In the information technology consulting business, the industry standard is to hire hourly contractors. However, for Dave Glyzewski, founder and president of Centare Group Ltd., the idea of building a corporate culture around talented, full-time workers is too important.
“I try to get good people in and develop those relationships past the employer/ employee level,” he said. “My job here is to build leaders. I believe in giving people ownership of different parts of the business and saying, ‘Go do it.'”
That strategy helped Centare land big-name clients such as Quad/Graphics Inc., Midwest Airlines and Miller Brewing Company and helped Centare Group’s revenue jump from $2 million in 2003 to $4.6 million in 2007.
Last year, the company was named to Inc. magazine’s list of the 5,000 fastest-growing companies in the country.
For Glyzewski, who has never thought of himself as an entrepreneur, giving employees the opportunity to participate in the creative process allows them to more fully reap the rewards of their labor.
“I am not only building my success story, but building success stories for others as well,” he said. “When my people go on to do bigger and better things, I like to think I helped a little. At the end of the day, I’m a people-person.”
Glyzewski also encourages his employees to get involved in the community and is himself a member of the Waukesha County Technical College Software Development Program Advisory Board, the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce and the Council of Small Business Executives.
However, he said nothing is as rewarding as his role as president of the Southeast Wisconsin Chapter of Operation Homefront.
“I have a successful business, I work hard, but at the end of the day, the sacrifices I make don’t compare at all to the sacrifices made by the men and women of our military on a daily basis,” he said.
Glyszewski was nominated for the Bravo! Entrepreneur Award by Mike Shefky of The Ritterbusch Group.
Address: 125 N. Executive Drive, Suite 104, Brookfield
Web Site: www.centare.com
Industry: Software development
Revenues: $4.6 million in 2007
Employees: 37
