'Ready, fire, aim' -- entrepreneur sees robust growth in startups

Dan Roselli describes the entrepreneur’s mentality as “ready, fire, aim.” He says that only half-jokingly.

And he puts his money where his mouth is, having invested $8 million -- so far -- in the renovation of the 84-year-old Packard Place office building uptown into a thriving hub for startups.

The building, which “launched” last March, is a work in progress, as the small army of construction workers spread throughout the five-story structure Thursday morning attests. Roselli, 42, gave a tour of the building at 222 S. Church St. before sitting down to answer a few questions about Packard Place, its future and the current state of entrepreneurial activity in Charlotte, which he calls robust despite the sluggish economy.

Roselli’s own story is a testament to that. In addition to spearheading Packard Place, he also runs three small but fast-growing companies with a marketing emphasis.

What follows is a portion of a Q&A that has been edited for space and clarity. For the complete Q&A, read Sunday's MoneyWise section in the Observer.

Q: So, how’s business?

A: (Chuckling) I think business is good. It’s certainly a very challenging time. I think we’ve weathered the worst of the storm from an economic standpoint. I think we’ll continue to see slow, sustained growth. I also think what’s important is that entrepreneurs with good ideas, there’s plenty of good business opportunities out there. I think entrepreneurs that have really good ideas that meet consumer needs that are unmet right now, those companies are thriving. There are phenomenal success stories and explosive growth stories that are happening even in the midst of an economy that may not be robust.

Q: Cite some local examples.

A: You have Yap, which is a local company started by UNCC grads. MailVU here in Packard Place, a Five Ventures competition winner, just won the N.C. IDEA grant. They’re on a very fast growth trajectory streak. One of my own companies, CustomerStream, first time on the Inc. 5000 list, is just experiencing explosive growth because we’re filling an unmet need with community banks by helping them with their marketing efforts.

Q: What’s the market for high-tech startups in this area?

A: It’s interesting. Charlotte has a very robust emerging technology community that is under the radar screen to most people. There’s a group here called the Charlotte Regional Technology Council. There’s a group called Hackers and Founders. There’s a wonderful technology startup called OtherScreen. There’s Skookum, a technology development company that’s doing very well.

At a CRTech meeting, you’ll see 40 or 50 executives from 40 or 50 different technology companies that are in various stages of startup or rapid growth based here in Charlotte. I don’t think Charlotte will ever be another Silicon Valley, and that’s not the point, but Charlotte has a much more robust critical mass of technology-oriented companies than people think are here.