By Janette Turner

With university costs soaring, the best value in education comes from our two-year colleges. Luckily, we have Edmonds Community College nearby, which seems to quietly do its job, but anyone who visits campus on a school day knows the parking lot is packed and the halls are bustling. Occasionally My Edmonds News will offer a peek behind the doors of our local workhorse. Today’s column puts the spotlight on an alumnus, Jason Kaufman, founder of Seattle-based IRREVO.

Recently Kaufman reminisced about his studies at EdCC, 1993-95. “What a fantastic group of teachers and students!” said Kaufman, adding that he especially remembered educator Ray Williams. “He may have been a guest instructor, but he left a very good impression. And I had a great class there entitled ‘Storytelling and the Fate of the World.’”

When asked how the college helped him succeed, Kaufman said, “EdCC provided a great transition for me after high school. I was able to balance my work and class schedule in such a way that I was able to achieve my degree on time and pay for it without any assistance. My classes at EdCC showed me how big the world was, what my impact is, and how to navigate to find answers to any question. “

One positive answer made a major difference in his life. “I don’t remember her name,” said Kaufman, talking about the head of the math department in 1995. “She took a chance on me. After pleading with her, she allowed me to proceed with an advanced class after having barely made the cut. If she hadn’t, I most certainly wouldn’t have been able to transfer to WSU.” Armed with his A.A. from EdCC, Kaufman went on to earn his Communications degree at WSU.

After graduation, Kaufman was offered an internship with the Everett Herald, but turned it down to do public relations, and then became a technical writer. “In working with multiple writers and older documents,” said Kaufman, “I began to see that the content was too often plagued with tiny mistakes, typos, formatting, and other inconsistencies. I realized that these tiny mistakes actually added up to big problems for customers and call center agents. I saw an opportunity to create a checklist software application that would help teams make sure to catch these mistakes before they are published. “

That was the aha moment that led to his company, IRREVO, which Kaufman founded in 2003 with the goal of making content beautiful. “I want to make people proud of the work they do each day,” said Kaufman, and his checklists help them do so. “I like to invent things and this business is my proudest professional achievement.” Kaufman’s company now employs 11 people and is “growing rapidly.” According to Kaufman, “IRREVO has increased its revenue by 172 percent since the recession began in December of 2007, and is on target to double (its) earnings over last year.” It’s clear a key to Kaufman’s success was his time at EdCC.

If you have a story about how EdCC helped you succeed, let us know at My Edmonds News. And if you are an alum, you may want to sign up for the EdCC golf tournament at Seattle Golf Club set for Sept. 10.

For students, check out the four new Associate of Arts transfer degrees at EdCC in Architecture, Photography, Studio Art, and Graphic Design.