CFA, Qbase team up to provide technical support, create jobs

Dayton Daily News (Friday, October 26, 2007)

by Elaine Morris Roberts
Staff Writer

SPRINGFIELD — Two of Springfield's newest high-tech companies have joined forces, creating a combined network operating system center and help desk that provides around-the-clock technical support for their customers and their respective companies.

The team pairs CFA Networks, a technology and communication solution provider, and Qbase, a data enhancement, management and analytic company.

Both operations are located at the Edison Center, 20 S. Limestone St. Qbase is building a new facility at Nextedge Applied Technology and Research Park, and will maintain both locations when their new building is completed.

Introduced to CFA as a company that might be able to provide and receive support from his business, Qbase Chief Operating Officer Tom Shoup said neither company saw the potential of the partnership at first.

The challenge for new companies, Shoup said, is to grow jobs, but still find solutions that are economically beneficial. "By joining forces, we're sharing expenses and it's much more cost effective."

Craig Terrell, president of CFA Networks, said the single operations allow for a better-managed site and kept the next-door neighbors from creating nearly duplicate services. "When it comes to supplying support to our customers, we were both looking at similar solution that would provide help desk network operations support to external and internal customers," he said.

Qbase Fundraising Manager, launched in September, is the company's first on-line product, targeted specifically at non-profit and higher-education clients to manage donor databases. The new support center provides services for the software's users.

Shoup and Terrell project the new venture will create at least a dozen new jobs in downtown Springfield within the next year.

"Collectively, we're bringing new opportunities to Springfield that will create jobs and allow both of our businesses to grow faster than they would otherwise....The partnership allows each company to utilize the best virtues of the other, " Shoup said.

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0371 or elroberts@coxohio.com.