Q-Power

Bill Pardue's Qbase Inc. has blown away its goal for its first year in business

Dayton Business Journal (December 22, 2006)

QBASE TO OPEN SECOND OHIO OFFICE IN '07

by Yvonee Teems
DBJ Staff Reporter

A one-year-old Beavercreek company is ending this year by surpassing revenue goals, and it's making a New Year's resolution to quadruple its growth by the end
of 2007.

Qbase Data Service Ltd. anticipated 2006 revenue to be at least $1 million, and they're on track to end 2006 at $1.4 million, said Bill Pardue, chief executive officer. The company, which manages data and provides data analysis, expects to reach $5.6 million by the end of next year.

The company is continuing to grow because it's performed well with existing industries -- nonprofit organizations, higher education and military -- and added
a new one: health care. It's also been working hard to recruit top talent by offering competitive salaries, benefits and company ownership.

In the past several months, Qbase has added new industries to its portfolio and tacked on an information technologies service. Next year, it plans on opening another Ohio office, expanding its Beavercreek location and its reach into new geographic markets across the country.

The company is currently recruiting about 35 workers for a new office it plans on opening in second quarter 2007. It now has 44 workers in its Beavercreek location at The Acropolis at Fairfield Commons, beating its goal of 26 workers by the end of this year. Qbase expects to grow that location to 50 by the end of 2007.

The new office location has yet to be determined, and Pardue said he will make a final decision in the first quarter.

He expects to end 2007 with 80 employees, and he projects to exceed 100 workers by the end of 2008.

The snowballing workforce will help the company tackle new markets, services and industries it plans on entering in the coming year.

In early December, the company added an information technologies service to its list of offerings. Now, the company is hiring IT professionals who can service the data management products that it builds for customers.

Next year, the company will expand its geographic reach in the nonprofit and education sectors beyond Dayton and into other areas that may include southern California, Atlanta, Chicago, Minnesota, Houston and the Mid-Atlantic. It also will enter new markets in its government sector.

Qbase's rapid growth is peaking the interest of other organizations in the area.
The Greater Dayton Information Technology Alliance is trying to recruit Qbase to become a member of its trade association, which works to connect technology
users with suppliers.

As a supplier, Qbase would be an asset to the GDITA, said Ann Gallaher, chief operating officer.

"Advanced data management is the future," Gallaher said.

Gallaher said that because lots of companies are collecting data, they need a vendor like Qbase to take that data and analyze it so a company can make educated decisions.

As Qbase's client demands grow, it needs to hire more people. But it can't always find the best talent in the Dayton area, Pardue said. So he's helping to spearhead an effort to make data analytics a specialty for the Dayton region by working with local universities on bringing in interns and creating curricula.

"Some of the disciplines that we need to be successful in the markets we're entering are not well developed in the Dayton region," he said.

Qbase is fostering relationships with Wright State University, the University of Dayton, Central State University, Wittenberg University and Cedarville University.

This winter, the company will take in 12 interns. From last spring's program, it has hired two interns as full-time workers.

"We would rather hire people locally. The internship program allows us to provide development and training to people to supplement the work they've done at university," he said.

And when recruiting from inside or outside the area, Pardue said he thinks he offers a competitive package. The median compensation is $90,000 including benefits, and come first quarter 2007, employees will have the opportunity to buy options in the company.

E-mail yrteems@bizjournals.com. Call 222-6900, ext. 127.