Data Science Automation Founder Featured in "The Valley Independent" Article

Getting to know the SCORE
By Stacy Wolford, Staff Writer
swolford@tribweb.com
"The Valley Independent" January 27, 2001
Jim Ference, Photographer
Reprinted with Permission

Retired executives help entrepreneurs get off to good start

Richard Brueggman knew he was taking a gamble when he ventured from his rising position at PPG Industries in Pittsburgh to start his own company.

The Bethel Park native knew he had the skills to launch his own computer based engineering firm, but was still uncertain if the move was in the best interest of his family.

That's when Brueggman enlisted the help of longtime family friend Carl Wapiennik of Rostraver Township.
Wapiennick, a member of the local SCORE Association (Service Corps of Retired Executives) based in Monessen, along with several other volunteer counselors, met with Brueggman in 1995, and gave him their vote of confidence for the business venture.

He listened to the advice of the SCORE councelors, took the risk and quit his job at PPG Industries.
He's never looked back. Brueggman, who holds a graduate degre in physics from Carnegie Mellon University, moved his part-time business from his home and went full-time by opening his first office in Bethel Park. He quickly moved into a larger facility at Southpointe in Canonsburg to accommodate his growing company.
Today, Brueggman, 34, is the president and CEO of Data Science Automation Inc., a multimillion dollor company that serves "Fortune 100" and Dow Jones component corporations from branches in five locations.
"When I met with the SCORE counselors, they addressed issues about starting a business that I never thought of," said Brueggman. "They asked probing questions and told me if I didn't have the answers, then I wasn't ready yet."

That's the role of SCORE, says Romeo Furio, who has been involved with the Monessen SCORE chapter for more than 20 years. A retired mechanical supervisor from the former Monessen plant of Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel, Furio, 81, still donates his time to offer advice to hopeful entrepreneurs, as do several other Mon Valley retirees.

SCORE is free business counseling and advice service found in 389 location across the country. SCORE volunteers helped more than 300,000 people last year alone - 4.2 million small business owners since 1964.
SCORE, a non-profit association, partners with the U.S. Small Business Administration to provide business owners with information vital to their success, including counsel on financing options, business planning, marketing strategies and product development, for example. The Mon Valley SCORE chapter is also affiliated with St. Vincent College and California University of Pennsylvania.

Put bluntly, Furio says they "take the rose colored glasses off" and show their clients "the hard facts of life."
Brueggman is just one of nearly 2,000 people the local SCORE counselors in Monessen have helped over the years. Wapiennik, a retired executive director from the Buhl Planetariam Institute of Popular Science, explained many people come to them with the goal of becoming "their own boss."

"The majority of people we counsel are those hoping to open 'mom and pop' type businesses," says Wapiennik. "And one of the most important things we ask them is how will they support their families until their business turns a profit."

Herman Meade, a retired manager at Brunswick Lanes in Rostraver Township, serves as chairman of the local SCORE chapter and says more people need to be aware of their free counseling services.
"We have counselors from all different backgrounds who've had different experiences over the years," says Meade. "That kind of information is invaluable."

Other SCORE members are Eugene Fritz, Kenneth Geiser, Isabelle Hurley, Robert Johnston, Boris Pishko, William Rood and Norma Todd.

Meade also says they are always in need of more volunteer counselors and help in promoting SCORE.
"More people need to know about what we offer and take advantage of it," Meade says.

Wapiennik says not everyone is given the green light to become self employed, as most are sent home with homework and dozens of questions to contemplate.

The relationship between SCORE members and clients often don't end after their initial visits. Even though it's been several years since SCORE helped Brueggman in the starting phases of his company, Wapiennik now serves as an advisor on Data Science Automation Inc.'s board of directors.

Meade explained they also advice clients starting their business to check in with them a year after starting for an evaluation of their progress.

But the most important piece of advice SCORE counselors give their clients is to have the drive to succeed - advice Brueggman is now cashing in on.

The SCORE counselors don't pull any punches," he said. "You have to work for it and have a burning desire to succeed."

For more information about SCORE, or to become a volunteer counselor, call 684-4277.

To learn more about Data Science Automation, contact their Pittsburgh headquarters at Southpointe Plaza I, Suite 210, 400 Southpointe Boulevard, Canonsburg, PA 15317 or call (724) 745-8400, fax (724) 745-8461, e-mail Info@DSAutomation.com. Readers can also visit the company’s Web site at www.DSAutomation.com .