PROFILES IN LEADERSHIP

PROFILES IN LEADERSHIP

CEO , Greenzie

By Wanda Kenton Smith

Charles Brian Quinn , or “ CBQ ” to friends and colleagues , is CEO of Atlanta-based Greenzie . This five-year-old upstart provides autonomous technology for outdoor power equipment . Our interview addressed everything from CBQ ’ s tech background and launch into the field , his passion and motivation , challenges he ’ s faced along the way , his advice for young professionals considering an industry career and more .

Ranch . We became known for developing apps for Fortune 500 companies and training engineers all over the world . I remember several fun automation projects along the way : Honeywell thermostats , Toto toilets , Whirlpool appliances . You name it , we had a hand in developing software for those iconic brands . I was CEO for several years , and then stepped down to serve on the board , and we eventually sold it to a big agency who grew it even bigger .

OPE +: When and how were you introduced to the OPE industry ? CBQ : Everybody always says they mowed the lawn when they were a kid , and I was no exception , first figuring out how to “ put stripes in the yard ” and do it faster by tinkering with and installing a few extras on my dad ’ s mower . Later , professionally , I invested in a company called lawn . com with a college buddy , some local lawn pros and an investor . At first it didn ’ t quite go as we ’ d hoped but has risen like a phoenix and is doing great today .

OPE +: What was your career background before launching Greenzie ? Charles Brian Quinn : I ’ m new to the OPE industry , but not new to building software and automating things . I started building software when I was a young kid on my father ’ s Apple IIe . I fell in love with creating things .

Out of college , I was a software developer and dabbled in a few startups that didn ’ t make it big . Before Greenzie , I built up a software development consulting business ; just me and a friend built a 100 + person powerhouse company called Big Nerd

OPE +: What was the genesis of Greenzie ? CBQ : At lawn . com , we thought that back-office help was what landscapers needed but they kept telling us : “ I ’ ve got plenty of work , I just need reliable help to do it all .” When one of them said , “ If I could just get autopilot or cruise control on my mowers ,” I remember thinking that there are robomowers , but there was nothing like this for commercial cutters who do this professionally . That ’ s when I joined a good friend ’ s venture studio , which is a fancy way of saying an incubator for forming companies , and we decided to start Greenzie as an outdoor robotics company providing self-driving or “ cruise-control ” on commercial mowers . My first job at Greenzie was to call every single commercial landscaper and ask them what to build , and then build exactly that . I still do that every day .

16 OPE + December 2024 www . OPE-Plus . com