According to former college professors and court in-take officers, Chris Crawford, CEO and Founder of TCMPi is a world class dreamer who aspires to be an International-Yachtsman and Sailor beyond his bathtub where he claims to already dominate.

Chris and TCMPi CTO Peter Mackey will presenting at the April 23rd Providence Geek Dinner. All are welcome. Details and RSVP here.

Once upon a time, there was a crazy man named Chris Crawford who thought he had an idea that had merit in the form of a software company. On a Friday, with no plan, he quit his job off of Route 128 in Massachusetts and started out to make his idea a reality.

This company would be an 'engine' of sorts that would also act as a procurement hub, streamlining processes that, at the time, took weeks into minutes. The company, TCMPi, focused on Corporate America because it was very wired, and because Corporate America was where the vault of money was. According to Jesse James, that's where you wanted to be.

To reach that vault, Crawford had to loot his vault of all money (savings, loans, 401K's, credit cards, etc.) and learn to sell the engine's potential to critical employees, banks and investors. They could only find fault and no reason to open their vault. "First mover, sustainability, what is the out", the mantra was as predictable as rising taxes. Along came the Small Business Loan Fund of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation who listened, and Sovereign Bank who listened, loyal employees and a few loans later, investors were no longer disbelieving. The Engine that could, was. And best of all, the company is invisible. No one knows anything about it. A Rhode Island hideout.

Today, just a few years into being, TCMPi is profitable, has no debt, and is the 8th fastest growing privately held software company in the United States with 1868% growth over the past three years, and according to INC magazine, the 73rd fastest growing, privately-held company overall in the United States.

Come hear the story at next week's Geek Dinner (details and RSVP here), and learn from our technology team about their burgeoning relationships with Amazon.com, American Express, the Fortune 1000 and how 1868% may well represent the slow years.