Membership in Beta Gamma Sigma starts with recognition as the “best in business” but delivers value for life.

Mr. James Phillips is Managing Director of The Covenant Business Group and & Vice-Chairman of Indigo Technology.

As Managing Director of The Covenant Business Group, Mr.Phillips leads the Group in addressing products and processes that contribute to innovation-based economic and business growth. Working with the multidisciplinary team, we identify and analyze technology trends, opportunities and meeting the challenges to quickly improve businesses though improved tactics and facilitating partnerships to develop and improve business capability for translating research into market ready innovations while accelerating awareness and demand. This includes expert guidance of providing the very best in proper positioning and messaging for companies reaching their audience properly and most effectively to best grow their business increasing their dominance and overcoming any barrier to success.

Various successes of our Covenant Business Group firm have been QuSHELL which is a very advanced patent-pending nano-engineered materials private company based on nanoparticles’ strong Chemical inter-bonding revealed in biomimicry as in for instance seashells and tooth enamels that form slowly at their biological time settings but very quickly using QuShell technology. QuShell LLC has invented a family of nano engineered products that dramatically increase performance, efficiency and sustainability in the IC Packaging, construction, transportation, aerospace, marine, medical device, next generation protective face masks, orthopedics, wireless, autonomous, and military markets.

Other outstanding successes of Covenant Business Group have been QuArmour LLC. This advanced invention relates generally to the formulations and methods for making a new type of automotive bodies and components, as the first of this type, made of ultra lightweight, ultra low-cost, mechanically strong, radio frequency (RF) transparent, zero CO2 emission, biocompatible, biodegradable, and room temperature made QuArmour, and the related methods for manufacturing, using and repairing the QuArmours.

Other successes include design of Improved tires,  QuMask-a revolutionary patent pending anti-viral personal face mask invention. Rather than merely blocking viruses and other pathogens, QuMask eliminates them rendering them harmless. QuMask can be made in a wide variety of masks, including inexpensive, disposable, reusable, biodegradable, models and high end versions that capture and deactivate all pathogens.

Phillips has had an outstanding career, internationally credited with being very instrumental in launching instant messaging, the PDA, Cable Modem, PCS, Fixed Cellular, fully commercializing first Nano-engineered medical devices and petrochemical products including Time Magazine’s Medical Invention of the Year – the VeinViewer, and five-time Edison Award and R&D 100 winner NanoMech’s AtomOil, AtomLube, nGuard, TuffTek and GuardX.  Throughout his business career, Jim has held numerous prominent positions and founded and co- founded many successful corporations while introducing many products used by millions worldwide. He started his career in 1975 with Northern Telecom, when the company was the 2nd largest telecom manufacturer in North America, rising in management to Vice- President; became President & Co-Founder of SkyTel – the nation’s largest messaging company; President & Vice Chairman of Telular Corp.; Corporate Vice President and General Manager of Motorola, PCS and Multimedia divisions, where his team invented the cable modem and pioneered “the cable bundle” which included the invention and deployment of the cable modem, cable telephone service and the set top interactive TV module with the world’s leading cable interactive service providers. Mr. Phillips received the Motorola Patent Disclosure Award for the tablet computer. As President and Vice-Chairman of Telular Corporation (WRLS), an INC 500 Company, Jim took the company public (NASDAQ) and was instrumental in the development of the wireless local loop; cellular voice and data telephone (wireless dialtone); pioneering machine to machine communications (M2M) for wireless telemetry applications including IoT Telematics, Intermodal Asset and Trailer Tracking, Industrial Tank Monitoring in energy, transportation and agriculture; and the TelGuard wireless security alarm systems protecting millions of homes and businesses across the world. While President of Telular, Mr. Phillips was awarded the patent for PCS One, and sold 20% of the company to Motorola. Jim served as Senior Vice-President of Mobilecomm, the second largest provider of cellular and paging services in the U.S. at the time. Jim also Co-Founded iPIX Corporation where he served as Chairman and CEO, when at the time, IPIX was the world’s largest provider of digital imaging infrastructure for the internet, in such areas as virtual tours, telepresence, online real estate, hospitality, and security.  During his tenure with iPIX, he led the company to become what Forbes called “the Kodak of the Internet.” The company revolutionized imaging across the internet, inventing virtual tours that are a staple on real estate, hotel & entertainment websites and the only 360×360 security camera system used by the White House and many government agencies and corporations. Billions of internet users experienced immersive imaging and “telepresence” for the first time through iPIX. Under Phillips leadership, IPIX sold to Bamboo in $850M merger.

Under Phillips’ leadership, the company went public realizing a valuation well over $1Billion and created the first augmented reality system using virtual head tracking eyeglasses that provided a live 360° viewing experience to anywhere in the world. In addition, through the merger of Bamboo.com and Picture Works, Jim’s team oversaw the development of the popular “drag and drop” image submission process utilized by millions of e-Bay users everyday. Mobilecomm Corporation was sold to BellSouth Corporation, SkyTel Corporation was sold to MCI Verizon, iPIX Technology was sold to Sony Corporation, Luminetx was sold to Christies, and Telular was sold to Ametek.

While furthering his management career in the financial sector, Mr. Phillips served as CEO in Residence and Special Advisor to the Private Equity and Investment Banking Groups at Morgan Keegan & Co.
As Founding Chairman and Executive Director of the FedEx Institute of Technology (FIT), he helped establish this leading research park on the campus at the University of Memphis. Information Week called FIT “the technology industry’s newest center for innovation” and WIRED Magazine compared it to the Media Lab at MIT.

