Purpose Before Profit: Jim Rogers of ProInfoNet On The Benefits Of Running A Purpose-Driven Business

An Interview With Chad Silverstein

Don’t rely on debt to grow your business, instead grow through investing with your profitability.

In today’s competitive business landscape, the race for profits often takes center stage. However, there are some leaders who also prioritize a mission-driven purpose. They use their business to make a positive social impact and recognize that success isn’t only about making money. In this interview series, we are talking with some of these distinct leaders and I had the pleasure of interviewing Jim Rogers, Maine-based tech entrepreneur.

Jim Rogers is a tech entrepreneur who, over the past 30 years, has built his career around a commitment to bridging the digital divide through a family of companies, ProInfoNet, HealthConnect Networks, and Mission Broadband. He also spearheaded the foundation of New England Telehealth Consortium, which since 2012, has enabled more than 1,300 healthcare providers to develop state-of-the-art broadband and telemedicine infrastructure. When he’s not working, he spends as much time as he can sailing with his wife, children, and grandchildren in Penobscot Bay.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us your “Origin Story”?

After graduating from the University of Maine, I spent about 14 years working in IT for a Maine auto parts distributor/auto dealership, and then a major utility. Ultimately, that’s what prompted me to start a telecommunications company of my own — ProInfoNet, in 1995. In early 2007, I got involved with the legislative effort to leverage federal funding to help bring broadband to healthcare facilities in rural areas. As a result of receiving a federal Rural Health Care Pilot Program award, I spearheaded the launch of New England Telehealth Consortium to help hospitals, clinics, and other medical providers in rural areas utilize those awarded federal funds. Over time, what became clear to me was that even as these rural hospitals and clinics were developing the capacity to offer telehealth, it was only of limited benefit because many of the families they served lacked reliable Internet service in their homes. And it’s not just in rural areas. In urban areas, there are many pockets that are just dead zones for reliable Internet access. Across the nation, the FCC has stated that in 2024, an estimated 24 million Americans still lack access to high speed, reliable Internet. Here in Maine, a significant percentage of the homes are underserved or unserved. In 2018, compelled to help improve Internet access for all Americans, I developed an idea to reshape the federal funding mechanism for Broadband Internet and start a new company to assist communities to expand Internet to unserved areas. The result of my idea and time spent in Washington DC ultimately became the BEAD legislation which is providing billions of dollars to unserved Americans through the Infrastructure Act of 2019. I launched Mission Broadband, to help towns, cities, and communities develop public private partnerships to build out critical broadband infrastructure that their residents can access. Since that time, Mission has served over 530 communities throughout New England.

As a successful leader, it’s clear that you uphold strong core values. I’m curious what are the most important principles you firmly stand by and refuse to compromise on. Can you share a few of them and explain why they hold such significance for you in your work and life?

I refuse to compromise on people and corporate culture. I really value good people, not just people who have certain areas of technical expertise that we need to serve our clients, but people who are good human beings, who care about doing the right things, and who genuinely care about our mission, which is to help individuals feel connected, and live better lives, whether that means accessing learning and job opportunities they didn’t have before, or feeling more closely connected with the people and causes they care about. A lot of the work we do on a day-to-day basis is very technical and concrete, but ultimately what we’re doing is cultivating community, and helping human beings thrive. That goal, and that promise, is what gets me out of bed in the morning, and I feel strongly about assembling a team full of people who get excited about that too.

It’s also important to assemble of team of people who strongly believe in treating other people well. Teamwork and a great corporate culture are critical for us to be successful. Without that we can’t serve our clients. My goal is to have a corporate culture where every employee works hard to realize our vision, where every employee feels valued and every customer is valued.

We want people who are positive, gracious, professional, and accepting. We want people to be excited about working here. That is such an important part of creating a positive, high-energy environment, where every employee is excited about coming to work.

What inspired you to start a purpose-driven business rather than a traditional for-profit enterprise? Can you share a personal story or experience that led you to prioritize social impact in your business?

In the 14 years that I worked for companies managing and developing IT, I was really struck by the hugely positive impact that the technological improvements we were making were having not just on the companies themselves, but on the people who worked there. In addition to cutting costs and making the operations more efficient, the tech upgrades were materially improving the way people worked, how they interacted with one another, and the positive influence on the businesses. I started to think about the potential of having this kind of impact on a much larger scale. I loved the idea that I could leverage my skills in this very technical area, to have a measurable and noticeable impact on companies we worked with and on peoples’ lives. For years I dreamed about building a company to achieve my vision to improve many customer companies, their employees and their customers. In 1995 I embarked on my vision and continually strive to grow and improve.

Can you help articulate a few of the benefits of leading a purpose-driven business rather than a standard “plain vanilla” business?

