Meet Greg J. Micek, JD | Inventor Advocate

We had the good fortune of connecting with Greg J. Micek, JD and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Greg J., can you share a quote or affirmation with us?
In 1995, I left the world of consulting, as a contract CFO, to enter the world of entrepreneurship. From 1995-2005, I launched four successive public companies, amassing, over that span, over $500 million in shareholder wealth. In 2005-2006 Wall Street, just as my wealth was prepped to explode in value, destroyed me. It has taken me these past 14 years to gather myself for a re-launch. However, I am, in fact, re-launching, massively. The quote that forever changed my mindset was one that I stumbled onto a few years ago. It comes from Frank Lloyd Wright. He said, “I can design the greatest building in the world. However, unless a builder comes along, takes the design off of the shelf and actually builds it, it is worthless” That one quote changed my life. I now have peace of mind, as I continue to design my business model and simply wait for builders to show up. I am now surrounding myself with an increasing number of builders, and gaining strength on a daily basis.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
This interview is very timely, as I am getting ready to re-launch, after 14 years of re-grouping from my initial destruction at the hands of Wall Street. The good news is that I have been able to preserve the building blocks driving my comeback. As an architect, surrounding myself with builders, I am poised to say, as Paul Newman did at the end of The Hustler” saying “I’m back”. My business “design” is integrating my for profit technology venture (FACES facial composite software) into my non-profit, The Young Inventors Association of America. I am poised to donate FACES into YIAA, and selling FACES as a fundraising campaign for the global launch of the Young Inventors Showcase as a both a virtual competition and incubator. FACES has been validated by third party experts as the world’s leading facial composite application for first responders. I first acquired FACES in 2002 as a direct response to the 9/11 disaster. As a public company at the time, in early 2005, we landed a $330 million grant out of the $33 billion that Congress had set aside to increase domestic security. Unfortunately, in June , 2005, Homeland Security decided not to release any of the funds. I then took FACES private in 2006, and have been working towards re-launching that FACES “saturation”  model for the last 14 years. In September, 2019, The Houston Chronicle honored me as a Houston Hero for my 37 year public service commitment to the inventor community. See: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/about/houston-gives/article/Young-Inventors-Showcase-chief-Greg-Micek-has-14471249.php I am bringing all of the above into a single campaign under the YIAA banner.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would have my friend time his/her trip to coincide with the Houston Livestock and Rodeo. Specifically, we would attend the bar-b-que cook off that precedes the rodeo. A very close friend of mine is on a team, giving me free access. He is recruited for his bean soup recipe. My second excursion would be a day trip that starts with a visit to the Sam Houston monument. We would then take the ferry over to Kemah and have lunch at one of the restaurants that border the canal.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to first acknowledge Bob Gray, whom I first met in Omaha, Nebraska while we were both working for Touche Ross (now known as Deloitte), one of the largest global accounting firms. Bob was transferred to Houston. He then “plucked” me out of Omaha, and got me transferred to Houston, 38 years ago. This was transformative, and I will be forever grateful to Bob for giving me the chance to not simply be a big fish in a small pond, but to have the opportunity to swim with the sharks and see if I can make it, and even, maybe, thrive, in the ocean.

Website: www.yiaa.org www.facialcomposites.com
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/gregjmicek/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FACESketchSoftware,
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/GregJMicek
Other: https://strictlybusinessomaha.com/news/business/young-inventors-association-of-america-targets-omaha-in-phase-one-of-global-launch/