 Darryl Hutson, CEO John Rose, VP, Information Technology Now in its ninth year, the Premier 100 program honors the 100 IT executives who have led their organizations by envisioning innovative solutions to business challenges and effectively managing and executing IT strategies. The Premier 100 program highlights leaders from all industries, as well as government and educational organizations. 2008's recipients were selected from nearly 800 nominees. All nominees were measured against Computerworld's Leadership Index (a set of characteristics describing executives who guide the effective use of IT in their organizations) and evaluated by the publication's editors as well as a panel of outside judges. Candidates were asked about a range of topics, including their backgrounds, work experiences, special accomplishments and leadership styles. Rose's innovative thinking, dedication and 20+ years of IT leadership expertise were pivotal factors for his selection. Rose has been instrumental in enhancing AEIS' IT platforms, creating the infrastructure to sustain robust development and building a dedicated team to support those initiatives. "I'm proud that we're building the capacity and capability that poise AEIS for continued growth in our dynamic industry and provide exceptional service to our customers," said Rose. "We would not have attained this level of recognition without the commitment of the entire IT department and the support of AEIS' leadership team." "This year's class of Honorees is characterized by a diversity that demonstrates the value of unique backgrounds and approaches in building an outstanding IT organization," said Scot Finnie, editor-in-chief, Computerworld. "Yet what these individuals have in common is an expertise born of hard work and an intangible leadership quality they can tap to successfully champion IT not only as a business enabler, but as a business influencer." |
 Kevin Haar Chief Executive Officer We are currently experiencing a shift in the application server and application platform marketplaces. Today’s developers and architects are often challenged to quickly deliver Web-scale applications capable of serving massive audiences and processing extreme amounts of data. As a result, the complexity and rigidity of yesterday’s platform options are giving way to more agile approaches to application development and deployment. Appistry was one of the first to take up this charge with its application fabric software. With Appistry EAF, large-scale applications can be rapidly developed using conventional tools, then easily deployed to “clouds” of commodity hardware and operating systems. This helps decrease application development complexity, allowing developers and architects to get more done in less time. Appistry helped establish the emerging category of “Grid-Based Application Platforms,” and the company’s work in 2007 helped drive its rapid development in 2007. Last October, Gartner predicted that this new category was of such importance that it would disrupt the application platform competitive landscape and “propel at least one new software vendor into leadership in the application platform market with more than 15% market share.” Appistry’s activities in 2007 contributed to the rising awareness and enthusiasm about this new platform, helping set the stage for explosive growth in 2008 and beyond by: *Reducing barriers to adoption and eliminating platform lock-in *Adopting and promoting de facto industry standards *Revealing the power of an application platform in which applications are virtualized from the underlying infrastructure *Engaging and empowering the developer community The company’s work in 2007 helped drive the agenda around platform simplification and modernization and got the industry talking. These conversations took place at numerous conferences at which company representatives were invited to speak, in numerous press articles in which the company and its customers were mentioned, and in the blogosphere on Appistry’s own blogs and those of others. As a result, Appistry was recognized with several awards in 2007: Appistry received a Jolt Productivity Award in the “Enterprise Tools” category, was named a CODiE Finalist for “Best Distributed Computing Solution,” and won Best of TechEd in the “Architecture” category at the 2007 Microsoft show. More importantly, GeoEye, an Appistry customer, was honored with a 2007 InfoWorld 100 award for its Appistry EAF-based software development project. |
 Steven Leer, CEO and Chairman Michael Abbene, Vice President and CIO Over the last several years, Arch Coal's information technology intiatives have been recognized twice by CIO Magazine in the CIO 100, twice by Information Week in the Information Week 500, in the Business Week's Web Smart 50. Key factors in these awards have been a commitment to driving innovation and process optimization through the selective, cost-effective use of information technology. Arch was the first mining company worldwide to implement Minestar (R) technology as a centralized mine monitoring and control system for our Black Thunder mne. We use this computer system, which has, wireless communications, GPS, and logistics capabilities, to manage our loading and haulage operations, monitor delays and track performance. We believe our deployment of this system has increased the efficiency of our haul-truck fleet by 10 percent. Arch has also been an innovator in supply chain systems with advanced data exchange capabilities with major suppliers and customers for purchases, payments, shipments, and quality data. This has generated savings for us internally and for our business partners.Arch Coal "Arch@Work" employee portal has been recognized by the Women's Coalition in Mining and Coal People magazine for the collaborative development process used to create it, the clean, functional design, and the productivity enhancements it provided. In 2007, IABC St. Louis awarded the Arch Coal website, www.archcoal.com, a Bronze Quill Award for electronic and digital communication excellence. Arch continues to find new ways to use information technology to support our core values of safety, environmental stewardship, and shareholder value. |
