OFFSITE LLC
Address: 3618 & 3734 7th Ave., Kenosha
Industry: Technology
www.off-site.com
The technology industry has seen unprecedented growth over the past few years. OFFSITE LLC, a Kenosha-based data center owner and operator and IT solutions provider, has followed that trend.
The company’s revenue has increased 150 percent since 2011 and its employment levels have increased 8 percent over the same time period.
“We work with a diverse range of companies along the Chicago/Milwaukee corridor,” said Steve Borucki, chief executive officer. “Our client list includes five publicly-traded firms as well as three of the largest privately held firms based in Chicago.”
Borucki was a 30-year bond trader in Chicago before buying up real estate in Kenosha to start OFFSITE in 2000.
“The location really turned into an advantage for us,” he said. “As a Chicagoan, I hadn’t spent much time in Kenosha prior to locating our business here, but it’s really at the midpoint between Chicago and Milwaukee and it allows us to adequately serve our customer base in both areas. It’s great.”
Initially, the firm was concerned about finding talent in the area, but Kenosha and its people have proven to be a key reason for the company’s growth, Borucki said.
“What we found was that not only could we find talent, but we found talent three deep,” he said. “Our vendors, our engineers, our contractors and the people we’ve employed have really played a key role in building this company. It goes beyond the traditional client/seller relationship. These people are friends now; they are advisors for us and our business. It’s really been a wonderful experience and the growth here in Kenosha, regionally, is fantastic.”
The company started strictly as a data center, but has since expanded to include a multitude of services.
OFFSITE’s services include dedicated and shared co-location space, workplace recovery, data backup and storage, telecom lifecycle management, hosted and managed IT solutions and, its fastest growing sector, cloud solutions.
In 2012, OFFSITE began a $2.5 million phase one construction project on a second data center adjacent to its existing facility, which expanded the data center capacity from 25,000 square feet to more than 50,000 square feet.
The company has continued to invest in phase two and phase three of the facility.
OFFSITE expects to reach capacity at its existing facility and is currently evaluating sites for a second Kenosha campus.
“IT is becoming more commoditized. Prices are being driven down and offerings are standardized,” Borucki said. “Companies need to be able to remain flexible and spin up and spin down as they need it.”
The company is designed to work within that flexibility, Borucki said.
“We’re here to look out for our clients. The industry is fast and ever-changing and if a company needs something we will do it mid-contract as their needs change,” he said. “We take a real partnership approach with our clients.”
