Name: Acquisition as a Career Path: What Happens When a Software Developer Buys a Trades Business
Start: 2026-10-30T10:00:00-0400
End: 2026-10-30T10:45:00-0400

Acquisition as a Career Path: What Happens When a Software Developer Buys a Trades Business

Friday October 30, 2026 10:00am - 10:45am EDT

West Concourse

Most developers who want off the ladder think about founding a startup. There's another door: buying one. After 13 years in software I bought a fabrication shop outside Pittsburgh. This talk covers how I built a buy box and screened deals, why I chose the trades, and the ownership lessons that generalize to any acquisition — hiring, cash flow, key-person risk, and process. Plus what a developer background is actually worth as an owner, and where it got in my way.

Speakers

Steven Orvis

Owner / Manager, Woodland Wood Products LLC

Steven Orvis is a recovering software developer who traded 13 years of building products for other people's companies for a custom millwork shop of his own. He owns Woodland Wood Products in Etna, PA, where he still writes code — now aimed at his own business problems.

Friday October 30, 2026 10:00am - 10:45am EDT
West Concourse

Engage with Big Ideas, Career Progression and Managing Up

Pittsburgh TechFest 2026

Steven Orvis

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Pittsburgh TechFest 2026

Steven Orvis

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