 Robert Elfanbaum, CEO Asynchrony Solutions is a software technology firm focused on the agile delivery of systems integration, custom application development, and secure collaboration solutions. Clients include Global 2000 companies and government agencies. Asynchrony is one of the few pioneering companies utilizing “agile” methodology in government IT projects. Agile is an iterative approach to software development that delivers new software capabilities in cycles of months, rather than years. This approach has proven its effectiveness without fail over the last five years in multiple advanced technology programs for the Department of Defense and large commercial enterprises. Asynchrony focuses almost exclusively on IT projects requiring significant innovation. The company’s success in developing and implementing these projects warrants the esteemed recognition bestowed at the Gateway to Innovation Conference. One such project emerged from the need to address legacy methods used by Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams that could not respond to the new asymmetric threat environment of improvised explosive devices. Asynchrony collaborated with EOD warfighters and created a tactical collaboration platform that utilized cutting-edge technology such as wireless mesh networking and systems oriented architecture (SOA). It is now deployed in Iraq and is being extended with additional functionality to support chemical, biological and radiological (CBR) teams. Additionally, although SOA has been a buzzword for a number of years, there has been almost no implementation in the Department of Defense. Asynchrony collaborated with the Army to create a turnkey SOA environment that facilitates rapid prototyping and automated validation. Furthermore, when a multi-billion dollar health care enterprise wanted to foster innovation within all levels of their organization, Asynchrony developed an online innovation portal that allowed business and technical people to collaborate on ideas and prototype new applications. Asynchrony’s success has brought significant national business to the St. Louis area. Its recent work for the Department of Defense alone has brought tens of millions of dollars in government contracts to St. Louis over the last few years – dollars that would certainly have benefited companies in other cities had these contracts not been awarded to Asynchrony. Asynchrony is also having a significant impact on national safety and fighting the war on terror by working on programs ranging from IED defeat technologies, the Army’s Future Combat Systems and a variety of justice integration projects, including the National Sex Offender Registry. Through articles published in prominent national magazines, participation in leading-edge government IT committees and working groups, and leadership in high-profile government contracts, Asynchrony helps raise St. Louis’ profile as a source of technological excellence. |
 The Client Technology group worked extensively with the firm’s marketing and business development executives and with practice management leaders to assure adoption of what came to be called the Lawyer’s Financial Dashboard (or just Dashboard). Partners were given individual, face-to-face training, which involved detailed exploration of the economics of their practices, including concepts, such as profit contribution, that are little used in law practice. They were shown how to use planning tools to meet demanding new conditions in the legal marketplace today (involving RFPs for legal work, pricing pressures, flat-rate pricing and risk sharing). They were shown how to track engagements going forward to inure that that plans were being fulfilled and client expectations met. In 2006, the Client Technology group rolled out the production version of Dashboard (using .NET technology, C# code, MS SQL Server 2005, Analysis Services and Dashboard’s adoption rate is high within the firm. In 2006, for example, 186 of Dashboard has now been licensed to a business intelligence vendor serving the legal sector, and is now the leading dashboard suite in the sector (thus creating a substantial direct revenue stream in addition to its impact on how the firm does business). When other law firms are focusing on implementing new document management solutions or the like, B |
 Dean Pichee, President & Founder Business Training Library is the nation’s leading provider of e-learning and blended learning solutions for small and mid-sized organizations nationwide. Companies with 2,500 or fewer employees can now deliver world-class employee training programs that are cost-effective, convenient and results-oriented. Business Training Library offers more than 6,000 web-based, streaming video, CD-ROM, and video and DVD courses covering business and professional skills, computer and IT skills, management, workplace health and safety, legal compliance, and custom e-learning courses. They also manage the learning technology with a hosted learning management system, providing clients with a turnkey solution. For many Business Training Library clients, off-the-shelf content does not fulfill all of their unique training and development needs. Business Training Library has designed and developed virtually every type of custom training program, from workbook and instructor-led courses to interactive computer-based training, web-based, video, and streaming media courses, using third-party development tools such as Lectora Publishing Suite, as well as their own proprietary tools. Business Training Library celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2007, marked by its selection to Inc. Magazine’s Inc. 5,000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in the country, with sales growth of 69.5%. In 2006, SkillSoft PLC announced that Business Training Library was its North American Channel Partner of the Year, for its strategic partnership to provide affordable e-learning courses and platforms to small and mid-sized organizations. Deloitte & Touche recognized Business Training Library in 2000, 2001 and 2007 as one of the fastest growing companies in St. Louis, Missouri, in the Regional Technology Fast 50 category. With the latest release of its CompanyCollege Learning Management System 8.0 in early 2008, Business Training Library remains committed to providing a technology-focused solution for small and mid-sized organizations, exceeding industry-leading standards in e-learning content and delivery platforms, designed with the quality of the end-user experience and system performance in mind. |
 Jeffrey Haller, Managing Partner David Berndt, Partner DataServ evolutionizes the management of documents to improve profitability and reduce costs. Our Document-Centric solutions allow clients to focus on mission critical tasks by streamlining processes throughout the entire document lifecycle. A pioneer in document management techniques, DataServ reduces clients expenses and saves clients time associated with managing documents of all types throughout the clients organization— immediately impacting your bottom line. Our 10-plus years of experience in the field of Electronic Document Management (EDM) offer a unique perspective and understanding of the complete transaction cycle and all of the documents within it. The complete transaction cycle reflects every facet of a document's full lifecycle within your organization—where a document originates, which functional areas use or reference the document, how frequently access is needed and by whom, and where that document is ultimately archived. |
