MEET
Phil Burks

The History of Phil Burks

Phil Burks is the Founder and CEO of Burks GenCore Co., Inc.; GenCore Candeo, Ltd.; GenCore International, Ltd.; GenCore, LLC; MBCG, LLC; Phirst Technologies, LLC, and Running Tuba Enterprises.

Shortly after graduating from LeTourneau University with a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering Technology, Phil Burks began a rising career in sales with Motorola. An oilfield client offered a new position and opportunity for Phil to start a tower rental company, and in 1980 Jecca Towers was born. Jecca owned towers and sold and installed towers for MCI, AT&T, and various communication firms. In 1988 Motorola purchased Jecca Towers, and The Genesis Group began.

In 1989, Genesis grew from a single DOS-based billing software product that Phil wrote in his bedroom, to now over 30 Windows and browser-based software products that are designed to enhance Motorola critical two-way radio systems. Genesis software is globally installed for clients including: Motorola Australia, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Bell Mobility Canada, the States of Florida, Virginia, Louisiana, Arkansas, Illinois, South Carolina, Cities of New York, San Francisco, and many others.

Genesis has grown to include over 60 full-time employees at their Tyler, Texas, office; an office in London; and close affiliates in Melbourne and Mexico City. In April 2013, Phil stepped down as president to remain owner and CEO of the software enterprises. Most recently, along with another tech entrepreneur, Phil created Phirst Technologies, LLC, to develop and market a specialized drone for police, fire, and ambulance called FIRST iZ (pronounced First Eyes).

More Information on the software portion of Phil’s pursuits can be obtained at genesisworld.com, Genesis eBonds.com, and GenesisPULSE.com. His real estate development, pursuits and, additional information can be obtained at CorporateGreenTyler.com. Phil is also the founder and president of Running Tuba AVL (Audio Video & Lighting) Enterprises, a company that designs and installs large sound systems, video conferencing and lighting controls for schools, offices and churches.

Phil has served on many local non-profit boards, including a founding member of Tyler Innovation Pipeline and a trustee at LeTourneau University in Longview, Texas. At LeTourneau University, one of Phil’s latest endeavors is being the president of RGRD (RG LeTourneau Research & Development).

The latest non-profit board for Phil is as treasurer for GAPPS- Grace And Peace Parenting Services. GAPPS mission is to - build resilient parents, close preventable gaps thus reducing the family separation that comes with the foster care system.

Phil and his wife, Bobbie, make their home in Tyler, Texas.

The Story Phil Wants You To Know

I grew up in Levittown, PA. My parents were lower middle class working folks.

There’s a great story in my book, How To Eat A Failure Sandwich, telling how God worked with a failure in my dad’s life to bring my mom & dad together and then for me to be born. It centers on how my dad was in prison and the church my mom and my grandparents attended began a prison ministry. While in prison, Dad acted on that Bible verse he had heard many times as a child- “For God so loved the world, that he gave is only son, that whoever believes in HIM, will have eternal life”. He asked Jesus to be in control of his heart and life. When Mom & Dad married, they prayed that if God should give them a child, that he or she would also ask Jesus to be the lord of their life. When I was five years old in a thing we called ‘Junior Church’, I heard John 3:16, that same verse Dad heard. And I understood it! In that small room with a teacher and about six or seven other children, I asked Jesus to come into my life so I could spend eternity with him. I didn’t know theology or even know much beyond the eternal life part of ‘being saved’. But it was real! I can take you to that room and show where I was sitting (there’s a picture below)!

Mom & Dad helped me grow in my child-like faith. Somewhere in the process I learned that being ‘saved’ was not a ticket to an easy life full of rainbows and pixie dust! Nope. It was still hard and maybe in some ways even harder. Kids can be cruel and as such I was called ‘that church kid’. I still got in big trouble at home and at school. In the book you’ll read how a substitute teacher even told me I was stupid. About that time (around second grade), I took chalk and wrote every cuss word I had heard from other kids, on the playground asphalt. But I have ZERO regrets! God and my parents forgave me for that. And God continued to forgive me as I grew up. And he STILL forgives me.

Here’s my point: John 3:16 is simple. It is straight forward. Easy to understand. Have you read it out loud and then made a decision to accept it? I’m not going to scare you into believing it. I don’t beat anyone over the head with Jesus, but I live it every day in business and in life. You can too. I can tell you I am SO happy as a five-year-old and in simple faith, I said yes to Jesus. How about you?

“I have only said or done FOUR smart things in my life”

That may sound crazy, but here is the way I count it…

#1 - 1957… in that little classroom above, I asked Jesus to be the Lord of my life.

#2 - 1985… I asked Bobbie Kerns to become Bobbie Kerns Burks and ride this crazy adventure with me.

