2021 Trusted Advisers Technology Professional: Jack Dozier

Jack Dozier never imagined that he and a fellow sandwich artist would someday start a company.

But since he and Ryan Grady both passed the test to work at Subway – yes, there was a sandwich-artist test – the then-high schoolers became co-workers and friends. Years later, when Grady had an idea for a company, he turned to Dozier. They’re now co-owners of Obvious Technical Solutions LLC.

“I saw an opportunity to start a business providing IT services for my long-term employer,” Grady says. “I knew immediately that the only way that was going to be possible was for me to recruit Jack to be my business partner. I knew that I could not be successful without him.”

That Dozier would work with computers was a given. Starting a computer company wasn’t. His background is education.

After moving to Springfield from Branson in middle school, Dozier attended public school for a year before turning to homeschooling. He got his high school equivalency diploma at 16 years old and started classes at Ozarks Technical Community College.

Dozier soon had a part-time job in the computer lab, and he continued working at OTC after moving to Missouri State University for his bachelor’s degree studies in computer science. By his last semester at MSU, Dozier was working full time at OTC. He worked his way up into management, eventually becoming college director of administrative computing and technical services. He was also an adjunct instructor. Dozier earned his master’s degree in computer science while, again, holding down a full-time job.

After 12 years at OTC, Dozier was ready for a change. A joke with his girlfriend about taking off and traveling in an RV turned into the real thing. They set off in a 37-foot Winnebago along with their dog, Daisy, and spent almost a year and a half driving through a large portion of the United States and into Canada. “I could probably do it for the rest of my life, but I was ready to come back to something,” Dozier says.

Opportunity knocked when Grady approached Dozier about a partnership. Obvious Technical Solutions launched in 2017.

“My role as a trusted adviser is to help my customers understand the complexity of technology so that they can make informed business decisions,” Dozier says. “Customers have a lot of fear and stress when it comes to IT problems. The ability for them to hear a friendly voice or see a smiling face who can help them solve their problem without making them feel dumb is incredibly valuable.”

Although he no longer works in education, Dozier remains committed to it.

“I’m passionate about learning,” he says. “One way I feel I go above the call of duty is providing technical guidance and mentoring to clients’ staff.”

The sweet spot for Dozier’s company is clients with about 15 employees, which allows a smaller business like Obvious Technical Solutions to stay focused on the customer.

“Our main thing is to handle the IT for companies so companies don’t have to,” he says.

One of Dozier’s goals is to get to the point where he can focus more on growth – “Less day to day and more working on the company, not in the company,” he says.