Jim Weddle, Managing Partner Edward Jones has been deliberate in its efforts to choose and implement the right technology at the right time, and build it to sustain the firm’s anticipated growth far into the future. In 2006, the firm began its transition from satellite-based technology to a high-speed, land-based network called the Global Branch Network. This $200 million investment was a massive logistical challenge since it required connecting nearly 10,000 locations. Nevertheless, the conversion to the Global Branch Network was completed one month ahead of schedule in the summer of 2007. The new network allows for the integration of data, voice and video services, providing a platform to deliver more advanced features and applications in the future. It also improved the performance of Web-based applications and e-mail. In 2008, Edward Jones is building upon its investment in high-speed fiber-optic connections to implement more robust tools through Web-based applications, increasing speed and efficiency. Additionally, the firm has major upgrades planned for printers, the phone system and branch video. Implementing new technology is exciting work and Edward Jones continues to be recognized as a great place to work in IT. In addition to being one of Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work for,” the firm was named one of the best places to work in information technology by IDG's Computerworld in the publication's 14th annual "Computerworld Best Places to Work in IT" survey. The survey, published in the June 2007 issue and online at Computerworld.com, ranks Edward Jones No. 52 overall and No. 27 among large companies. Edward Jones earned praise for its low IT turn over – less than 7 percent in 2007 – and its Global Branch Network project. The firm moved up six spots from the 2006 ranking. "We strive to continuously improve what we think is a quality work environment where our associates are challenged to contribute their best," said Vinny Ferrari, chief information officer at Edward Jones. Edward Jones provides financial services for individual investors in the United States and, through its affiliates, in Canada and the United Kingdom. Every aspect of the firm’s business, from the types of investment options offered to the location of branch offices, is designed to cater to individual investors in the communities in which they live and work. The firm’s 10,000-plus financial advisors work directly with more than 7 million clients to understand their personal goals – from college savings to retirement – and create long-term strategies for their investments which emphasize a well-balanced portfolio and a buy-and-hold strategy. Edward Jones embraces the importance of building long-term, face-to-face relationships with clients, helping them to understand and make sense of the investment options available today. |
 Robert A. Reynolds, Chairman, President, & CEO Steven R. Becker, Vice President & CIO In 2007 Graybar was named for the fifth consecutive year to CMP Media LLC's InformationWeek 500, a prestigious listing of the most innovative users of information technology in the United States. For the first time, Graybar broke through the Top 100 to rank 88th in the “Top 250 Innovators” listing. Graybar was also recognized in the “20 Great Ideas” section for its use of a wireless delivery tracking system in an article entitled “Cell Phones Fuel Supply Chain.” For nearly 20 years, InformationWeek 500 has identified and honored the nation’s most innovative users of information technology with its annual listing. The list is unique among corporate rankings because it spotlights the power of innovation in information technology rather than simply identifying the biggest IT spenders. The recognition from InformationWeek came as Graybar continues to leverage technology to improve processes and efficiency in the distribution industry. In 2004, Graybar successfully completed the installation of its $100 million SAP Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, implementing more functionality to more users in less time and at a lower cost than any other wholesale distributor in the U.S. “We are constantly finding more ways use technology to increase our productivity and add to our company’s success,” said Robert A. Reynolds Jr., chairman, president and CEO, Graybar. “Our results and recognition like this clearly show the benefits of our IT investment. But, more importantly, we are using technology to continually optimize our business processes to deliver more value for our customers, suppliers and shareholders.” The recognition was based on two key information technology projects that made significant impacts to our business. The first was a unique combination of simple technologies for delivery tracking that positively improved our quality of service. The second was our nationwide implementation of wireless technologies in over 200 locations to benefit our customers and suppliers. Wireless is also used for immediate deployment in emergency situations. Following is more information about each of these two key projects. DELIVERY TRACKING TECHNOLOGY Graybar significantly improved customer service through innovative use of technologies in a program called Graybar Delivery Advantage, a mobile resource management system that tracks and documents deliveries made by Graybar drivers. Graybar makes thousands of daily deliveries through its nationwide network of branches. Using Xora delivery tracking technology and a cell phone Graybar can provide valuable details on deliveries made by Graybar drivers including: · Delivery date and time · Electronic image of customer’s signature for proof of delivery · Electronic image of the delivery for proof of the quality of delivered shipments · Aerial map of delivery location “The Graybar Delivery Advantage allows us to streamline our drivers’ time and their routes, resulting in more deliveries per route,” said Dennis Grousosky, Graybar vice president – service. “We’re always working to our customers’ advantage by creating improved efficiencies with these types of new services.” This customized low-cost solution greatly enhances Graybar’s visibility of goods movement through the supply chain. Graybar drivers gather the delivery information using their Sprint/Nextel mobile phones enabled with Xora GPS TimeTrack service. Once the service captures the delivery information, it is available immediately to Graybar Customer Service. The detailed information is readily available to be provided to our customers. When Graybar drivers start or end a delivery they enter the time into the phone, capturing the timestamp and