LifePics takes the next leap in photo finishing

If a picture’s worth a thousand words, what would happen to the imaging industry if two technological-business geniuses joined forces with a man whose family forged Colorado’s largest independent photographic dealer? In one word, LifePics, a Boulder-based technology that specializes in online imaging technology, applications, and solutions.

The trio of men behind this digital photography-based phenomenon have been individually successful, and by banding together to create LifePics, they’ve become troubadours of meeting the technological and consumer demands in the new frontier of digital service.

LifePic’s President and CEO is the legendary Rick Patch, who made his first million during his senior year at University of Colorado at Boulder in 1979. Micro Decisionware, then Rick’s dorm-room based enterprise, developed software designed to tightly integrate personal computers with data stored across local area networks and on mainframe computers. One of the first products Rick developed was licensed to Bill Gates. Of Micro Decisionware, Rick claims, “My professor was the brain and I was the brawn.” Rick spent time with Microsoft mogul, Bill Gates, on the cusp of creating his own career. “I marveled at Bill’s business savvy. He made me realize I had to pull up my bootstraps by myself. The world wouldn’t deliver itself to me, I had to deliver myself to the world. Bill Gates lives life in a purposeful, thoughtful and aggressive manner. He taught me that life can be completely changed by small things.”

Vahé Christianian is LifePics’ Vice President of Sales and Business Development, and his passion for photography is genetic. Vahé’s parents, Kaloust and Arouss, purchased a tiny camera/photo processing store in 1980. The two built their family owned and operated business into something solid, and sons, Alex, Vahè, and Jirair, have grown the original 2,800-square-foot storefront into an extremely successful chain of three stores located in Denver, Littleton and Boulder, Colorado. “Our family bases our business philosophy on three main concepts,” explains Vahè, “customer and community relations, a solid staff from top to bottom, and the development of strong relationships all the way down the line.” Relationship is the cohesion of any union, and Vahé, Rick and Ken have cultivated a new business frontier based on a firm foundation Kaloust and Arouss founded in Mike’s Cameras.

Vice President of Marketing and Operations, Ken McDonald, brings technological and marketing savvy to LifePics. “I’ve had the good fortune of being around influential people throughout my career, including Larry Ellison, cofounder and CEO of Oracle Corporation. I’ve seen Larry and others like him in action, and it’s been a powerful learning experience.” Ken’s impressive resume includes employment as an IT Consultant for Booz Allen and Hamilton, and spending five years driving Oracle’s e-commerce initiatives prior to working with Rick at Sequel Venture Partners, a venture capital firm, managing investments in software companies.

Fame and fortune haven’t gone to the heads of LifePics’ leading partners. Family is a stabilizing force for all three, who maintain the moments captured by pictures become treasures and family heirlooms. Another common bond between these industry giants is the quality of their products and serving their customers well. Vahè states, “We’re not reinventing the world at LifePics, but consumer behavior is gradually changing in the realm of picture taking and photo finishing. We’re building something of value at LifePics that will be meaningful for families and our customers for generations to come.”
Ken gives insight to the digital camera craze, claiming, “Digital production retailers have installed kiosks where consumers can create and print photos off their digital memory cards or sticks. It’s not uncommon for a kiosk user to spend hours before these machines. Working off digital software packages and printing digital photos at home is also costly and time consuming. Camera phones are outselling digital cameras, and digital photography is now the primary way people take pictures. Rick, Vahé, and I want to be leaders rather than followers in digital technology.”

Perhaps of the three leaders of LifePics, Vahè knows best how consumers and his own family prize cherished photos. (This was Rick’s quote) “The history of life has always been captured through pictures. This is a viable business with a human element. Pictures are a legacy and our industry has a human element to make people happy. I recently attended a funeral for a friend’s dad. I went to support my friend as I never knew his father. A slide show of this man’s life was presented. There wasn’t a dry eye after seeing his images, and I walked away feeling I knew this man. I can’t over emphasize the importance of photos. LifePics is committed to continually enhance and improve our web site through technological advances because we have a level of commitment to ensure our customers their photos will be processed. ”

As the imaging industry was headed towards digital technology, Vahè couldn’t turn the opportunity down to start LifePics. He shares, “I sat down with my dad and two brothers and shared my vision for LifePics. They agreed that this wasn’t a crazy idea and they encouraged me to raise seed moneys while processing and analyzing my business plan. I started this process in April 2000 and raised the seed funds by September 2000. We moved LifePics into our current Boulder location in October 2000. By February 2001 we had our first product and attended our first trade show. We received accolades from the industry who told us it was a great product and they immediately placed their trust in us.”

Following his family’s maxim to create a ‘solid staff from top to bottom,’ Vahè brought Ken on board when “the company had grown to the point where I couldn’t do everything myself. I needed a team that would be a magical compliment to LifePics and my skill set. I met Ken when I was pitching business to Sequel, and I was amazed he came on board. He was looking for the next step to grow his career, and he had many choices. He’s bright, analytical and not afraid to walk into transitions. I knew my background had experience, but I needed a technological brain on my side. Ken pitched Rick to me to fulfil the position of CEO. Rick’s more of an entrepreneur than a venture capitalist, and he’s a supreme balance of left brain right brain. When he met my staff, he customized questions for each employee. His first meeting with my employee staff amazed me as it was all about them and not about him. That said a lot. Ken and Rick had the vision and talent I needed to be my dream team.”

Relationship is void without trust, and Rick and Ken immediately placed their confidence in Vahè’s vision. Both knew immediately that “Vahè’s forethought about the company and stepping up to make the transition into digital production technology would make LifePics a dominate leader in the industry,” proclaims Rick of the 12th start-up company he’s ventured, including Micro Decisionware Inc. “Ken and I were ready to step into a company that was doing something significant. I got out of the venture business because I was bored by reviewing business models and selling companies for a profit. It was time for me to get out and met interesting people. LifePics’ focus is on the customer, and we’ve created a work environment with our staff where we joke, laugh and enjoy one another. If you’re enjoying your life’s work, you’re no doing life well.”

Ken adds, “We take pride in over serving our customers. They receive round the clock service in a product that really hasn’t changed much. Pictures are meaningful to everyone. The industry of photography is different, but the product is as important now as it every was.”
Rick recalls the days when “people were debating if digital photography would be a fad and if broadband could accommodate sending files back and forth.” Vahè chimes in, sharing, “Our family’s meal time conversations were based on our business. It’s been amazing to watch changes in our industry, especially when photo finishers process our orders 24 hours a day.”

In six short years since its conception, LifePics now partners with 2,300 clients that include independent camera stores, photo-finishing storefronts and mass channel photofinishers, in addition to other dealers or portals that offer web digital photo services to their respective customers. In the time that it would take to request and receive a home delivery pizza, consumers can order prints off their digital files to be processed into the highest quality photo-prints possible by independent photofinishers across the United States. The prints can be picked up from a photofinisher within a few hours, or mailed back.

From caveman paintings to snapping a photo with your cell phone, pictures have played an important part to the story of human life. LifePics is more than a company on the cutting edge of digital imaging services, it’s a bond between three men that are growing a business based on a philosophy and mission that puts people first, and that’s picture perfect.

Gone are the days of sifting through boxes or drawers of unsorted photos. LifePics offers a co-branded online digital imaging Internet site that allows customers the ability to upload their digital or traditional photos into an internet album for long-term storage, to view, order, share, edit, and archive their images. Photos ordered online are printed at the customer’s chosen local camera or film processing store, implementing the world’s first 1-hour online print fulfillment network. LifePics has the world’s largest network of photofinishers to provide the latest in online imaging services, including integrated digital photography, web based applications and e-commerce software, as well as licensing of the LifePics architecture to its network of dealers.

LifePics has a staff of 30 people under the command of Rick Patch, President and CEO, Vahé Christianian,Vice President of Sales and Business Development and Ken McDonald, Vice President of Marketing and Operations. The three executives value the people who work with them, as Rick reveals, “The staff of any company is the important component of that company’s success. At LifePics, we believe every staff member should swing at the same time. We’re not a big group and the way Rick, Ken and I manage our company was not by any tablets from the mountain. We rally our team with financials and customer driven goals. Our staff knows what we expect from them, and they know they’re part of something that’s special to our customers, the consumers and to themselves.”