Increasingly we find that the fact that we’re mission driven really helps workforce recruitment and retention. Today, employees at all stages of their careers want to work for a greater good. It’s not enough to make money at a job. They want to make a meaningful impact on the community and on society at large. Another benefit to being mission driven is that it keeps you focused. When the going gets tough, knowing how critical the work we do to so many families, communities, businesses, and institutions keeps us on track. Broadband is such an integral part of our social and economic fabric. It’s literally a lifeline that provides access to education, jobs, and economic opportunities, plus health care. It helps keep up vital ties to our friends, families, and communities. Knowing that we’re working to provide that lifeline is just so gratifying, and it keeps us going.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company or organization?

We hear stories all the time about the transformative impact of the broadband infrastructure we’ve helped build has had, and how people’s lives have been changed because of the connections we’ve been able to help them make. The telehealth infrastructure we were able to build for Maine Seacoast Mission, which provides medical care, by boat to residents of the unbridged islands off the coast of Maine, meant that people no longer had to spend days traveling to the mainland to see their doctors. In rural inland communities, it meant that kids no longer had to sit outside the library at night to get their homework done, because the library was the only place that had Internet access. In remote island communities, like Block Island, where merchants have always had to use dial-up Internet services to complete credit card transactions, broadband has meant the prospect of a more sustainable economic future.

We often learn the most from our mistakes. Can you share one that you made that turned out to be one of the most valuable lessons you’ve learned?

About 20 years ago, I developed a piece of software, which was really beneficial for one of our clients. Over the next two years, we spent quite a bit of money trying to commercialize it, but it just didn’t work. Finally, I pulled the plug. Software development is just not our core competency. I learned not to be afraid to walk away from an investment. I also learned that we can’t be everything to everyone. We have to focus on the areas where we can be helpful to our clients and our customers, and where we can be profitable and stay in business.

How has your company’s mission or purpose affected its overall success? Can you explain the methods or metrics you use to evaluate the impact of this purpose-driven strategy on your organization?

Our mission — ensuring that individuals, businesses, and communities have access to the broadband infrastructure they need to thrive — has been the foundation of our growth and success. It has shaped every decision we make; from the partnerships we pursue to the way we structure our business. It also serves as a guidepost in challenging times, keeping us focused on long-term impact rather than short-term profits.

We measure success in multiple ways. Of course, financial sustainability is critical, we need to be profitable to continue advancing our mission — but the real impact is measured in the communities we serve. The number of healthcare facilities we connect, the towns we help build broadband infrastructure, the patients who can access telemedicine through the broadband Internet services we facilitate, those are the real metrics that matter.

We track standard company key performance indicators, but also ones unique to us such as the number of healthcare providers connected through HealthConnect Networks, the broadband expansion projects facilitated by Mission Broadband, and the communities that have leveraged federal or state funding as a result of our consulting. But beyond numbers, we also evaluate our impact qualitatively — through customer and community testimonials, the success stories of businesses and families, and the long-term sustainability of the networks we help create.

Can you share a pivotal moment when you realized that leading your purpose-driven company was actually making a significant impact? Can you share a specific example or story that deeply resonated with you personally?

There have been so many. Most recently, in Rhode Island, we worked with the Town of New Shoreham, Block Island, to launch the state’s first municipally-owned broadband network. This brought modern Internet speeds to the town’s businesses and 1,800 households. Mission Broadband served as the project manager and advisor on the project, BroadbandBI, working with town leaders to identify the project scope, solicit proposals from vendors to build infrastructure and manage implementation. Like so many seasonal communities and remote municipalities, Block Island’s viability as a year-round community was really at a turning point. Since COVID, so many seasonal communities have been able to gain new year-round economic vibrance thanks to the ubiquitous acceptance of remote work. But the community of New Shoreham, was at risk of being left behind. What’s more, outdated technologies were really getting in the way of the town’s businesses achieving their potential during their critical summer months. Retailers, restaurants, and consumer-facing businesses were relying on slow, dial-up Internet service, costly early generation satellite service, or mobile hotspots for digital access, which made basic functions like processing credit card transactions difficult to impossible. I was so struck by how this upgrade not only made daily life easier for residents, but also helped more closely knit the social fabric. We felt like we were really part of a truly pivotal moment in Block Island’s history, one that could ensure its long-term sustainability, and ensure that the community would prosper, just as it had for generations.

Have you ever faced a situation where your commitment to your purpose and creating a positive social impact clashed with the profitability in your business? Have you ever been challenged by anyone on your team or have to make a tough decision that had a significant impact on finances? If so, how did you address and reconcile this conflict?