location. Drivers also capture the last name of the person who signed for the delivery, a picture of the condition and quantity of the delivered product, and a picture of the receiver’s signature from the delivery paperwork. The completion of the delivery triggers a data transmission to a hosted website which is then downloaded into our SAP system via EDI file transfer. This solution allows us to manage our truck deliveries more efficiently through optimized routing and improved driver performance, resulting in more deliveries per route and reduced overtime. It has improved customer service by allowing our Customer Service Representatives to see where a driver is on his route, enabling us to provide real-time delivery status to our customers. Our employees can now see actual delivery information in SAP transactions and can view web-based images of both signed delivery copies and the actual condition of delivered products. This solution was recognized in the “20 Great Ideas” section of the 2007 version of the annual Information Week 500. WI-FI It is fairly common now to see wi-fi offered at local coffee shops, at universities and other places where people gather. It may not be so common to see it widely distributed to most locations of a large wholesale distributor. Graybar is a Fortune 500 wholesale distributor with over 250 field locations across the United States. Employees in these locations have their computer network needs typically served by cabling. However, we recently implemented wi-fi at most of our field locations. This has proved to be advantageous to our business by providing our visiting customers and suppliers with a way to stay connected. Our new wi-fi hotspots enable our customers and suppliers to remain productive while visiting a Graybar location. This convenience encourages suppliers to spend more time in our locations which benefits Graybar because they remain accessible to our employees for longer stretches of time. Given our relationship-driven business, this increases our ability to build these relationships and develop business opportunities. We are also utilizing wireless technologies in other ways. A new location or emergency situation could typically take 45 – 60 days to set up using a wired data connection. In a matter of hours we can now have a facility connected using a combination of wi-fi and wireless air cards. For example, Graybar had its New Orleans location up for business within 24 hours after hurricane Katrina hit the area. |
 Steve Maritz, Chairman / CEO Gil Hoffman, CIO Sr. Vice President Maritz Global Technology Services (MGTS) has been recognized by several publications for our information technology achievements. Computerworld magazine selected Gil Hoffman, Senior Vice President and CIO of MGTS, as one of the top 100 Premier IT Leaders in their “Premier 100 Program”. This program honors individuals who have a positive impact on their organization through technology. Honored individuals manage internal IT organizations, mentor and motivate their IT teams with interesting challenges, envision innovative solutions to business problems and effectively manage and execute IT strategies. Computerworld defines a Premier IT leader as an individual who guides the effective use of information technology to improve his or her company's business performance. Gil started his Maritz career in the Data Processing and Computer Operations Division in 1973. He then held a series of client-consulting positions, helping to design systems for client programs. He was promoted to vice president with Data Processing and Computer Operations in 1989. In 1996 he became a corporate officer and Director of Information Systems for Maritz Performance Improvement Company. In 1998 Gil was named the corporation's first Chief Information Officer and Director of Maritz Global Technology Services. In this position, he oversees the development and deployment of information technology throughout the corporation, in the United States and abroad. Under Gil’s leadership, Maritz has been named by InformationWeek as one of the nations Top 500 Most Innovative Companies through the effective use of technology. Maritz has received this recognition each of the last eight years. Unique among technology lists, the InformationWeek 500 spotlights the power of innovation in information technology, rather than simply identifying the biggest IT spenders, and continues to be the premiere benchmark program in the technology industry. For a company to qualify, revenues must be greater than $500 million in 2007 and the company must have a large US presence. Participation in this prestigious competition is by invitation only. There are multiple ways for an organization to achieve InformationWeek recognition for its achievements. Candidate organizations are asked to complete an application as well as a selection of essay questions -- each one highlighting a different type of business-technology strategy or initiative. The essays must detail key initiatives conducted by the IT organization in the past 12 months. The winner of each category will be featured in the InformationWeek 500 issue and recognized at the InformationWeek Fall Conference in September 2008. The criterion used in the selection process is determined by InformationWeek editors. To make the list, a company must demonstrate a pattern of technological, procedural, and organizational innovation. A specific project where MGTS was recognized is the Information Security Executive (ISE) Project of the Year Central Award, honoring the key members of a team who have made the greatest positive impact on their organization through implementing a risk management, enterprise data assets, and privacy protection or information security project. Maritz Inc. (MGTS) was asked to participate in this event for 2008. The ISE Awards highlight the success of these teams, projects implemented, and also the security industry as a whole. Through the ISE Awards, the nominees and their companies have the opportunity to demonstrate innovative approaches and excellence in managing enterprise-wide network and internet security systems. The Project must have an Executive Sponsor (CSO, CISO, CTO, CIO, vice president, or director from IT, networking or security departments) who was responsible for overseeing the creation, development, implementation and execution of the Project. The Project must involve risk management, data asset protection, regulatory compliance, privacy and/or information/network security performance of the company or organization and should have been completed in the past 12-18 months and be able to show measurable results. The Project work must have been accomplished by team members where the majority of them are located in the central region within the US. Nominations for the ISE Award program come from a multitude of sources which include the following:
