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ON THE CUTTING EDGE
By Liese Hutchison
2000
Fast 50 Winners
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Karpel
Computer Systems
Custom software developer
Jeff Karpel
President and CEO
5520 Telegraph Rd., Suite 201
St. Louis, MO 63129
314/892-6300
www.karpel.com
Karpel Computer Systems, a two-time FAST 50 winner and ranked
30th last year, employs 20 people who work mainly on AS400 and
Windows NT operating systems for its clients.
The company recently designed and installed a new custom software
solution for the City of St. Louis. Created for Prosecuting Attorney
Dee Joyce Hayes’ office, this system allows the prosecuting attorney’s
office of more than 100 users, 50 of whom are lawyers, to track
all case files, determine dockets, view prior arrests, put meeting
notes into a master system, generate warrants and schedule court
times on the software installed on the attorneys’ computers.
Karpel says the key to providing custom solutions is the company’s
five-step process of first analyzing the situation and interviewing
the client, then designing a solution that must be approved before
moving into developing and implementing. Once the system is up
and running, Karpel personnel will then maintain it.
LINCO Research
Producer and distributor of immunology reagents
Ronald L. Gingerich, Ph.D.
President 14 Research Park
St. Charles, MO 63304
636/441-8400
www.lincoresearch.com
A three-time FAST 50 winner, LINCO Research focuses on researching,
developing and manufacturing diagnostic products in the areas
of diabetics, obesity and neurobiology. The company continues
to grow and recently acquired a 20,000-square-foot building across
the street from its existing facility in the Missouri Research
Park. Administration, manufacturing, marketing and shipping all
relocated.
The company’s first building is now being used for expanded research
and development efforts. “Most of our growth in personnel is occurring
in R&D. We hired a vice president and two additional managers
to strengthen the management team,” says Ron Gingerich, president.
“We will be introducing many new assays in our core business of
obesity and diabetes.”
LINCO Research has 35 employees and ranked 26th on the FAST 50
list in 1999. The company’s products are sold through distributors
and can be found in academic and research labs in more than 60
countries.
Lowy
Enterprises
Information technology services
Steve Lowy
CEO
11605 Studt Ave., Suite 100
St. Louis, MO 63141
314/878-4777
www.envision.com
A newcomer to the FAST 50 list, Lowy Enterprises was founded by
Steve Lowy’s father in 1939 as a floor covering distributor and
carpet manufacturer. Lowy sold the business in 1994, kept the
name of the business and decided to venture into the IT arena.
This successful gamble has Lowy running two purchased companies—Envision
and Quatrix—that provide IT staffing, contract computer programming,
Internet development, web-enabling systems, e-commerce solutions
and database integration. Why move from flooring to IT? “I bought
an IT company because of the growth potential,” Lowy states. “It’s
fast moving and the Internet is changing almost every industry
in the U.S.”
The fast-growing company has offices in Phoenix, Austin, Houston
and Dallas and owns two buildings in Creve Coeur. Clients include
Motorola, Anheuser-Busch, Monsanto, MasterCard, 3M and IBM. Lowy
expansion plans continue as he hopes to make more acquisitions.
The company employs 200 people.
Lowy, who produced the Technology Gateway mural of regional high-tech
companies, donated $80,000 to the project. A replica of the mural
hangs outside his St. Louis headquarters.
Maryville Technologies
Software developer
Joseph M. Blomker
President
540 Maryville Centre, Suite 300
St. Louis, MO 63141
636/519-4100
www.maryville.com
Joseph
M. Blomker, Maryville Technologies |
Starting out with 800 square feet in its building at Maryville
Centre, Maryville Technologies now occupies 18,000 square feet.
The company’s growth isn’t limited to St. Louis; it recently opened
offices in Omaha and Des Moines. It already has facilities in
five other central U.S. cities.
Its capabilities have grown since it ranked number 3 on the FAST
50 and number 40 nationally on the FAST 500 in 1999. “We’ve built
upon our enterprise infrastructure integration and management
strengths to engineer application solutions with an operations
bias. Our applications portfolio now includes customer relationship
management, enterprise applications integration, and business
intelligence solutions,” notes Joe Blomker, president. The company
is working with business critical environments at clients such
as Sprint PCS, Ameritrade, Lands End, Rockwell and AG Edwards.