In 2004, Jim was named a prestigious Information Week Magazine “Innovator of the Year”. That same year, he became Chairman and CEO of Luminetx Corporation and led with his management team through the development, FDA clearance, and very successful commercialization of the breakthrough medical device he branded as the “VeinViewer” named by Time Magazine as “Coolest Medical Invention of the Year,” and Red Herring Magazine featured Luminetx Corporation at the top of the list of North America’s 100 Best Technology Startups in 2006 under Mr. Phillips leadership. VeinViewer is a mobile vascular imaging system that allows health care providers to clearly see accessible vasculature in real time directly on the surface of the skin using HD Imaging digital full-field and is the first and only vein illumination medical device that uses harmless near infrared light at nano-frequency, and other technologies to illuminate a real time HD digital image of subcutaneous vasculature and blood patterns directly onto the skin surface increasing first stick accuracy up to 100%.
Jim also founded and served as Chairman and CEO of Snowflake Technologies Corporation – an early innovator in nano-engineered biometric identification technology awarded the 2009 Frost & Sullivan Innovation of the Year Award for the biometrics market.

Mr. Phillips served as the Chairman and CEO of NanoMech, Inc., leading it to record and sustained revenues, before retiring after leading the top nano- engineering leader for 10 years providing revolutionary nanoscale innovations as a manufacturer of specialty lubricants, chemicals, protective coatings and cutting tools. The patented multi-functional products improve material performance and maximize customer productivity and profit with safe, nano-engineered solutions for oil field, transportation and industrial customers with products providing superior longevity through reduced downtime, improved asset protection, broader operating performance and increased efficiency versus other standard technologies.

For his efforts and extraordinary results while leading NanoMech from a startup to a world leader in material science and outstanding growth during his tenure, Mr. Phillips was recognized in 2019 as a top innovator and leader in the global nanotechnology field by the Nano Business Commercialization Association, Frost and Sullivan, and Deloitte.

Mr. Phillips personally named, launched, and branded VeinViewer, Skytel, SkyPager, SkyWord, SkyMail, PCS One, CellDock, CyberSurfer Cable Modem, the Surfboard Cable Modem, Snowflake Technologies, and the CPX (Cellular Phone Exchange), nGlide, nGuard, GUARDx, TriboTuff, ElementX, AtomOil, and AtomLube.

Among his many honors and awards, Jim has won five Edison Awards, two Frost & Sullivan Awards, two Tibbetts Awards, the CLIO Award, the BENNY Chairman’s Award, the University of Memphis Distinguished Graduate Award, the Fogelman College of Business Distinguished Executive of the Year, the Herff College of Engineering Distinguished Service Award, the National Golden Key Award, served as the University of Memphis Executive in Residence, and was named Tennessee Businessman of the Year in 1999 by the U.S. Small Business Administration. In 2006, he was inducted into the Memphis Entrepreneurial Society.

His innovative contributions and business leadership have been chronicled in many national publications including: Forbes, Fortune, Business Week, The Standard, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today. He has made numerous appearances on Fox News, CNN, CNNfn, CNBC, SiriusXM Patriot radio, NPR, Tucker Carlson, the BBC, Breitbart Radio, and CBS Morning News. In addition Mr. Phillips has keynoted 100’s of major conferences, businesses and Universities worldwide as an executive and professional speaker
Some of his business affiliations and Board Memberships have included:

Member, Council on Competitiveness (Executive Committee)
Member U.S. Technology Leadership Council
Member U.S. Manufacturing Initiative
Trustee of National Health Museum
Board Member Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee (Audit, Compliance & Chair Investment &Public Policy Committees)
Board Member Texas A&M (TEES)
Board Member The Curiosity Project (curiositystream.com)
Trustee/Visitors University of Memphis
Trustee Memphis Music Foundation
Board Member UM Herff College of Engineering
Board Member UM Fogelman School of Business
Board Member The President’s-United States Materials Genome
Member, Memphis Entrepreneurial Society
Vice Chairman ,Member – Memphis Chamber of Commerce
Vice Chairman, Member – Tennessee Technology Development Corporation
Member, Tennessee Film and Music Commission
Member Tennessee Business Roundtable
MIT Multimedia Board Advisor
Co-Founder, past Chairman/Director-EmergeMemphis
Board Member Bioworks Foundation

Mr. Phillips has spoken on the main stage at TED twice, and TEDMED, and EG.

At the request of the U.S Congress, Mr. Phillips testified to the Intel, Science, and Commerce Committees on improving tech transfer and commercialization in the U.S. National Labs and the American University System; improving STEM Education in USA; and the status of Foreign theft of American intellectual property by China and other countries from Universities and companies including methods.

Jim holds BBA and MBA degrees from the University of Memphis, graduating with academic honors. As a student, he was President of the Tennessee Student Association, Cadet Commander of the largest ROTC Detachment in the U.S. and Vice President of the SGA. He was commissioned as a Lieutenant and attended Jet Pilot Training at Webb AFB in Texas. He was honored with the Professor of Aerospace Studies Award and the United States Air Force Distinguished Military Graduate Award.

Jim and Barbara Phillips (his wife of 45 years) are blessed with three sons, Parker, Preston & Palmer and their families including six grandchildren.

Mr. Phillips is eternally grateful for the many brilliant colleagues, fellow employees, and wonderful friends that have made it possible to be privileged for him to play a role, along with them, in launching companies and introducing new technologies and products that have made a positive contribution to society.