The ISE Awards Gala takes place in Dallas, TX on April 17, 2008. MGTS will be recognized, along with the rest of the nominations, at this Gala. |
 Rob Reeg, Interim President Edgar Aguilar, Senior Vice President, Engineering Services Group Head, Global Technology and Operations, MasterCard Worldwide, has been selected as one of this country’s most powerful Hispanics executives in technology and business by the nation's premiere Hispanic technology magazine, Hispanic Engineer & Information Technology. The list, published for the fifth year, demonstrates the new direction of America in embracing diversity and creating a more inclusive work force. Edgar Aguilar was selected from hundreds of candidates in government, academia, and Corporate America. He was chosen based on his progressive leadership responsibilities, achievements in helping to advance access to technology, demonstrated effectiveness in engaging technology within the global market economy, and his contributions to furthering technical literacy within the Hispanic community. The Most Important Hispanics in Business and Technology survey is even more significant this year, with census data confirming that Hispanics are the largest minority in the United States. But in the field of technology, Hispanics continue to be underrepresented. Today, Hispanics and other minorities combined make up only 7 percent of the science and engineering work force. For minorities to close this gap and have representation that more closely reflects their numbers in society, more than 250,000 minority engineers and scientists will have to be produced over the next 10 years. Edgar Aguilar joins an elite group who are shaking up America. Trailblazers in their own right, they have moved aside the barriers that traditionally have kept Hispanics out of power and on the fringes of influence. These women and men have overcome stereotypes, shattered glass ceilings, and stand at the forefront of efforts to bridge the "Digital Divide." They have succeeded through their talent, education, and perseverance. Full profiles of e ach of them will be published in the next issue of Hispanic Engineer & Information Technology magazine. |
 R. Alton Lacey, President Missouri Baptist University has offered a Bachelor Degree in Computer Science with an emphasis in Computer Information Systems and Computer Science since 1992. On the average, 10 students per year have graduated from our program and have gone on to work in technology in corporate America. |
 Missouri State University Dr. Michael T. Nietzel, President B.S. Computer Information Systems (Since 1977), approximately 2,859 graduates MS Computer Information Systems (Since 1997), approx. 179 graduates |
 Hugh Grant, CEO Mark Showers, CIO Innovation – Leadership – Great Place to Work InformationWeek recognized Monsanto as one of the top 500 Innovators in 2007. This recognition was based on increasing efficiency and productivity, globalization, IT spending, technologies deployed and customer focus. Innovation goes hand in hand with leadership. In the category of leadership, Monsanto was recognized by Computerworld as a Premier 100 Top IT Leader in 2007 for their efforts in promoting an IT vision that supports the company strategy, developing leadership skills inside the IT organization, and creating a work environment this is both positive and rewarding to employees inside and outside of work which takes us to the final category. Monsanto is a Great Place to Work. This acknowledgement came once again from Computerworld in their list of Top 100 Places to Work in IT for 2007. Monsanto is regarded as one of the best in this category because of their recognition opportunities for IT including the Incredible Talent Award which recognizes sustained, excellent performance, and the Value Awards which recognizes IT professionals and teams that have contributed significant value to the business. Computerworld Top 12 Green IT Companies Monsanto was recognized as the only agricultural company within the top 12 Green IT companies. This recognition is due to Monsanto’s efforts to reduce energy and lower carbon emissions. In the fall of 2007, Monsanto completed a state of the art, energy-efficient data center that saves more than 25 percent of building energy, compared to a conventionally designed data center. “On behalf of Monsanto and its employees, we’re honored and excited to receive this great recognition, “Mark Showers, chief information officer for Monsanto said. “ A strong environment is essential to our business success and our mission of making farmers more productive and more efficient. Monsanto has a good track record of being on the cutting edge of technology, and we’re pleased we can continue that trend by keeping energy efficiency in mind at all times within our IT organization.” Midwest Cooperative Education and Internship Association (MCEIA) - Employer of the Year Monsanto was recognized as an association that values the promotion of an understanding of the significance and value of cooperative education, internships, and other experiential learning. Monsanto’s emphasis on cultural and corporate engagement of their Information Technology interns, placement of domestic as well as international interns in teams to promote mentoring, professional development and replication of the real world at-work experiences. Another reason for this award was Monsanto’s efforts in the community. Monsanto’s community service projects include introducing students to their roles as intern, paraprofessionals and invested community member with social responsibilities. Monsanto is committed to these students by converting many of them from interns to full-time hires as well as on-campus presence at events such as career fairs, on-campus interviews and in-class presentations. Recruitment Efforts At Monsanto, we’re passionate about using science and technology to make agriculture more productive. Through innovations, we help farmers produce healthier foods, better animal feeds and more fiber, while also reducing agricultures impact on our environment. Innovation – Advanced and innovative technology are at the heart of our company. We are committed to developing science based solutions to make our farmer customers more productive and profitable. Agriculture – Making agriculture stronger helps people feel that they are making a difference by feeding the world while preserving the environment. Excellence – People at Monsanto are driven to do extraordinary things and are dedicated to being the best in our industry. Great Working Relationships – Monsanto is team based with highly qualified professional sharing knowledge, creating a great place to work and allowing employees to take ownership for results. |
