40 Under 40 Award Winners

United Systems’ President David Spire, and former business partner & founder Josh Way are profiled in this review of the Gulf Coast’s brightest young professionals under 40. Read on to find out how their unique partnership and vastly different backgrounds led them to professional success in the IT industry.

This year’s issue of 40 under 40 shows just how attrictive our area can be to some of the brightest young professionals. In this years class of 40 under 40, our 8th, the Review presents honoress from an array of professional, including bankers, lawyers, designers and artists, executives from non-profit organizations and business people in the health, IT, retail and real estate industries.

David Spire, 33 Josh Way, 34
By Mark Gordon

David Spire and Joshua Way are computer geeks who would like nothing more than to fix someone’s computer crisis and watch the person’s smile — or regular skin complexion — return to his face.

But the budding entrepreneurs, whose Palmetto-based computer-consulting firm is on the verge of passing $1 million in annual revenues after starting from zero in 2004 and purposely not talking on any clients until halfway through 2005, would prefer to work with clients when things are smooth, not stormy.

“We want to build your business using technology,” says Way, 34. “We don’t want to just fix your problem.” Adds Spire, 33: ” We don’t fix situations. We solve entire problems.”

The company to accomplish this is United Systems Computer Group, which Way initially formed on his own. Way and Spire, who met each other through thier chruch, come to their business partnership from vastly different backgrounds. Way’s forte is technology. while Spire’s strenghts are in marketing and sales.
Way, who was born in Hollywood and moved around several towns on Florida’s east coast when he was younger, dropped out of high school and bounced around several jobs for a few years in his late teens. He tried a career in music, playing guitar and singing in a band in California and then later in Nashville. He almost signed up for the U.S. Air Force, too

Eventually, Way got into technology and computer. he earned his GED at a vocational school in Bradenton, which led to several computer jobs, both locally, and later in New York City, assessing programs for the New York Board of Trade. It was while living in New Jersey, working in New York, when Way began forming his own company.

Spire was born and raised in Bradenton and graduated from Florida State with a degree in graphics design. His first job was in marketing for InterShow, a Sarasota-based company that runs investment seminars nationwide. He then worked in graphics jobs for a printing business, eventually moving to sales.
US Computer Group has grown its revenues from $60,000 in 2005 to $420,000 in 2006 to a projected $1.1 million in 2007.

Mike Carter Construction has been a major client for US Computer Group during the past two years. Other firms the company has done work for include Sarasota-based real estate firm Michael Saunders & Co. and Palmetto-based constrution firm Zirkelbach Construstion Inc.