How did Splice get started? It began with a mastermind.
At the beginning of COVID shutdowns in April 2020, Chris Ruddick started a series of Zoom calls with a group of business leaders from the Norfolk, Virginia region. They discussed how their businesses were managing the pandemic. Kevin Speers was included in the mastermind by a mutual friend, although he had never met Chris previously.
The two quickly built rapport, and Chris asked Kevin if he would evaluate Prime 3 Software’s brand strategy and positioning. Chris and Tim Johnson had grown Prime 3 from the ground up into a successful software company offering solutions to transportation companies. They wanted a fresh perspective on the company.
The founders of Splice. From left to right: Kevin Speers, Chris Ruddick and Tim Johnson.
Kevin quickly uncovered their side project, Splice. After years of customizing integrations, Chris and Tim had created a universal translator. It connected applications that speak foreign languages and provided interoperability of data. It mirrored container logistics by making it data intermodal.
The potential was obvious for an industry that often must conform to the simplest form of communication. Splice was the much-needed bridge between legacy and new groundbreaking systems. As a business, Splice could be applied to all facets of supply chain logistics. The three noodled on different ideas, and then in January 2021, they launched Splice’s website to start the business.
Splice has grown to combine integrations with workflow automation and design, and they most recently introduced Yard Spot, a yard management application that brings together multiple sources of tracking and operational data into a single interface.
As a team, the three have gelled. Kevin leads business development and marketing as the CEO. Chris is the COO, building the operation and customer experience, and Tim is expanding Splice's capability as the CTO.
The future for Splice looks promising, and it all began with people getting together to share ideas and solutions during one of the biggest challenges ever.