When Neel Sus started Susco in 2006, he was a man with a simple mission: he wanted to make a positive impact on the end-users of new software development.
Sus had fallen in love with the development process while working at Avondale Shipyards, where he created the first electronic work-order system and was captivated by the way thoughtful and effective software could transform a company’s efficiency. He took that spark of an idea—and the potential it contained—and ran with it through several periods of rapid growth.
Sus started hiring full-time employees for Susco in 2009, and in 2010, the company became one of the first three firms in Louisiana to develop an iPhone app. The ElectionHub app, as it was named, allowed voters to research New Orleans mayoral candidates, campaign donations, events and policy positions—all from their phones.
Although ElectionHub was just a fledgling project for the company, it represented what would become Sus’s tried-and-true approach to software development: identify a problem or a need people didn’t even realize was holding them back, and deliver a streamlined, user-friendly tool to solve it.
Susco’s portfolio is a testament to the promise of that mindset. The company created the first iPad app for LSU football. They launched FQ Task Force, an app dedicated to stemming crime in the French Quarter. They designed national award-winning apps for the Jefferson Parish Clerk of Court. And, seemingly with ease, Susco developed a purchasing system for a major Louisiana shipbuilder who had been struggling to find a software model that accelerated business, rather than hindering it.
“They had tried replacing their 20-year-old system three times before, and we were able to deliver a high-quality product that they continue to build upon,” Sus says.
Susco also develops mobile portals for clients to share key data and information with their customers and vendors in a safe, streamlined way. These applications run on a smartphone, providing vendors, customers, contractors and employees with access to information they need on the go. “This reduces the cycle time of performing work, and it increases customer satisfaction as people continue to favor self-service options,” Sus says.
Since day one, the projects have grown steadily in size and difficulty, and Susco has grown to meet them every step of the way. In 2014, the company narrowed its focus to developing Microsoft-based solutions for enterprise business software, mobile workforce apps and systems integrations. 2016 saw the company shift focus toward national marketing in the insurance sector, and Susco started marketing and securing national work in the property and casualty insurance space in 2019.
In fact, the company’s growth has been so significant (scaling at a rate of 136 percent between 2018 and 2020 alone) that Susco ranked at No. 2801 on Inc. Magazine’s 2020 list of the Fastest Growing Private Companies in America. In 2021, Susco jumped 559 spots on that same list to rank at No. 2242, and in 2022, jumped 153 spots to rank at No. 2089 with a 287% growth rate.
So, what is Sus’s secret to success? He says the answer is simple: he invests in people first. Sus explains that his company’s core purpose is to enable staff members to contribute in more meaningful ways, because when employees feel inspired and empowered, it shows in their work—and in the client’s reaction to the product.
“We only hire the top 1 percent of applicants after extensive testing, and we pay them well,” Sus says. “Once they are hired, we continue to develop them professionally and personally.”
Sus says that development takes the form of monthly check-ins, leadership training, individual development planning to help employees set and meet personal goals, employee assistant programs and “wellness-related subsidies ranging from at-home fitness equipment to meditation training.”
“I am proud that Susco has helped many employees not only grow professionally, but holistically,” Sus says. “Through peer learning and mentoring, many employees have leveled up in their relationships, personal hobbies, mental health and physical fitness. Also, our clients’ end-users consistently report being able to focus on more meaningful work once our software is deployed.”
In 2020, Sus took the company fully remote—thereby expanding his hiring base to candidates all over the United States, with the goal of growing his workforce to over 60 personnel in the next few years. And in 2021, Susco developed the award-winning Alacrity Connect App for the largest insurance adjuster in the United States.
While Susco has worked with hundreds of clients from various sectors, Sus is now focusing on forging larger, long-term relationships with fewer clients. Currently, he and his team are working with multiple insurance services firms (forensic engineering, restoration and claims adjusting) to replace their legacy systems and integrate with their marketing claims estimating platforms. “This is further galvanizing our position as a market leader for custom solutions for that sector,” Sus says.
Susco is also developing software as a service (SAAS) and data services to scale insurance revenue beyond billable hours. And it’s not just for the sake of profit margins, either—it’s for the sake of the community, which Sus makes sure to give back to as his company grows.
“By 2024, we plan to have an insurance data product and a SAAS offering to market,” Sus says. “We also will have increased our annual donations to $120,000 per year for charities that assist disadvantaged individuals, such as Junior Achievement and Son of a Saint.”
Sus says he sees his company as an asset to the Greater New Orleans region as a whole and that, by working in partnership, Susco can help other homegrown enterprises overcome logistical challenges so they can focus on their own growth.
“Louisiana has many mid-market enterprises—most that have complex business processes, legacy systems they need to replace, mobile workforce needs and third-party systems to integrate,” Sus says. “Due to this complexity, 40 percent of their software projects fail, and their entire IT project investment is lost.”
Sus combats this problem with a competent and motivated team that consistently delivers successful, high-quality projects, and by constantly looking out for new ways to innovate their own approach to software development.
If all goes according to Sus’s plan—and so far, it has—the word “Susco” will soon be synonymous with “solution.”