Opening its doors in 1994, the company now has 150 employees.
Maryville Technologies expects to double its size to 300 people
by next summer. Blomker was named the Entrepreneur of the Year
in the software development category in 1999.
MasterCard Global Technology and operations
Developer and manager of technology payment systems
Jerry McElhatton
President
11885 Lackland Road
St. Louis, MO 63146
314/275-6100
www.mastercard.com
MasterCard’s Global Technology and Operations Center develops
and manages advanced technology for one of the leading payment
systems in the world. It is a pioneer in the use of technology
to help banks and financial institutions deliver the convenience
of payment cards to their customers.
With a staff of more than 1,700 in St. Louis, MasterCard processes
as many as 25 million transactions on a single day and settles
as much as $1.5 billion between financial institutions daily.
MasterCard is also a leader in chip-based technology. With a MasterCard
Mondex card, users can transfer money via their phone lines to
their cards. This smart card can then be used for purchases. Different
from a debit card, the Mondex card is an alternative to cash.
Rob Reeg, senior vice president of systems development, feels
this card will virtually stop the need for cash. An example he
gives is having a pizza delivered. “Instead of writing a check
or handing over cash to the pizza delivery driver, customers can
slide their Mondex cards into the reader to transfer the money,”
Reed states.
The Mattson Jack Group (MJG)
Custom consulting to the health-care industry
Bill Mattson
President Bill Jack
CEO
11960 Westline Industrial Dr., Ste. 180
St. Louis, MO 63146
314/469-7600
www.mattsonjack.com
A five-time FAST 50 winner, The Mattson Jack Group ranked 36th
in 1999. The company just reached a milestone after 14 years in
business—it billed its 50 millionth dollar. With offices in New
York, Philadelphia, London and Phoenix, the company focuses on
three areas of business: forecasting and modeling; mergers and
acquisitions; and strategic planning. Its clients are in the biotech,
pharmaceutical and health-care fields.
Bill Mattson, president, says the biopharmaceutical and biotech
industries are undergoing explosive change and his company’s challenge
is helping clients drive future growth. “Our industry is hotter
than the overall economy,” he notes. Another challenge is managing
turnover because clients are hiring the company’s employees away.
The Mattson Jack Group employs more than 60 people and is currently
expanding its Westport facility. The company is co-sponsoring
the Biodiscovery Symposium on Sept. 11, which is hosted by the
Technology Gateway Alliance.
Metaphase
Ergonomic product designer
Bryce Rutter, Ph.D.
CEO
12 S. Hanley
Clayton, MO 63105
314/721-0700
www.metaphase.com
Diabetics, thirsty athletes, computer users and people who shave
have all used products designed by Metaphase. The award-winning
company is a three-time FAST 50 winner and ranked 44 in 1999.
Its Microlet product designed for Bayer Corp. is an easy to hold
blood sample device used by diabetics. This product recently received
the Design of the Decade Award sponsored by Business Week and
IDSA, along with the I-Mac, Powerbook, and VW Beetle. Its ergonomic
Gatorade bottle received the Package of the Year Award from Food
& Drug Packaging last year. Clients include Microsoft, Gillette,
Sony and Quaker Oats.
Doubling its employees from 12 to 25 and doubling its gross sales,
Bryce Rutter, CEO, attributes the company’s design success to
the variety of talent on staff. Armed with expertise in kinesiology,
anthropology, industrial design and engineering, Metaphase employees
conduct design research and product ethnography as well as design
new products. “We’re the only firm in the industry with such a
diverse cast of characters,” Rutter states. “The intellectual
horsepower we have here is unparalleled.”
Miken Computer Co.
Software solutions provider
Michael J. Smith, Ph.D.
President 7790 Watson Rd.