 Brenda Newberry, Chairman and CEO After increasing revenue by 42.2 percent in the last three years, St. Charles-based IT consultancy The Newberry Group, Inc., was included on Inc. Magazine’s first-ever Inc. 5,000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in the country in September 2007. Newberry was ranked among the fastest growing IT companies on the Inc. 500 list in 2004, 2005 and 2006. The Inc. 5,000 list (www.inc.com), an extension of Inc. Magazine’s annual Inc. 500 list, is no longer limited to technology companies, and includes businesses from all sectors. Newberry’s 2007 ranking was 4,533. “The Newberry Group has been able to grow so substantially over the last three years due to our continued commitment to excellence, our passion for building technology solutions for our clients and, without a doubt, our talented team of professionals,” Chairman and CEO Brenda D. Newberry said. “We’ve developed and provided many high-level technical capabilities as we’ve worked on contracts with government agencies in the past 10 years. Our current strategy for continued growth is to bring those capabilities to the commercial sector while continuing to expand our work for our existing federal clients and additional government agencies.” The award comes as no surprise to Newberry clients like Kevin Trokey, Chief Operating Officer at St. Louis insurance firm Welsch, Flatness & Lutz, Inc. “This recognition is certainly well deserved. We had made a huge investment in a custom program for one of our operating units that never worked as designed and hadn’t been properly documented by the firm who wrote it. The Newberry Group came in, evaluated the program, documented the entire system, and quickly had it operating as intended. As valuable as their performance was, the frequent and clear communication they established with our internal IT department was equally valuable,” Trokey said. The Newberry Group, Inc. ranked 442nd among IT companies on the 2007 list. Newberry ranked 88th out of all Missouri companies on the list and 5th out of all Missouri IT companies. To qualify for the 2007 Inc. 5,000 list, companies had to be U.S.-based and privately held, independent – not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies – as of December 31, 2006, and have had at least $200,000 in revenue in 2003, and $2 million in 2006, the period measured by Inc. Magazine. The Newberry Group Inc. is a global IT consultancy specializing in information assurance, application development, network management, and staffing services. Newberry consultants work in more than 15 cities in the United States and internationally in Bahrain, and have served clients such as the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and leaders in the financial, healthcare and engineering industries. Founded by Chairman and CEO Brenda D. Newberry in 1996, The Newberry Group has been ranked in the Deloitte Regional Fast 50 and the Deloitte National Technology Fast 500, recognizing the fastest-growing technology companies in North America, for the past five years. |
 Paul Newhouse, General Manager Eric Gorham, Director of Information Technology Public safety entities rely on the electronic exchange of information to operate. This premise is especially important following a disaster. As the leading provider of information technology services to law enforcement and government agencies in the St. Louis region, REJIS is a mainstay in the criminal justice arena with its services ingrained in the processing of law enforcement and government activities throughout the region. Understanding the importance of having uninterrupted access, REJIS reexamined its approach to business continuity to ensure constant access to the nearly 250 government agencies it serves. REJIS' 30-year-old data center was located on the lower level of a general purpose office building. As such, it was not built to withstand major manmade or natural disasters, nor was the design conducive to an efficient operation of today’s technical environment. To address these issues, the Board of Directors hired Arcturis to help plan a solution. The conclusion was the construction of a new data center adjacent to the existing office building. The Board approved the plan and REJIS embarked on the largest endeavor in its history. After securing funding, construction began in July 2006 and completed in May 2007. Built next door to the current headquarters, the new facility was designed to be highly secure and resistant to manmade and natural disasters. The facility expanded the original data center's size to 8,000 square foot and boasts many redundant features. Besides having sufficient space for growth, REJIS now offers hosting services to the government sector and a business continuity center for use by agencies in the event their regular work space becomes unavailable. Technology played a crucial role in the design and construction of the new facility. It incorporated C|Smart (www.c-smart.com) which aids in directing cable installation and distribution, accurately generates panel schedules, and assists in managing inventory. A 24" raised floor was installed that increased the cooling plenum and made cable management easier. The floor pedestals and tiles are bolted to the concrete base below to create a common grounded network, and several viewing floor tiles were incorporated for ease of inspection. Fire detection systems are present throughout the center. Finally, bandwidth, redundant communication, and overall security of the facility were greatly improved. Communication redundancy was accomplished by having dual entrances for primary communications and dual power provided by multiple CPCs (Computer Power Centers). Other features include: • Isolating the data center from headquarters with restricted access to data center • Securing storage rooms • Installing IP-based cameras throughout facility and campus • Using high security door hardware and locks • Incorporating badge readers with two or three factor identification • Including entry traps and interlocked doors • Eliminating exterior windows • Protecting exterior equipment by heavy grating, such as the generator and all HVAC systems • Securing the perimeter by 8' and 10' foot fencing and bollards Funding was the largest impediment. The REJIS Board approved the project with three stipulations. The building must be self-sustaining (client fees could not be increased), clients must reap benefits from the new data center, and additional business must be obtained to repay the construction loan. Two important outside funding sources were acquired to assist with capital expenditures. First, the State of Missouri signed a service agreement as the first customer of the new data center. Second, a $50,000 grant was obtained to enhance security. When the bids were