Profile: Shane Bigelow
Meet Shane Bigelow,
CEO at CHAMPtitles
Name: Shane Bigelow
Job: CEO, CHAMPtitles
City: Cleveland, Ohio
Hometown: Philadelphia
Q: Tell us about your work...
We are taking a different approach to the way to work with government. Our view is that government needs software providers that solve the problems of government’s constituents as opposed to just government contractors angling for a large contract. Specifically, we are solving the problems of the constituents of the DMV by replacing their aging title and registration systems. That means solving the problems of citizens, car dealers, lenders, insurance carriers, fleet operators, and all of their service providers that, whether we realize it or not, we are dealing with on a very regular basis.
Q: What’s a challenge you're working to solve?
The primary issue within the movable asset space is that it is very difficult to determine the provenance of an asset. In the United States, we take for granted that our homes and cars are titled, but the actual process of getting that done and maintaining a clean provenance of the asset is quite difficult, cumbersome, and expensive. We are eliminating a lot of that expense and inefficiency, that is, the “time tax” that we all have to spend on these efforts, by creating a digital process for movable assets. That tax is even greater for folks in the developing world where they do not take for granted that they have a working lending or insurance system on top of their titled assets. This causes their economic growth to be stifled because they cannot easily extract value from their movable assets in the way we can on a car or home here in the U.S. By bringing a digital system to not only the U.S. but the rest of the world, we intend to solve that problem.
Q: What’s a lesson you’ve learned that's shaped your work?
It is entirely possible to do well while doing good. It is an often used statement but rarely followed. In our case, we are able to eliminate the paper waste, which saves trees and millions of pieces of paper per year. We are able to speed up the time it takes for a car to go from the end of its life to being recycled, which saves a lot of damage to the earth. We are able to eliminate the time tax that people spend waiting to title or register their vehicles and other movable assets. We never set about doing those things with a particular profit margin in mind. We set about trying to solve these problems, knowing that if we solve them, we should get paid for them. And that is precisely what is happening for CHAMP today, proving that you can, in fact, do well while doing good.
Q: What’s a trend in technology or innovation that doesn’t get enough attention?
There are thousands of processes that we all pursue with our local, state, and federal government that are still paper-based, whether we realize it or not. We might be doing the paperwork directly or working through a third party like an accountant or lawyer, or in the case of our industry, a service provider to DMVs. We might think that the digitization of those paper processes has occurred, but it has not. In fact, when we started the company, and I explained its mission to my mother, she thought vehicle titling and registration were already digitized. The reality is that the paper experience is still burdening and costing us lots of money unnecessarily. If you transform one of these many governmental processes that is still done by paper, you should be able to do pretty well, making a lot of gains for the masses.
Q: What’s one moonshot idea that could help make Ohio a world leader in technology and innovation?
The advent of Intel dropping a $100 billion plant in the state to make chips allows us to be closer to the source of the speed of computing. If we presume that the speed of computing is necessary for AI to work correctly, then we are not only close to the source of the speed but we are close to the manufacturer of the speed, which means there is no reason why we cannot be a leader in deploying AI correctly with a proper moral and ethical compass attached to the way we do it. AI could end up ruining the world or end up making us incredibly productive. If we use it for productive purposes, we will all win and do well. If we do not, and we let it be managed by the dangerous entities, it is not going to work.
Q: What’s a recent book, podcast or news story that you found interesting?
I recently read a book by a friend named Jon Giganti called “With Intention.” The core principle of this book is whatever you are going to go after, you should go after it, like the title says, with intention. All too often in life, we pursue things and tell ourselves that we are going after them fully when we are truly not. If you go after something fully, the potential that you actually have will be found. That is a lesson we can all be reminded of at any age.
Q: What's your favorite place in Ohio?
I love the growth and excitement that is occuring in Columbus and also in parts of downtown Cleveland and Cincinnati. But above all, I particularly enjoy being at home with my wife and sons in Gates Mills.
Q: What makes Ohio special to you?
I mean this in the fullest sense of the word compliment: everything is easier in Ohio. I do not think most of the country realizes this reality. It is easier to commute. It is easier to work. It is easier to find sources of capital. It is easier to be employed. It is easier to be educated. This is because of all the resources and institutions that exist here. Most people do not appreciate that your aggregate stress level drops precipitously when you move to a place like Ohio!
Q: What do you do for fun when you’re not working?
I ski with my kids, coach baseball, and try to play as much golf with them as they are willing. As a family, we also attend a number of professional sporting events, as that is a great way that we are fortunate enough in which to spend time together.
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Learn more about Shane’s work by connecting with him on LinkedIn.