Southeastern Business Center Incubator Client Growing


Contact: Tonya Lowentritt
Date: April 26, 2012

Click on thumbnail for high resolution photoEnvoc

 

     HAMMOND – A computer applications operation in Southeastern Louisiana University's business incubator is gaining national attention for its development of a new product that allows businesses to create customized mobile apps with ease.

     Envoc, a Louisiana-based company that specializes in creating customized software and applications unique to individual businesses, is growing its business through the development of a product called "AppMelt." The company moved to Louisiana from Houston in 2001 and joined the business incubator, housed in the Southeast Louisiana Business Center, in 2010.

     With customers ranging from oil and gas companies to a 44,000-acre deer ranch, Envoc has become so successful that Geeknet - the online Microsoft network that provides content and news for 53 million tech-savvy users each month – interviewed Envoc founder Calvin Fabre for a website posting.

     Fabre credits Southeastern with providing him the environment that has helped Envoc grow and achieve success.

     "The entrepreneurial side of Envoc needed a place to launch its ideas. As a graduate of Southeastern, I knew there was passion for programming here," he said. "When Southeastern offered us the ability to come into an incubator environment – where we have access to development resources, business coaches, and people who hold us accountable for our marketing goals – we applied to be a part of the incubator and were approved.

     "The incubator provides us with space and other amenities at a low cost," he added. It's a great environment, with access to college professors and to the talent of the university, including excellent student workers who we've hired and who are gaining valuable experience working for us. We see that as a great jump start to our entrepreneurial work."

     "Companies like Envoc are exactly what Louisiana is hoping to build and retain, as the reputation for the expanding 'Silicon Bayou' starts to take hold in the nation," said William Joubert, director of the business center. "Digital media and software development are important business sectors that Louisiana Economic Development is working hard to entice."

     "AppMelt came about because companies want to extend their brand into the mobile space," said Fabre. "AppMelt is a place where graphic designers can easily assemble a mobile app for iPhone, Android and Windows Mobile without the need of a programmer. It takes care of everything, including servers, firewalls, databases, and backup."

     Fabre said each miniature app, or "melt," is inserted into the blank slate of a mobile application. The content is managed externally through a portal, which all gets disseminated through Microsoft Azure, a cloud computing platform used to build, host and scale Web applications through Microsoft data centers.

     "The AppMelt mobile development suite provides for the rapid creation of powerful mobile and tablet applications that integrate with existing Web and business environments," he added. "These apps can be managed and deployed solely within a company's intranet or published on both the Apple App Store and Android Marketplace for wider distribution."

     For more information on the business center's incubator program, contact Joubert at 985-549-3831. For more information about Envoc, contact Fabre at 225-910-8239, or visit www.envoc.com.

 

ENVOC INNOVATIONS RECOGNIZED – Envoc founder Calvin Fabre is interviewed at the Southeast Louisiana Business Center by Chris Yeich, director of strategic content for Geeknet, an online Microsoft network that provides news and content to millions of tech-savvy users.

 

More News...