opened, the total cost was well over budget. With the help of the general contractor, BSI Constructors, we were able to find economies to meet the design goals and the budget. REJIS staff also did many non-construction tasks internally to reduce costs. One example was planning and executing the move to the new center with internal resources. By the end of the project, costs were nearly $355,000 under budget. Located in a historic area with two associations who review building requests, the General Manager and the architect began meeting with the groups early in the process to solicit their ideas. After several iterations, the design met the associations’ guidelines and secured unanimous endorsement. The letter praised the process noting, “We wish all developers were as willing to involve us and listen to our ideas as REJIS”. Limiting disruption of critical services was another obstacle. It was inevitable that moving the data center would require the disruption of critical services to our clients. Through detailed planning, identification of critical components, trial runs and company-wide ownership, the move of all critical services was accomplished in only 118 minutes. The success of the Data Center construction required intense planning and effort from all departments and employees. The project team encouraged organizational support by holding group meetings, asking for input, and distributing weekly status reports and pictures. Once the building was accessible, tours were provided to staff so progress could be seen firsthand. Ultimately ownership in the project became company-wide and all members were empowered and believed in the success. Staff volunteered to be involved firsthand in REJIS’ largest endeavor ever. In the end, we met all the project objectives: • On time and under budget • Minimal interruption of critical public safety services• Satisfied neighborhood associations• Improved services |
 Lawrence Biondi, S.J., President Saint Louis University offers BA and BS degrees in Computer Science in the College of Arts and Sciences, a BS in Computer Engineering in Parks College of Engineering, and also a program in IT Management in the John Cook School of Business. The CS program in Arts and Sciences has been in existence since the 1970s, and since that time we estimate well over 1000 students have earned IT degrees from SLU. The hallmarks of our program are innovative teaching methods, small class sizes, and involving undergraduate students in research. Our faculty work in a broad range of research areas, including image processing, embedded systems, natural language processing, bioinformatics, computational geometry, and visual perception. John Cook School of Business BS in Business Administration, Concentration in IT Management (formerly Management Information Systems), approximately 1,000 graduates. The IT Management program in Saint Louis University's John Cook School of Business offers a flexible, diverse curriculum to students from around the globe. As part of the University's Jesuit mission, the ITM program embodies a set of values known at SLU as the "5Cs": competence, conscience, compassion, commitment and community. For example, students in our systems analysis and design class undertake "real life" projects for local community service agencies. We also help our students gain practical experience through active participation in business-based internships. The Department of Decision Sciences and IT Management has 10 full-time faculty, 90% of whom have doctoral degrees. The faculty are active in the research community, with a large number of publications in top-ranked journals. In addition, the faculty are active in leadership roles in organizations such as the Association for Computing Machinery and the Association for Information Systems. The ITM program is an integral part of the high-quality education offered at the John Cook School of Business, whose part-time MBA program was recently ranked #16 in the country by U.S. News and World Report. |
 Phil Koen, CEO Bryan Doerr, CTO SAVVIS, a leading provider of IT infrastructure services for business and government, has designed and implemented an Infrastructure Services-Oriented Architecture (ISOA) framework for their IT infrastructure services. ISOA is designed to provide a framework for organizing infrastructure services and ensuring that a company’s infrastructure is designed to quickly and efficiently adapt to ever-changing business needs. In accordance with the principles of ISOA, each aspect of SAVVIS’ managed services is modular and inter-connecting. The services most directly connected to physical components, e.g., managed servers, networks, etc make up the lower layers, on top of which sit business application components, e.g., firewalls, databases, and identity functions. To ensure application performance, specific components are chosen in the Infrastructure Services Layer – that work well together to deliver consistent, secure, and intelligently-managed hardware. The Managed Application Services Layer allows managed service providers to oversee significant core application components while also managing non-essential applications such as email. Next is the Community Services Layer, comprised of services that participate in application run-time functions or performance enhancement services, which are directly supportive of Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) initiatives. At the top of the stack is the Policy Management Services Layer, which allows clients to define policies for monitoring and scaling components in the rest of the ISOA layers. This gives customers complete control over their environment. The result is a framework of infrastructure services that can be selectively applied per business application to maximize the synergy derived from selecting SAVVIS as a managed service partner. ISOA is an invaluable addition to SAVVIS’ technological lexicon because of the efficiency it offers and its ability to maximize the value per client-dollar spent on infrastructure. It responds to an apparent paradox in business by allowing customers to both reduce the costs of ownership associated with IT infrastructure and at the same time provide more high-bandwidth interactive content. SAVVIS is committed to integrating the ISOA framework into a strong foundation for advancing their service delivery platform, which already serves nearly 5,000 customers. |
