Texas governor honors Vicksburger as Small Business Person of the Year – The Vicksburg Post

Tim Porter, a native of Vicksburg and now based in San Antonio, Texas, was honored with the National Small Business Person of the Year Award by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott last October.

Porter is the founder and CEO of Appdiction Studios, LLC, a company that develops apps, including one for students to use to report attacks. He was also presented with a Texas State Proclamation by Abbot in recognition of his accomplishments.

“I am proud to join the SBA in recognizing Tim Porter as National Small Business Person of the Year,” said Abbott. “Tim embodies the entrepreneurial spirit and his journey from a small start-up to the CEO of a thriving company is truly inspiring. Because of small business owners like Tim, the state of Texas continues to nurture an environment that encourages entrepreneurs to innovate and grow their businesses. On behalf of the state of Texas, I congratulate Tim on this tremendous and well-deserved honor.”

Raised in the Melinda C. Robinson Circle subdivision—the first African-American subdivision in Vicksburg—Porter began his career in the U.S. Army, serving as a paratrooper, jumpmaster, and drill sergeant during his nearly 10-year tenure as an Army Ranger and Sergeant First Class. All that ended in 1998 when a bomb exploded in Porter’s hand during a training session at Camp Casey in South Korea, causing him to lose most of his fingers. After retiring from the medical service, Porter began his search for a new career and ended up in the information technology field.

For 15 years, with the help of friends, by reading books and watching tutorials, Porter taught himself how to develop apps, web-based applications, management consoles and application-based software product design.

In 2011, Porter founded Appdiction Studios after receiving help from the Small Business Association’s Small Business Development Center at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Porter’s business has since established itself as the small business go-to resource for the Department of Defense to support new and existing business transformations for DoD customers.

Also, the first app Porter and his team at Appdiction Studios created, Stop Bullies, was recognized on USA Network as one of the winners of the USA Character Unite Award for developing an award-winning anti-bullying mobile application for use in K – 12 schools.

The Stop Bullies app allows students who witness bullying to anonymously and instantly send a text description, image, video or voice recording of the incident to school administrators using a smartphone or tablet. The app is maintained and stored on the school district’s computers, and while the message is anonymous, there is an opportunity for two-way communication when needed, particularly in the case of suicide reports and similar events.

Vicksburg Mayor George Flaggs Jr. said he was briefed on Porter’s award by a colleague in Texas. Although Flaggs said he does not know Porter personally, he said he asked to be notified when Porter paid a visit to his hometown.

“We would want to recognize him (Porter),” Flaggs said, because it’s always good when people who grew up in Vicksburg and moved away can still be recognized by their hometown community.

In addition to leading Appdiction Studios, Porter also serves on the board of directors of the Health Collaborative in San Antonio.

About Terri Cowart Frazier

Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Shortly thereafter, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter for The Vicksburg Post and editor of the Mississippi Press Association’s #1 award-winning editor, Vicksburg Living Magazine. She also received first place in the editorial department of MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest for “Best Feature Story.”

Terri graduated from Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University, where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications with a concentration in public relations.

Before joining The Post a little over 10 years ago, she freelanced at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time, stay-at-home mom.

Terri is a member of the Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a lifetime member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and a past member of the Sampler Antique Club and the Town and Country Garden Club. she is with dr Married to Walter Frazier.

“From providing information on local government matters to hearing people’s stories, a hometown newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at The Post throughout my tenure and hope that with their and local support I can continue to grow and hone my skills while helping to share the stories in Vicksburg . When I’m asked what I like best about my job, my answer is always “the people”.

More from Terri Cowart