We incur a cost for a lot of the work we do to execute on our mission, which essentially amounts to R&D, and while it does advance our mission, it doesn’t result in profitability. Also, there are people who we have parted ways with who were bringing profitability to our company, but they clashed with our culture, and were having a negative impact on the rest of our team. I didn’t remove them quickly because they were bringing profitability to the company. One negative person can be like poison and make everyone else’s lives miserable. I have very little tolerance for that. Now I try to identify that sooner.

What advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs who wish to start a purpose-driven business? What are your “5 Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Purpose-Driven Business.”

1. Build a really strong culture with your employees so they feel valued.
2. Come up with a mission and stick to it.
3. Start with your purpose and your mission, then let your business plan spring from that mission.
4. Don’t compromise company culture for profitability.
5. Don’t rely on debt to grow your business, instead grow through investing with your profitability.

I’m interested in how you instill a strong sense of connection with your team. How do you nurture a culture where everyone feels connected to your mission? Could you share an example or story that showcases how your purpose has positively influenced or motivated people on your team to contribute?

Our teams regularly take retreats to brainstorm what’s working and how we can improve processes to make everyone’s jobs easier. We value everyone’s opinions and encourage collective input, so everyone feels valued and heard. We promote constantly and are always looking to members of our team to find out how they want to grow, and what we can do to help them advance their skills and their career, while they help move the company forward.

We regularly do outings, as a company and within each of the departments, that provide opportunities to build camaraderie, celebrate big project milestones, and really build a strong social fabric within our teams.

It’s so gratifying to think about the growth of our team, and the longevity of so many people on it. We have grown from 16 people to 34 in the last three years. And we’ve seen people celebrate their 10, 15, and even 20-year anniversaries with the company. It speaks to our vision and our mission. It’s a reflection of the fact that we’re not just defined by our profit.

Yes, we do amazing things with technology, but more importantly we help millions of people. And that’s something that all these wonderful people want to be a part of.

Imagine we’re sitting down together two years from now, looking back at your company’s last 24 months. What specific accomplishments would have to happen for you to be happy with your progress?

Two years from now, I’d be thrilled to look back and see that we’ve made major strides in expanding our IT consulting arm while continuing to drive broadband accessibility for communities. ProInfoNet was founded as an IT consulting firm nearly 30 years ago, and we see a huge opportunity to grow that side of our business in ways that directly benefit businesses and organizations across the country.

I’d love to see us working with more healthcare providers, municipalities, and businesses to not just get them connected, but to help them leverage technology in ways that increase efficiency, improve security, and drive real economic growth. Whether that’s through optimizing network infrastructure, implementing new cybersecurity solutions, or integrating cloud technologies, our goal is to be a trusted partner that helps organizations modernize and thrive.

On the broadband side, I’d want to see continued progress in bringing connectivity to underserved areas, helping more communities secure funding, guiding more municipalities through successful broadband deployments, and ensuring that broadband projects don’t just get built, but truly serve the people who need them.

And from an internal standpoint, I’d want to see our team continue to grow in a way that strengthens our company culture. If, two years from now, we’ve expanded our impact, helped more businesses and communities thrive, and fostered a team that’s even more energized by our mission, I’d consider that a success.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

If I could inspire a movement, it would be to ensure that broadband is universally recognized, and treated as essential infrastructure, just like electricity and clean water. Access to reliable, high-speed Internet is not a luxury; it’s a necessity. It determines access to education, healthcare, economic opportunity, and even social well-being. Yet, tens of millions of Americans still lack it, not because the technology doesn’t exist, but because of systemic gaps in funding, infrastructure investment, and policy priorities.

The movement I’d love to see is a national commitment to decreasing the digital divide, one where every American, regardless of income level or geographic location, has access to affordable, high-quality broadband. This means smarter funding mechanisms, stronger public-private partnerships, and a real push to eliminate outdated barriers to infrastructure expansion. We’ve made strides, but we’re not there yet. If I can use my voice, my experience, and my company’s work to drive that forward, I know we’ll have made a lasting impact.

This was great. Thanks for taking time for us to learn more about you and your business. We wish you continued success!

About the Interviewer: Chad Silverstein is a seasoned entrepreneur with 25+ years of experience as a Founder and CEO. While attending Ohio State University, he launched his first company, Choice Recovery, Inc., a nationally recognized healthcare collection agency — twice ranked the #1 workplace in Ohio. In 2013, he founded [re]start, helping thousands of people find meaningful career opportunities. After selling both companies, Chad shifted his focus to his true passion — leadership. Today, he coaches founders and CEOs at Built to Lead, advises Authority Magazine’s Thought Leader Incubator.

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Purpose Before Profit: Jim Rogers of ProInfoNet On The Benefits Of Running A Purpose-Driven… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.