St. Louis, MO 63119
314/918-9671
www.mikencomputer.com
A FAST 50 newcomer, Miken Computer Co. was founded in 1988. One
of the first Internet design companies in the region, the company
delved into that aspect of its business in 1994. With its headquarters
in St. Louis and an office in Springfield, Mo., the company employs
30 people who specialize in custom application software, web-enabled
software and integration. Clients include Deloitte & Touche, May
Co., Lincoln Industrial and Saberliner.
Mike Smith, president, says the company’s challenge is the staying
ahead of the fast-paced change of technology. “Everything changes
every six months,” he remarks. “We have to see where the markets
are going and stay ahead of the game.” Another challenge is retaining
qualified workers. Smith works hard to create a family type atmosphere
where people want to come to work. Company activities include
a softball and bowling team, nights at the movie, dinners and
barbecues.
Currently the privately held company is growing through self financing,
but the company’s goal is to go public within five years.
The Miller Group
Information technology solution provider
Mike Miller
President
12213 Big Bend
St. Louis, MO 63122
314/822-8090
www.tmgIT.com
The Miller Group has experienced growth and change in its 15-year
history, and last year was no exception. The company restructured
internally to ensure that it can provide clients a systematic
solution for their IT problems. Previously structured into server,
application and training departments, the company eliminated those
departments and instead focuses on the complete solution for the
client, incorporating all three areas.
Mike Miller, president, says his company’s challenge now is getting
the client to sit back and look at the big picture to see what
all the pieces are and how they should work together, to create
what Miller calls “return on technology.” He further states, “This
new approach is working. We’re adding more value for our clients
and are creating partnerships with them.”
The company, which was founded in 1985 by Miller one year out
of college, employs 25 people. A partial client list includes
Bank of America, BJC, Mallinckrodt, Southpointe Hospital, Jerome
Group, Angelica and the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation.
NetCom, Inc.
Data and voice networking
Dave Smith
General Manager
2275 Cassens Dr., Suite 123
Fenton, MO 63026
636/349-6400
www.netcom-stl.com,
www.netcominc.cc
A FAST 50 newcomer, NetCom was founded in 1989 and is a leading
reseller of voice and data networks for 3Com, Cisco Systems, Siemens
and Compaq. When a client moves, upgrades or needs different voice
and data services, NetCom can provide the increased bandwidth,
cabling and technology systems that fits the client’s needs. Customers
include Energizer, Boeing, Mallinckrodt, Ladue School District,
Special School District and Normandy School District. Dave Smith,
general manager, says school systems are the fastest growing area
in the cabling industry as more students and teachers are on-line
and needing quick access to information.
Smith and Denny Morr, ex Digital Equipment consultants, started
NetCom because of the downsizing they saw at DEC. The company
is experiencing a controlled growth of 40 to 50 percent a year
and sees the cabling industry continue at this pace for some time.
Netcom has 30 employees in its Fenton and Kansas City offices.
Oakwood Systems Group, Inc.
Information Technology Consulting
Robyn Feigenbaum
President Two CityPlace Dr., Suite 10
St. Louis, MO 63141
314/824-3000
www.oakwoodsys.com
A four-time FAST 50 winner ranked 40th in 1999, Oakwood Systems
Group reflects its name. When Robyn Feigenbaum, president, wanted
to start her own company, a friend asked her to describe the company
she wanted to be. Feigenbaum’s response—strong, sturdy, big. The
friend replied, “You sound like you want to be an oak tree!” And
in 1981, the name and the company sprouted.
Feigenbaum is proud of the fact that her IT company maintains
steady growth, retains its employees and provides the quality
service her clients demand. With 30 percent growth, year in and
year out, and 65 faithful employees, including three of the first
five ever hired, Oakwood has expanded its service offerings to
include Internet/Intranet & E-Commerce development, Systems Engineering
and Management Consulting. Oakwood leverages innovative technologies
to help clients achieve their business outcomes through a unique
and highly successful approach that Oakwood has designed and trademarked
as their Business EXCELLERATION Model™.
Open Systems Group, Inc.
