Karen F. Puchalsky is co-founder, president and COO of Innovate E-Commerce Inc., a Pittsburgh-headquartered business-to-business e-commerce consulting company founded in 1997.
Innovate’s expertise is empowering customers with technologies that move share, and track information along the entire value chain, resulting in highly efficient, cost-effective and secure collaboration and exchange. Innovate was ranked No. 111 on the Inc 500 list of America’s fastest-growing privately held firms for 2002.
An e-commerce pioneer, Puchalsky’s experience spans 25 years, including assignments in management, consulting, marketing and sales. In 2002, Gov. Mark Schweiker named her one of the state’s “50 Best Women in Business.” She has also been recognized twice in Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur Of The Year competition.
And in 2002, Innovate E-Commerce was identified as one of the top 10 information technology companies in the region in the Pittsburgh Technology Council’s Tech 50 awards and was recognized as one of the fastest growing companies in the six-county area on the Pittsburgh Business Times‘ Pittsburgh 100 list.
Puchalsky oversees the day-to-day operations (management, finance, sales, marketing, client development, human resource development) of the organization and works directly with Innovate’s consulting experts and clients to plan, implement and manage e-commerce initiatives.
Innovate’s innovative technology solutions fall into three distinct categories — software products, consulting services and an application service provider that annually processes millions of business-critical e-commerce documents. With Innovate’s solutions in place, clients maximize their return on investment in information technology, provide better service to their customers, modernize and secure their enterprise and enhance ongoing operations.
Puchalsky formerly worked for Omega Systems, where she created the EDI consulting division, the first e-commerce-focused initiative in Pittsburgh; and for Sterling Software, where she co-founded the first comprehensive EDI solution, EDI Complete, which became the company’s marketing focus for three years.
She is a founder of the Greater Pittsburgh E-Commerce partners, an ambassador for the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera and a member of the Corporate Sponsorship Committee for the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh.
She is also a member of the Pittsburgh Technology Council, the Executive Women’s Council, TEC International Organization of CEOs, Women in Technology International and the River’s Club.
