Phoenix Rising Above ‘Arduous’ Beginning

Carol Curran Founded Phoenix Data Corp. in 2001 in Indianapolis.

An Indianapolis-based document processing and electronic records management company is continuing to grow 15 years after its founder was turned away 29 times by banks. Chief Executive Officer Carol Curran says Phoenix Data Corp. is now involved with seven-figure contracts after her "arduous" fight to launch the business. The company’s big-name clients include the U.S. Department of Defense, Department of Justice and the State of Indiana. During an interview with Inside INdiana Business Television, Curran talked about the early days of Phoenix Data Corp. and the search for "higher-level people."

She says Phoenix is always looking for talent with technology skills. "We’ve hired a lot of military people, a lot of veteran people, we’ve had PhDs. But people with technology expertise, software background, program management background, and so forth, are people we look for."

The struggle to get funding in the beginning are gone and the business is in a state of success. "Especially as a woman in those days, it was very, very difficult. You had to have a co-signer," she said. Curran at the time was a single mother and finally managed to secure the funding she needed to establish the company in 2001. Curran says this year, however, Phoenix Data Corp. is looking to double its revenue.