This week we interview #83: Gene Leyzarovich of AC&NC JetStor about moving to America, building and growing his business, and understanding the landscape of the storage industry all while growing to a multimillion-dollar brand.
About Gene Leyzarovich:
More than 30 years ago, Gene Leyzarovich arrived in his new home of Pittsburgh as a refugee from Moscow, Russia. Only two years later, while he was completing his education at the University of Pittsburgh and working night shifts at UPMC, Gene founded Advanced Computer & Network Corporation (AC&NC) to build high-performance JetStor (US federal trademark) storage systems and he has never looked back.
In over 28 years in business, AC&NC has installed its JetStor RAID (redundant array of independent disks) systems for over 4,000 clients in numerous locations in the United States, Canada, Asia, Eastern and Western Europe, and Australia.
Under Gene’s leadership, AC&NC has built a prestigious customer list that includes companies like Sony, Microsoft, Starbucks, CBS, and the fifth largest food retailing company Supervalu. JetStor brand powers research in a wide range of disciplines at NASA, Department of Energy, National Institutes of Health, Naval Research Lab, NIST and Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center; supports the work of US Department of State; and helps strengthen world-renowned institutions, from Carnegie Mellon University to Duke University, Columbia University, Yale University, Rice University and Stanford University, to name a few. AC&NC has established a big presence in the UK, with over 55% of UK Police forces relying on JetStor appliances.
A finalist in the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2016 and the winner Immigrant of the Year Global Pittsburgh – Technological Innovation in 2017, Gene recognizes that risk-taking is an inherent part of running a small business that is in direct competition with multi-billion dollar corporations. The challenge of that competition and the thrill of coming ahead have motivated Gene to develop AC&NC JetStor as a nimble company that meets the customer’s needs in creative and innovative ways, including his involvement with new partners at the development stages of new products.
Gene has been a sponsor of USENIX, a 501(c)(3) Advanced Computing Systems Association, for 15 years. Gene has been a founding sponsor of the League of Professional System Administrators and a member of Pittsburgh Technology Council. Together with his family, Gene also supports the vibrancy and vitality of our region with contributions to Pittsburgh Opera and United Jewish Federation.
