"I love traveling, and I've traveled to almost every country you can think of. Being able to make it to every country on the planet is on my bucket list." - Dave Shedd, 2016
Dave Shedd is VP and Co-Founder of Mindseye Solutions, an e-discovery software company that he cofounded with Bob Krantz and Elliot Nierman in 2008. Mindseye builds software that helps users find needles in haystacks, or more specifically, a certain document in a sea of documents. The software allows the user - usually someone in the legal profession - to filter large amounts of information very quickly. That information comes from emails, email attachments, documents, texts, or other forms of electronic communication. Mindseye sells their software to lawyers, IT departments, and law firms, but they also have large enterprise clients who use their software in ways that are unrelated to the legal field. Dave gave an example of a large D.C.-based company that uses Mindseye's software to make sure that their departing employees have not taken (or distributed) any proprietary information on their way out the door. As a youngster Dave spent some of his formative years in Germany, he moved to Fairfax County and graduated from Centreville High School, and then went on to go to college at Virginia Tech. He graduated in the early 2000's with a degree in Business Information Technology. From there Dave began his career working in the E-Discovery world and held jobs doing project management, sales, and client support until eventually co-founding Mindseye. Dave is an avid traveler and has spent time in Italy, Germany, and China.
The Bar:
Dave and I met up at Water and Wall (4) which is in the Virginia Square neighborhood of Arlington, Virginia. The restaurant/bar is run by Executive Chef and Owner Tim Ma. Water and Wall takes its name from when Tim was living in Manhattan at the corner of Water Street and Wall Street. This may be yet another sign that the D.C. area is slowly turning into New York City. Tim Ma also owns and operates Chase the Submarine (4) in Vienna, VA and the brand-spanking-new Kyirisan (4) in the Shaw Neighborhood of Washington, D.C. I thought Water and Wall was a great spot, but I couldn't get the Lil John song 'Get Low' out of my head the entire time I was there. While they didn't have a huge assortment of draft beers on tap, the four that they did have were rock solid. The food was also seriously good. Dave and I were surprised that the clientele were mostly businessmen and businesswomen, which is different than the young millennial crowd that we're used to in Arlington. Dave told me that his favorite bar of all times is William Jeffrey's Tavern (3.5) on Columbia Pike because of the great vibe and the friendly/knowledgeable bartenders there. He appreciates bars that have laid-back people and nice ambiance, but are a little bit more upscale. Dave also noted that he enjoys Don Tito (4) in Clarendon because it's wide open, they have a beautiful rooftop deck, and they have great drink specials. .
The Beer:
Dave is one of the first business leaders I've met with who is not a huge fan of IPA's. After meeting so many self-proclaimed "hopheads" these days it's rare to find someone who eschews IPA's. Dave told me that he usually enjoys hefeweissens and wheat beers more than any other type of beer. One of Dave's favorite beers is Allagash White (92) and another go-to beer for him is Stella Artois (71). Dave did divulge that he thinks most American beer tastes a bit too much like water and that he would much rather drink the German beer that he used to sip in his younger years. Another beer that Dave likes is Port City Optimal Wit (85). Port City describes their Optimal Wit as "tasting like sunshine and happiness." Sounds delicious! Dave talked about how he strongly dislikes dark beers like stouts and porters and could never imagine drinking a beer like a Guinness (79) or a Newcastle (76). In college Dave allowed Steel Reserve (59) and Milwaukee's Best Light (52) to grace his lips. We hope Dave never has to drink either of those beers ever again! While at Water and Wall, we sampled and tried all of the beers on tap. They had Caboose Brewing Company Car Hopper IPA (NR) on tap as well as Victory Kirsch Gose (88) and Ocelot Brewing Company Broken Red IPA (NR). For those unfamiliar with Caboose, they're a relatively new brewery out of Vienna, Virginia. The Car Hopper was a solid beer. Ocelot BrewingCompany is another local brewery out of Dulles, Virginia and their Broken Red IPA may be my new favorite beer. Victory's Kirsch Gose and goses in general are a style of beer that are just now starting to make some headway in U.S. markets. Gose tends to be fruity, salty, and sour, and with a lower ABV than your average beer. I've found that it has a taste similar to Kriek or Lambic. This gose is brewed by Downingtown, Pennsylvania's Victory Brewing Company - famous for their Prima Pils (91), Golden Monkey (84) and HopDevil Ale (91).
The Business Leader:
Dave told me that as a cofounder and business owner he is generally happy with the way things are going with his business right now. He did say the company was growing and changing, which presents its own unique set of challenges. As the business has grown Dave has had to focus more on management and personalities than he has on just getting work done. Dave told me that over the years he has had to learn how to be empathetic and know when to bite his tongue. Dave did say that being a business owner has forced him to become more mature and to think about things from multiple perspectives. He has learned to put himself in the shoes of other people and ask himself what others would do or think in various situations. Dave told me that it didn't used to be this way, and that when his company just had 3 or 4 employees he was able to put his head down, work really hard, and solve whatever problems were in front of him. Now that his company has more resources, he has to work with various skillsets and personalities in order to address and solve big problems. Dave has some advice that he'd like to give to other business leaders and entrepreneurs. He encourages other business leaders and entrepreneurs to listen more than they talk. Dave said that he talks a lot less than he used to and when he does talk, he makes sure that he's using the whatever information he has learned from listening. Dave also encourages business leaders to stop thinking about what you're going to say next and don't be afraid to admit that you're wrong. He says that it's imperative to give team members and coworkers acknowledgement and advice as well as criticism. Dave is currently reading In The Plex, a book about how Google thinks, works, and shapes our lives. Dave is really into helping others and has started to think about ways in which he can help other people on a large scale. As such, the one thing that Dave would like from the universe is an idea or concept that he could work on as a side project which would both benefit all of mankind and have a positive impact on lots of people's lives.
A huge thanks to Dave Shedd for participating in this week's BLIB. Join us next week for a BLIB with Serial Entrepreneur Josh Konowe!
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