.4M in funding".June 1, 2004.
- ^"Founded by an Expert Operator & Technologist".
- ^"Partnership for Food Protection"(PDF).Food and Drug Administration.