Practical Founders Podcast

#154: 2nd-Generation CEO Modernizes Mom’s Legacy Software Business – Brian Forbis

Jul 24, 2025

Brian Forbis is the CEO and President of Blood Bank Computer Systems, Inc. (BBCS), a business his mother created in the 1980s to serve the non-profit blood bank industry in the U.S. Brian started in sales, then transitioned to run development, and then became CEO and President in 2019 when he bought the company.

BBCS rebuilt its entire mission-critical ERP software as a modern cloud solution over the last five years and is actively converting customers from legacy on-premise systems. With 40 employees and nearly $10 million in revenue, BBCS serves the blood banks that supply 20% of the blood products in the U.S.

Their industry presents numerous unique challenges, including negotiating co-op pricing, complying with FDA regulations, and managing partner-based relationships with customers. Brian is running this as a private, long-term business that will support the important blood bank industry for decades to come.

Quote from Brian Forbis, CEO and President of BBCS

“We don’t have churn in customers, and we don’t have churn in employees either. The people we attract to our blood bank software business really get bought in that we’re helping people. We tell our team that you are affecting the lives of tens of thousands of people every day

“There’s a reason we’re regulated because we make decisions on the safety and efficacy of blood. And that’s a big deal. We’re committed to what we’re doing. We build a key component of saving lives.

“I drive that home every time I can talk about it. Making quality personal is one of our key values that we emphasize and discuss frequently.”

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Practical Founders Podcast with Greg Head

Every week, host Greg Head interviews a successful software founder who started, grew, and sometimes sold a valuable software company—without big funding.

Over $11 billion in founder equity value has been created by over 140 SaaS founders interviewed on this podcast so far. That’s an average of $75 million of founder equity value created by each company.

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