Randy Fisher is a partner at DeveloperTown, located at 5255 Winthrop Avenue. He recently went off-line to describe the technology firm south of Broad Ripple.

"The simplest way to describe DeveloperTown is that we bring new software products to life. We work on projects ranging from fantasy football prediction engines to precision agriculture. We are currently working with Beck Hybrid Seeds on their FarmServer project, which is built to help farmers leverage precision agriculture strategies to make decisions on their farms," he explained.

In a short-time, the software developer and design firm has made vast progress. "On January 1, 2010, we were plotting the concept of the company while we were renting space on the east side of Indianapolis. Once we found this space, we bought it and completely rehabilitated it. It was truly a warehouse and we had to make it workable office space. Year one to three was spent doing that. From a business growth standpoint, we have gone from 12 employees in year one to over 40. We started out doing software development, then design and then we added marketing services. Our theory is to get the product to market as fast as you reasonably can, learn and get the knowledge (from consumers) and then continue design making. The business has evolved over time. One of the biggest evolutions when we first set out, we were really only working with small entrepreneurial tech start-ups. We used the learnings from working with these small companies to helping bigger companies launch new products. That new piece is key because you can treat it like a start-up. The DeveloperTown team likes the variety of their work. They may work on healthcare, entertainment or education projects over a four to six week time frame. The variety is what keeps them interested and fresh," Fisher mentioned.

"Software developers and designers work in various houses customized by a local homebuilder. The concept of the houses is that when there is a project going on, we can push them together to bring developers, designers and engagement managers into a cul-de-sac model. The houses are on wheels and can be moved around DeveloperTown. We have a full-time person who basically works on the houses in here and makes modifications to them. She started out doing odds and ends when we were smaller, but with recent growth it has become a full-time job," he said.

DeveloperTown's client base has expanded into new geographic boundaries. "We're national at this point where we have clients on the east and west coast. The majority of our clients are in the Indianapolis metropolitan area. We were part of a project where entrepreneur Todd Wagner (from Cuban Wagner Company) had people involved in from all over the country. He would get the project team together in Los Angeles frequently to collaborate. One time he decided to have everybody fly to Indianapolis instead because he had a speaking engagement. Their perception of the city completely changed. This is not a totally unique type of business on the east and west coast, but it is in Indianapolis. As we try to expand and grow here, we've been able to attract talent from both coasts to a flyover state," Fisher noted. He earned his undergraduate degree in management and his graduate degree in information science at IU Bloomington.

In addition to DeveloperTown, the building at 5255 Winthrop Avenue hosts a handful of other local businesses. The people on the Monon Trail side of the building work in an entrepreneur's cove area. There is also the Speakeasy which is a co-working space people can share ideas and network. Typically a library atmosphere during the day, it hosts special events after hours when individuals log-off and want to engage in professional development.

They often lend their skills to the local community in various ways. "We're working with the Riviera Club and Joe Vuskovich at YATS on their websites right now," Fisher mentioned.

"The most rewarding part of my work is being able to improve people's lives through well designed technology. Another thing I really enjoyed seeing is the economic development that has occurred since we moved into the area. We were the first ones here in scale. Now the entire stretch of Winthrop from 54th to 52nd is full of booming new businesses. Our plans are to continue growing and add 20 to 30 percent more staff," he reflected.

DeveloperTown partner Randy Fisher is more than just an entrepreneur. He and his staff are the catalyst in reviving a vacant urban area and pioneering a new path of economic progress south of Broad Ripple.