What was the smartest thing your company did in the past year?
“Growing aggressively through the recession. Because we never put our foot on the brakes, we’ve had the resources in place to help companies get more value from their IT investments. And as the economy has improved, we will keep on growing alongside our clients.”
What’s new at your company?
“Expanding our use of social media. We’re always looking for more ways to communicate with business people how they can stop wasting dollars on IT and improve outcomes. Recently we’ve integrated social media with other marketing efforts including email, inline ads, outdoor and the Concurrency website.”
Do you plan to hire any additional staff or make any significant capital investments in your company in the next year?
“Yes, we are hiring aggressively in Wisconsin, Chicago, and Indiana. We’re shopping for new space for our Brookfield headquarters location. In Chicago, we’re leasing downtown office space.”
What will be your company’s main challenges in the next year?
“Managing growth. I’ve learned over the years that the way to keep a competitive edge is hiring the best people and eliminating barriers to communication. That’s the same philosophy we had in 1989 and now as we manage the growth that’s come since Microsoft named us worldwide Partner of the Year.”
What’s the hottest trend in your industry?
“Transitioning IT to the cloud. Most small and medium sized businesses are almost definitely wasting money if they’re not running key services from the public cloud. The days of small and mid-size businesses running servers in a closet are over. Large businesses need a strategy that balances public and private cloud opportunities. There are still a lot of corporate managers who haven’t realized how much money they can save while also improving security and availability.”
Do you have a business mantra?
“Follow the golden rule and protect open communication throughout the organization. Regarding IT specifically, it’s critical to focus on durable platform software and best-in-class services. Let the major vendors and retailers commoditize hardware and don’t confuse a utility for a platform.”
From a business standpoint, who do you look up to?
“My stepfather and – at Microsoft – Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, and Kevin Turner.”
What was the best advice you ever received?
“Do what you love to do and the money will come.”
What do you like to do in your free time?
“Running, hiking, skiing, boating, traveling and reading.”
