Ithaca, NY – EMPEQ (Empower Equity, Inc.) has hired James Crouch as its Chief Technology Officer. Crouch joins EMPEQ after a 20-year career in information technology that includes founding and exiting several software-as-a-service companies.

Crouch began his engineering career as a software analyst on globally distributed investment banking software for Credit Suisse. He later went on to co-found eFlag, an early-stage technology company focused on handheld clinical medical applications.

From 2007-2010, Crouch led the development of more than 150 iOS apps at Modality with a focus on medical, legal, and math education. He also shared the stage with Modality founder Mark Williams, PhD and Steve Jobs at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in 2008. Crouch played a key role in Modality’s acquisition in 2010 and was named Director of Technology/Mobile Architecture of Epocrates, the acquiring company. During his three years post-acquisition, he worked with a diverse team of mobile engineers, UX designers, web developers, product managers, clinical experts, and commercial partnership strategists.

Immediately prior to joining EMPEQ, Crouch co-founded R65 Labs in 2014 and led R&D strategy, software development, hardware integration, data services, and security. During his tenure he was instrumental in guiding the company through partnerships with over a dozen universities and two Fortune 100 companies.

“Solving complex challenges has been the hallmark of my career”, Mr. Crouch remarked. “Having the opportunity to join EMPEQ at this stage of their journey is an incredible new chapter in my story of overcoming intricate technological problems.”

Founded by two underrepresented individuals, EMPEQ’s Fast Site Survey™ provides the ability to perform rapid equipment inventories and instantly glean insights like remaining useful life and energy efficient alternatives – bringing critical additional bandwidth to a labor-starved beachhead market of commercial field engineers and contractors.

“With customers as varied as Johnson Controls, Siemens, and the U.S. Air Force, Fast Site Survey™ is obviously addressing an acute pain in the marketplace”, Crouch commented. “I am tremendously excited to contribute to a product that is just scratching the surface of its potential.”

Co-founder / CEO and service-disabled Marine Herbert Dwyer heralded Crouch’s arrival as the dawn of a new era for EMPEQ. “This company searched tirelessly for just the right candidate for this critical position – and we couldn’t have asked for a better fit. With James on board, I can honestly say that possibilities that we would have only dreamed of in the past are now incredibly realistic going forward.”

Co-founder / COO and Kanienʼkehá꞉ka Nation member Derek LaClair reflected on the future of EMPEQ’s core technology. “James’ resume speaks for itself – he’s a proven technological visionary with an impeccable track record of execution. I am confident that Fast Site Survey™ and its underlying Instant Equipment Insights technology now have the right pilot to ensure that the vision with which we started this company will be achieved.”

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About EMPEQ
There are over 80,000 unfilled HVAC technician jobs in the U.S. due to the lack of labor supply – and that’s just one of the dozens of field worker professions suffering through a severe labor shortage. EMPEQ’s revolutionary Fast Site Survey™ SaaS product lowers the barrier to entry to field work in buildings by utilizing computer vision to identify parts and equipment and provide actionable Instant Equipment Insights to engineers, contractors, and building owners with one click of a smartphone’s camera.