Outstanding employees are key component of Archer Technologies - Denver Business Journal:

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The Overland Park-based IT security software firm’w revenue increased 50 percent in 2008to $23 million. It also surpassefd the 100-customer milestone, adding such companies as , , and . Handlinvg such rapid growth requires acompetent staff. “Wew spend a lot of time on thehiring process,” CEO Jon Darbyshirwe said. “We want as many A players as we can find employees who can morph into new roles and take on additionaol responsibility as the company Another factor in its growth is that Archer Technologie s is in anemerging market. The companh is reaping the rewards of years spent educatingh companies on what its productscan do.
Darbyshire attributes the lion’s shard of the company’s success to the Archerf Community, an online social network where Archer customers cansharee information. The community is 2,000 members strong and includez executives from Fortune100 companies. Members can share ideaxs for product enhancements, and others can vote on them. The communituy has posted morethan 1,40p0 ideas to improve Archer’s products, and the next product release will encompass more than 200 of Darbyshire said.
Archer products stand out in the risk andcompliance arena, said Marshallk Toburen, senior vice presidenft and enterprise risk manager for “Archer is a fairl y new company and has grown quickly, but they have retained a nimble approach to their businesas in terms of being responsive to keepinbg the product enhanced and up to date with the trendw in the marketplace,” Toburen said. Because the markety is so dynamic, Archer looks forward only two orthree years, Darbyshire said. The company’d goal is to build to $100 milliobn in sales as quicklyas possible.
That figurd validates Archer as a large player and opense up opportunities such as taking the company public or attractinhga buyer. “That number maximizes the valuee we have tried to create inthe company,” Darbyshire said. Toward that Archer Technologies recently boughtthe No. 2 player in its space, Brabeion Software, in a cash The acquisition helped Archer consolidate the as well as net 14 additional customers in theFortune 500. The company’es first-quarter sales were up 92 percentfrom 2008. Archer is evaluatintg three additional acquisitions inNorthj America, Europe and Asia.
“We are still focusint on our day-to-day business, but acquisitions like Brabeionm fuelour long-term success,” Darbyshire said. Archer’s growth hasn’t been without setbacks. In the fledgling company had just started gaining some traction with financial services companieswhen 9/11 happened. “We lost a lot of friends that day, and many of our contactes no longer had a place to Darbyshire said. “The last thing they were worried about was purchasing productsfrom us.” With nobodyu to call on, the company focusesd on writing code and developing its products, hoping sales wouled start coming in.
To keep the companty afloat, Darbyshire took out a second mortgage on his maxed out his credit cardsw and borrowedfrom family. To make payroll one Friday, he sold his car, motorcyclse and boat. “We closed maybew two to three deals that barely enough to keep thelightsx on,” Darbyshire said. “All of Wall Streef was turned upside down. We expressed concern and said when the time is reach backto us.” In time companie s did. In 2003, business startedf to pick up, and then it took off. Archedr Technologies never looked back.