Our guests today: Forest Thigpen and Joel Bomgar
Posted
on Oct 29, 2013
Joel Bomgar, 29, has over a decade of experience in network engineering. In 2003, while working his way through college as a systems engineer, Bomgar created the concept for his company’s remote control support product, the Bomgar Box™, as a way to provide helpdesk and technical support to disparate users without leaving his desk.
Since founding Bomgar Corporation that same year, the company quickly grew to revenues in excess of $20 million and continues to see more than 80% year-over-year growth to this day.
Bomgar has had a history of focused achievement. During his seven year tenure in the Mississippi Air National Guard, he honed his networking and computer skills and earned more than 16 network certifications, along with the Air Force Achievement Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal and recognition for participation in the security forces squadron in the aftermath of September 11, 2001.
Bomgar graduated Summa Cum Laude with a bachelor of science in business administration from Belhaven College in May 2003, receiving the Trustee’s Award for the highest GPA in his graduating class. He worked his way through college as a systems engineer at Business Communications, Inc. (BCI), a systems integrator, and used his experience supporting remote users to develop the technology that would later become the Bomgar Box™. Unlike traditional remote control software, this technology allowed him to provide immediate technical support to any computer, anywhere in the world, in a matter of seconds – all without leaving his desk.
In 2003, Bomgar founded Bomgar Corporation, a software company located in Ridgeland, MS, to take the Bomgar™ technology to market. Surging demand for the Bomgar Box™ prompted Bomgar to seek venture capital to support aggressive growth and ultimately secured $20 million in growth capital from Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company and Gulf South Capital, headed by Skytel founder and former US ambassador to Portugal, Mr. John Palmer.
Since the company’s inception, Bomgar has been responsible for leading Bomgar Corporation in its acquisition of over 4,500 customers in all 50 states and 48 countries internationally, including numerous global deployments and enterprise customers listed on the Fortune 500, Fortune 1000 and Global 500. In addition, Bomgar Corporation has established strategic partnerships with the two leading service management solution vendors, BMC and HP.
Bomgar has served as the primary spokesman for the company, which has been recognized in publications including ComputerWorld, Entrepreneur Magazine, Fast Company, InformationWeek, Red Herring, Small Business Computing, and Mississippi Business Journal, which named Bomgar Corporation one of the “Best Places to Work in Mississippi.” Mr. Bomgar also appeared on ABC News’ “Ahead of the Curve” and on NetworkWorld’s “Hot Seat”. Additionally, NetworkWorld named Bomgar Corporation one of the “Top 10 Security Companies to Watch” and gave the Bomgar B200™ a rating of 4.65 out of 5 for their “Clear Choice Test”. CRN recommends the B300 with a top rating of 5 stars. Bomgar Corporation was one of the finalists for eWeek’s Excellence Awards and was honored with a DEMOgod award for one of the 10 best presentations at the DEMO 2006 technology conference. Bomgar Corporation was the subject of both a paper and a video case study by Google and was invited to Google headquarters in California to present to all Google staff regarding Bomgar Corporation’s success. Bomgar Corporation has been recognized as a “Cool Vendor in IT Support” by Gartner, a leading analyst fi rm, as one of the ten fastest-growing software companies in America in the Inc. 500, and as the 28th fastest-growing technology company in America in Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500.
Forest Thigpen is President of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy, an independent think tank based in Jackson. Forest and his wife, Debbie, have two sons: Jason, who is 31, and Clayton, who is 23. They live in Madison and are members of Broadmoor Baptist Church. Debbie has an interior-design consulting business. Jason graduated from Madison public schools and Mississippi College, and he works in the Jackson area. Clayton also graduated from Madison public schools and attends Mississippi College.
Forest served on the Washington staff of Senator Thad Cochran for 10 years. He worked in various legislative and administrative capacities for Senator Cochran, including service as the Republican Staff Director for a subcommittee of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee. He was responsible at various times in his Washington career for policy analysis in the areas of taxes, government regulation, health care reform, banking, insurance, energy, Social Security, welfare, the justice system, communications, housing and environmental issues.
As a part of his work at the Mississippi Center for Public Policy, Forest produces a one-minute radio commentary, titled Vital Signs, that airs several times weekly on multiple stations across Mississippi. He has appeared on every major television station in Mississippi and in every major newspaper in the state, as well as USA Today, Time Magazine, and other national publications.
Gov. Phil Bryant asked Forest to serve on a committee of his transition team, and, as Lieutenant Governor, appointed Forest to a commission to find ways to operate government more efficiently. Forest was appointed by former Gov. Haley Barbour to his tax study commission, a commission on charter schools, and a committee of the Governor's Commission on Recovery, Rebuilding, and Renewal following Hurricane Katrina. Forest also served two terms on the Mississippi Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. He now serves on the boards of Bigger Pie Forum and the newly-formed Mississippi Charter School Association.
Forest has been involved as a volunteer in a variety of ministries. He developed and directed a church-wide ministry to meet the special needs of the poor and elderly, and he served on the Inner City Ministry Committee at his church.
Forest, a native of Cleveland, Mississippi, earned an accounting degree from Delta State University, where he served as President of the Student Government Association and of the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. He is an alumnus of the Leadership Mississippi program of the Mississippi Economic Council.