Ryan Parlee, principal owner at Flying Hippo Web Technologies, in his company’s office. Photo courtesy of Eric Rowley/Juice.
If Ryan Parlee started one company at a time, you might call him a serial entrepreneur. But the 30-year-old Altoona resident juggles multiple endeavors at a time, so perhaps “parallel entrepreneur” is a more fitting moniker for the father of four (soon to be six).
“My dad owned a construction company. I was just around that and knew what it took and what it was like to run your own business,” Parlee said. “And I knew it was a lot of work.”
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Parlee’s big jump into entrepreneurship came 10 years ago while he was still in school, working as a programmer, and newly married with a kid on the way. He quit his job and started his first company, Jesca Inc., specializing in software development. Since then Parlee has partnered with like-minded entrepreneurs to start companies such as Big Head Joe, a marketing entity that specializes in unique sports fan memorabilia.
“When it first started out, I knew from the beginning – when I was in fifth grade – that I wanted to own my own company.” Parlee said. “I knew I wanted to be in computers.”
Today, Parlee is a principal owner and the lead architect of Flying Hippo Web Technologies, a design and marketing firm that focuses on ground-up site building for the Web, mobile and e-commerce.
His technical skills were strong, Parlee learned in his solo career. Management was the area where he needed to improve. As the business grew, he found complementary skills in the partners and employees he brought on board, including longtime strategic partner and Flying Hippo principal Eric Groves. “We have different roles that we play,” he said. “Flying Hippo fits mostly under my purview. But there are lots of areas where I defer to him.” That works both ways, as Parlee contributes to Groves’ PUSH Branding and Design firm.
Despite a stacked portfolio and busy home life, Parlee focuses on staying fit, as well. He was named the “Fittest Executive Under 50” by the Business Record, which he earned in a multi-event competition held in 2010. He has also competed in the Hy-Vee Triathlon for the past few years, and is one of the planners of a day-long bike ride across Iowa that will take place this May, traveling from Council Bluffs to Muscatine and taking approximately 18 hours to complete.
“I haven’t been working out that long,” Parlee said. “This will be my third triathlon season. Prior to that I did nothing much in the way of fitness other than chase my kids at the park, which is actually a really good workout.”
Editor’s Note: This article also appears in this week’s issue of Juice magazine. To learn more about our partnership, see our post: “Announcing our partnership with Juice.”
