Previously in our “LEAD Gives Back” blog series, we shared details about our Summer 2023 Internship Program where we hosted nine interns from local high school and colleges across Charlotte and surrounding areas. A few of those interns were also part of two larger community events we took on! Most recently, LEAD partnered with local Providence Day School as we hosted a student tour and presentation as well as took part in a special guest speaking opportunity where we shared our experience in entrepreneurship, software development, business, and more.
Student Tours
Earlier this year, we welcomed technology and entrepreneur students from local Providence Day School to tour our facility, hear the history of how LEAD came to be, and get a peek at the endless capabilities of LEADTOOLS. Co-founders Moe Daher and Rich Little shared how they took a passionate idea and grew LEAD into the company it is today. During the visit, the students were able to share their aspirations and questions about starting businesses of their own one day and their future possibilities.
Students were split into three groups and rotated between Q&A with LEAD developers, software demonstrations of LEADTOOLS and real-world use-cases, and Q&A with Moe and Rich. Through these presentations, they were given insight about what starting a business is like, the ins and outs of running a business, and the importance each department plays in creating and continuing a successful business. The students were full of questions that we were happy to answer about LEAD, the personal experiences of various employees, and a real-world scenario of what it takes to follow a dream.
Guest Speaking
Despite not typically being the one who jumps for public speaking engagements, Moe also made a special trip to speak to Providence Day School’s Social Entrepreneurship class where he shared what entrepreneurship means to him and how dedication and innovation has pushed LEADTOOLS to be at the forefront of software development technology. Moe shared that “if you have a passion for what you’re doing and love doing it, stick with it. Whatever you are working on, whether it is a new company, invention, or idea, if you have a passion for it, it will all work out because passion doesn’t die. But be patient with your passions because success doesn’t happen overnight.”
Brief History of LEAD
LEAD’s history is certainly one for the books when it comes to following your passions and persevering. The kids were eager to hear how Moe and Rich, who were only a few years older than the students themselves, came together in 1990 and took an idea of image compression and transformed it into a patent and passion to build a thriving business focused on imaging technology.
As Moe and Rich told the students, people will want to invest in something that you’re passionate about. For them, it was angel investors Arthur Evans and Jim Alexander who saw their vision and decided to back it. From there, LEAD Technologies was born – Rich Little, Arthur Evans, Jim Alexander, and Moe Daher. Once a simple acronym from four different names, LEAD surely has made a name for itself with over 33 years of creating award-winning recognition, document, medical, multimedia and imaging technologies that are integrated into millions of applications worldwide.
Cheers to Future Opportunities!
We are so grateful to have these opportunities to meet with aspiring students to share more about LEADTOOLS and we are excited to continue doing so. Through school tours, guest speaking opportunities, and our internship program, we look forward to learning more from this new generation of talented young minds.
If you are interested in a school tour or guest speaking opportunity, please reach out to our Human Resources department for more information.
LEAD Gives Back Blog Series
Missed any of our #LEADGivesBack posts? Check out the running list below:
