By Miku Sakamoto, Development and Communications Coordinator
David Leavitt was working as a chief operating officer for a group of doctors in Plano back in 2009. His wife, Dr. Amy C. Gruszecki, was a medical examiner for Dallas County and found her job growing stale. David realized that he no longer wanted to work to make other doctors wealthier – he wanted to work to build a better life for his family. At the time he had been taking courses at the University of North Texas for a healthcare administration degree. Already set to take a course on entrepreneurship, David decided this was the perfect time to write his business plan. 16 weeks later, the business plan for American Forensics was finished.
American Forensics was founded in December of 2009 to fill a need for the growing demand of independent forensic science and forensic medicine. Initially, David faced challenges when convincing county governments that the services provided by large government entities could be done more efficiently at a lower cost and with high quality using a private-public partnership. Eventually, however, American Forensics became the only privately held National Association of Medical Examiners accredited facility in the nation.
David found out about PeopleFund when he attended an entrepreneurship workshop for veterans in September this year. Only a month later, David was able to obtain a loan with PeopleFund. David says PeopleFund “provided a path toward a borrowing opportunity [he] previously thought was unavailable.” The loan was used to purchase their very own forensic science facility on half an acre of land.
American Forensics has had much success, and David attributes that to hard work and the ability to see opportunities that others haven’t considered. In addition, he believes in a family-oriented workplace. Most of his employees are women with children, and by paying them for hours worked rather than salary they have the flexibility to adjust their hours to fit the needs of their family. Between this and paying his employees more than what they could make elsewhere, David has developed a loyal team. Since American Forensics was opened in 2009 they have yet to lose a single employee.
What are his future plans for American Forensics? David wants to franchise nationally, and privatize government services to create a network of consistency throughout the county of forensic science. To all aspiring entrepreneurs, he says the most important thing is to “have a solid plan and follow it.”
For more information on American Forensics please visit their website.