#3 - 1988… I was a part owner in Jecca Towers, a communication tower company. Nextel was a growing company and I knew the founders. They asked if Jecca might be for sale so I brought the offer to my (major) partner, Robert. It was a decent offer, but not the best one we had seen so we turned it down. I then tried to make an offer to buy Jecca, having NO idea how to do it or even what in the world I was doing. Alas, my offer was not accepted by Robert, my business partner. I had left Motorola to start Jecca and thus kept a close relationship with all of the Motorola movers and shakers. They asked if they could make an offer. Honestly I wasn’t too happy about the thought of being bought out by Motorola and thus going back to work for them after a sale. But then I saw their offer! They doubled Nextel’s offer for all of the Jecca assets! We took 15 seconds and said… SURE! I would receive a decent amount of cash and Robert would pay all of the taxes so it would be a clean new start, to WHAT, I had no idea. When Motorola came to our office to go over the asset list I was ready. I created the list so I was the SME (subject matter expert). The very last item on the list was- EzBILL SOFTWARE. The Motorola team wanted to know more about it. I explained that it was software that I had created to do the customer management and monthly billing for all of our towers and trunking systems. After a little discussion, one of the Motorola team asked, “Do we want to buy this?” Here is where the smart bit comes in. I looked at the team and after a beat said- “Depends if you want the liability or not!” Almost immediately they said “NO!” That was just fine with me. I knew the liability because I wrote it. That meant I had money from the sale, and the software that I had written on Jecca time, so my future was established in that thirty seconds! Side note… Nextel and Motorola both became my largest customers for EzBill and its companion software products that I wrote. God whispered in my ear that day!

#4 2019… I have been friends with our Smith County Sheriff, Larry Smith, and then County Judge Nathaniel Moran, for quite some time. In early 2019 I got a call from Sheriff Smith about a software question. When the new Smith County jail was constructed, Sheriff Smith did not want to build in a bail bondsmen room. He said it was not a good use of county resources to have a room where bail bondmen would essentially sit, play cards, and wait for a ‘perp’ to come through potentially needing their services. He felt there had to be a better way. Larry talked with their IT department and a gal on the team said she would make a stab at writing software to help in the management of the bail bond process. In 2013, she wrote a very simple software called ’eBonds’ that Smith County used successfully as they moved into the new jail. Sheriff Smith explained that while it was working well for the county, they had an issue. The gal that wrote eBonds was retiring. Essentially Larry wanted to know if our company, Genesis, would take over the support and maintenance of the software. Here’s where the forth smart thing comes in! I said, “Sheriff, I’d really rather not be a software support department for the county. I’d rather own the eBonds intellectual property (the software code)”. After some internal discussion and thought, Sheriff Smith told me that might work and we set about figuring out how Genesis might take ownership of the code and try to turn it into a business. There were several steps, including a bidding process, but we were successful and eBonds is completely re-written and spreading across the nation, city by city and county by county. Curious? https://ebondstx.com/

Two very personal actions and two business statements that changed the course of my life.

“Words have the power to ignite minds, shape perspectives, and drive change. Through his compelling speeches, Phil Burks sparks the fire of inspiration and unlocks the potential within each listener.”

What people are saying…

Bernie May Sr. - Founder, Seed Company, Former President, Wycliffe Bible Translators, Former President, JAARS

“I first met Phil when he was a young boy. I am the guy who gave him his first ride in an airplane (and the rest is history, so to speak!). I knew his parents before Phil existed and even before they knew each other. I see much of them reflected in these pages. Reconnecting with Phil after 55 years is one of the highlights of my 88+ years. It was a joy to fill in the gaps of how God worked in their lives and to see His grace working from one generation to another. Yes, life is often “messy,” but Phil shows that with prayer, perseverance, and the power of God, all things are possible.”
Brian Brandt - CEO, Core Insights

“How to Eat a Failure Sandwich is the Swiss Army knife of books. I found it to be packed full of humor, life lessons, historic reminders, a primer on the evolution of technology, inspiration, business acumen, and leadership insights. Burks has filled these pages with wisdom, and you're sure to benefit significantly from reading and reflecting on his words.”
Steven D. Mason - Ph.D., President, LeTourneau University

Like R.G. LeTourneau, the founder of LeTourneau University, Phil didn't quit in the face of adversity. Mr. LeTourneau is known for his hundreds of patents and the creation of the world's giant machines, but the general public never witnessed the thousands of hours and the failures along the way that led to his success. As a student at LeTourneau University, Phil saw Mr. LeTourneau's entrepreneurial spirit and heart for sharing the Good News of Jesus to the world. It is that spirit that he captures in How to Eat a Failure Sandwich!
Jason Wright - Founder, Texas Titan Media

“The American Dream often includes some nightmares along the way. If you can stay the course, you learn to cherish the latter in pursuit of the former. Phil Burks has done that very thing. Phil not only documents in How to Eat a Failure Sandwich what it means to be a successful entrepreneur, but also what it means to be a successful human being.”
Wade Myers - Investor and Entrepreneur

“In this well-crafted tale--told, no doubt, with the story-telling skills the author hammered out on the anvil of his hilarious mishaps as a young radio DJ and TV broadcaster--Phil Burks gives us an authentic and entertaining portrait of how to roll with the punches, how to accept, examine, and learn from failure, and how to eventually win at this thing we call life. And importantly, the reader is reminded that winning is rightfully defined as leading a life focused on pursuing your God-given purpose. How to Eat a Failure Sandwich is a quick, yet meaty, gem!”
Ben Shelton - Construction Project Manager - LeTourneau University

“The book reads like a conversation or at least a story to a valued audience. It doesn’t come off as “listen to me because I’m smart” it comes off as “I want you to be able to learn vicariously through me and my experience, because I care about yours.” So… I think you did a great job.”