Designer and developer of automated solutions
John D. Marx
President and CEO
1650 Des Peres Rd., Suite 150
St. Louis, MO 63131
314/966-7555
www.opensysgroup.com
Experiencing 100 percent growth the first five years, John Marx,
president & CEO, had hoped to maintain that accelerated rate for
years to come. But alas, the two-time FAST 50 winner experienced
just 40 percent growth in 1999 with Marx vowing to reach 100 percent
again this year. “We expect to build a $100 million company in
five years,” Marx states.
This fall, Open Systems Group will launch Open Media Group, a
separate company that will focus on electronic document systems
that are wireless. Open Systems Group’s 100 employees work in
its St. Louis, San Antonio and Dallas offices. The company expects
to open a software development center in St. Louis and in Las
Colinas, Texas, within the year. The company’s strong growth is
a boon to the community. “We give 10 percent of the company’s
profit to charitable causes and match dollar for dollar employee
contributions as well,” Marx notes.
Optitek, Inc.
Information and enterprise image management system developer
Stephen B. DeVaney
CEO
2001 S. Hanley Rd., Suite 250
St. Louis, MO 63144
314/644-2880
www.optitekinc.com
Stephen
B. DeVaney, Optitek, Inc. |
A two-time winner ranked 16th on the FAST 50 and 487th on the
FAST 500 last year, Optitek’s core business remains electronic
document management, data warehousing, document imaging, facilities
management and systems integration. The fastest growing segment
of the company, however, is e-commerce based.
The company started in 1992 converting paper documents into electronic
images. This process saves its clients money by putting filing
systems into electronic formats, making the company more efficient
and productive in retrieving information and eliminating storage
costs for millions of sheets of paper. The new e-commerce applications
puts that information online, allowing anyone from anywhere in
the world with the right security access the ability to retrieve
archived information. From trucking companies to health-care facilities,
people who need information 24 hours a day are turning to Optitek
for the right solution. The company, with 35 employees, expects
to open another facility within the next year to handle the increased
volume of business.
PC Innovators Consulting
IT consulting and custom software development
Skip Martin
Vice President
11854 Lackland Rd.
St. Louis, MO 63146
314/692-0200
www.pcinnovators.com
A two-time winner, last year PC Innovators ranked 14th on the
FAST 50 and 462nd on the FAST 500. The company’s two businesses
are IT staffing and consulting services. The IT staffing part
of the business will be spun off within the next six months. The
consulting side is expected to double in revenue and in the number
of staff this year. With 25 employees, PC Innovators is doubling
its office space in anticipation of the growth. “Our goal is to
do $10 million in business in 2004,” states Skip Martin, vice
president.
Focusing on object-oriented software development, the company
works primarily with the medical and scientific communities. Biotech
databases, hospital management systems and pharmacy data transfer
products are its specialty. All of its current work is web enabled.
An active member of Technology Gateway, Martin is enthusiastic
about the region’s technology companies. “I’m glad to see St.
Louis embracing new technology and that the entrepreneurial spirit
is alive here,” he notes.
PRO Networks Corp
Professional networking services
John G. Sargent
President
743 Spirit 40 Park Dr., Suite 257
Chesterfield, MO 63005
636/519-4800
www.pronetworks.com
PRO Networks, a three-time FAST 50 winner ranked ninth in
1999, is a leading integrator of high-speed voice and data networks.
Founded in 1989, the company’s philosophy of providing outstanding
service to its clients is the reason PRO Networks continues to
experience 50 percent growth year after year.
“Our employees are experts at what they do,” notes John Sargent,
president. “They don’t hesitate to roll up their sleeves to do
whatever it takes to provide our clients with the right technology
that solves their business problems.”
The number one reseller of Lucent Technologies’ data products
in the country, PRO Networks is headquartered in Chesterfield
with a fast-growing office in Kansas City. The company recently
received 1999 Entrepreneur of the Year honors from the St. Louis
County Economic Council and was a finalist in the 2000 Ernst &
Young Entrepreneur of the Year awards. The second-fastest, privately
held company in the region, PRO Networks employs 25 technology
experts. Clients include Gabriel Communications, Tenet Healthcare,
Sprint and Nordyne.
2000
Fast 50 Winners
A-I | J-Q | R-Z
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