Culver’s connection to Dallemand didn’t affect chamber’s choice for 2017 chairman

Isaac Culver, the CEO of Progressive Consulting Technologies Inc., has been a member of the Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce for many years and has served on its executive committee. He is the chamber’s 2017 chairman.

And even though Culver was one of the defendants named in a multimillion-dollar lawsuit filed Thursday by the Bibb County school district, chamber President/CEO Mike Dyer said Friday that he wasn’t aware of any issues with naming Culver as chairman.

“There were no voiced concerns that I’m aware of from the nominating committee,” Dyer said. “Isaac’s been a member of the chamber for a long time and has been on our board a long time. ... We’ve held him in high regard. He wouldn’t be the chair for ‘17 if we didn’t.”

The lawsuit said former Bibb County school Superintendent Romain Dallemand demanded that a new school system CFO make two wire transfers of public funds totaling more than $7 million for purchases without school board approval and against district policy. The school board said in the suit that Dallemand made an agreement with Progressive for technical management services at significantly higher rates than what was approved by the school board.

Progressive received two payments of $500,000 each, eight days apart, from the school district to go toward improving technology in the school system, but according to the suit, the school did not see a significant improvement in technology. The second $500,000 was paid to Progressive with Dallemand’s approval, but without soliciting bids or getting school board approval, the suit said.

While serving on the chamber’s 2016 executive committee, Culver was named chairman elect. The nominating committee is made up of past chairs of the chamber and other people who have rolled off the board, Dyer said.

Culver’s relationship with Dallemand has been known for some time, Dyer said, and it didn’t cause an issue.

“Certainly from our board perspective or the executive committee’s perspective civil suits happen quite a bit, and people are innocent until proven guilty,” he said.

Dyer said Culver called him Friday to be sure that Dyer was aware The Telegraph was reporting on the lawsuit.

“He wanted me to be aware that he hadn’t anticipated that there would be as much information in there as there was and specifically naming him,” Dyer said. “He said ... he was sorry that it bought attention to the chamber, but that he was innocent and he was going to be fighting it in the courts.”

Culver, responding to a request for comment, said in a phone message Friday that he had not received a copy of the lawsuit.

“When I do I’ll give it to my attorney and find out what I’m able to talk to you about,” he said. “There is a lot for me to say, and I need to say some things.”

Progressive Consulting was founded in 1990, and the company’s first contract was with the Bibb County Board of Education, according to a Telegraph interview in 2013.

Initially, the company focused on online software and after about six years, it focused on application development, Culver said at the time. The company has created software that the Air Force used at its three logistic centers. In 2013, the company had 30 employees and about 10 contractors across the country.

This story was originally published December 16, 2016 at 6:23 PM with the headline "Culver’s connection to Dallemand didn’t affect chamber’s choice for 2017 chairman."