In the two years since Brandon Phipps founded Second Star Technologies, he has used his business as a platform to advance his volunteer passions, which center around helping others in his hometown of Bakersfield, Calif.

Brandon founded Second Star Technologies in April 2011, after the company where he was working went down with the local economy. Overnight, what had started as a hobby for his wife and him in their spare time became a full-time career.
As he grows his company and achieves his own career dreams, Brandon never forgets where he comes from. He has actively lent his technology talents to Bakersfield residents who have suffered loss due to a flood.

“By rebuilding computers for families that have lost everything, I make it possible for their kids to do their school work so they don’t get even more behind,” he says.

Brandon also uses the Search Engine Optimization of his own company, as well as his large social media following, to get the word out for other favorite local nonprofits. These include Destroy Illusions Anti-Bullying School Assembly, which raises money to bring free anti-bullying school assemblies to schools that can’t afford them and the Bakersfield SCPA, a no-kill animal shelter.

Additionally, he supports, through messaging to his company’s growing community, two other organizations: I Love Pit Bulls and Students Unite Against Bullying.

“We try to make the messages coming from our company about the community and not just focus on ourselves,” he says.