 Rodger Riney, President and CEO Ian Patterson, CIO As an online investment firm that processes a large amount of market data and trades each day, IT is at the core of Scottrade’s business. Scottrade’s customers depend on real-time data and instant transactions, making it essential for Scottrade’s systems to be highly available, highly secure and fast. With the markets constantly moving, Scottrade measures transaction speeds in microseconds, not milliseconds. As Scottrade grew and the volume of market data increased, the company decided to build a new state of the art data center as part of a complete IT infrastructure overhaul. When this massive IT project was completed, Scottrade was positioned to better serve its customers with increased security, more robust systems and the capacity to continue growing to support additional customers and provide them with more advanced products and services. Scottrade’s IT team and key business partners worked together to overcome challenges and build one of the most technologically advanced data centers of its kind. Scottrade and its IT team have been recognized by several prestigious national publications for the design, implementation and innovation behind the Data Center Project. Scottrade was recognized in September 2007 on the InformationWeek 500 annual list as one of the most innovative users of technology and was named one of the “Top 100 Innovators” in June 2007 by CIO magazine. In addition, Scottrade CIO Ian Patterson was named one of Computerworld’s “Premier 100 IT Leaders” in December 2007 for his integral role in overcoming challenges and leading Scottrade’s IT team in the development of the new data center. ABOUT SCOTTRADE’S DATA CENTER PROJECT Over the years, Scottrade grew rapidly by offering its customers the best of both worlds; the convenience of placing trades online coupled with the comfort of a local branch office for customer service. As the company continued expanding, Scottrade realized that it needed a complete IT overhaul to continue its growth strategy and to expand its products an d services to its customers. A new data center was one piece of an innovative plan to enhance Scottrade’s IT infrastructure. In October 2005, Scottrade purchased a building that would be completely renovated to become one of the most advanced data centers in the country. Before Scottrade began this massive project, the firm reached out to other businesses that had experience building new data centers to help identify potential business partners. These business partners worked closely with Scottrade’s internal IT team to help design and implement programs to meet Scottrade’s business objectives. While construction began on the building in early 2006, Scottrade simultaneously designed the brand-new network that would allow Scottrade to add more features to its trading systems and continue providing a high level of customer service to online investors around the world. Systems were migrated from the old data center seamlessly without one second of business interruption. The migrations occurred on weekends when the markets were closed to minimize any possible effect on customers. Associates from approximately 10 percent of Scottrade’s branch offices were in their branches during the migration to test the systems. Scottrade’s IT Department put in extra hours to ensure that the systems had successfully switched over. Less than 12 months after the project began, Scottrade had completed the build-out and migration of its data center. The result was a new innovative architecture that included 400 percent more bandwidth, larger storage units, a modular design that allowed for infinite growth, faster and more scalable applications, increased external and internal security and faster, more robust applications. With its new state of the art data center, Scottrade was able to provide its customers even more tools, services and online capabilities. These enhancements will position the company as a leader in the online brokerage industry for years to come. |
 Jeffry Quinn, CEO Rahul Goturi, VP, CIO Solutia Inc. creates performance materials that provide comfort, safety, security, durability and energy efficiency vital to our evolving world. Over the past four years, Solutia’s sales have grown by more than 50%, to nearly $4 billion on an annual basis. Solutia’s 6,000 employees around the globe focus each day on operating safe, reliable, and environmentally responsible facilities. We fill our organization with innovative people who want to be part of a smart, progressive company. Information Week recognized Solutia as one of the 500 most innovative IT organizations in 2007. This award was a testament to our team’s extraordinary ability to deliver business value through technological innovation. Solutia’s efforts began a few years ago when we started to replace our ageing infrastructure and legacy applications, and benefit from standardization and simplification of our applications and operations portfolio. We then began to leverage our transactional SAP ERP system and extended our information base beyond the core SAP system by implementing a SAP Supply Chain Management, SAP CRM, SAP Portal and SAP BI system. As these systems are deployed across the corporation, they have helped deliver accurate information to our users faster, at any time, and from any place. These systems provide our users with better analytics to make sound business decisions. They also enable us to access information about our customers and address their needs in a timely manner, helping to build customer loyalty and increased sales. |
 Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) celebrates its 50th anniversary during 2007-08! The School of Business and its Accountancy programs are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB International) since 1975 and 1987, respectively. In 2007, accreditation of both the School of Business and its Accountancy programs was reaffirmed for another five years. In 2006, the School of Business at SIUE was named one of the best graduate business programs in the United States by the Princeton Review. The rankings published in the 2007 Best 282 Business Schools, according to The Princeton Review, were compiled based on results of surveys of students and on institutional data from those schools. The School of Engineering, housed in an award-winning building, offers eight undergraduate, five masters, and one cooperative doctoral program. All eight undergraduate are accredited by ABET, Inc., the recognized accreditor for college and university programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and technology. The School of Engineering also administers the Environmental Resources Training Center (ERTC) and Southwest Illinois Advanced Manufacturing Center (SIAM). The majority of SIUE students who enter the IT field receive their degrees from either the Computer Management and Information Systems (CMIS) Department, in the School of Business, or the Computer Science (CS) Department, in the School of Engineering. A specialization in CMIS for B.S.B.A. students has been offered since 1967 (over 1,325 degrees awarded since 1978), and a B.S. in CMIS has been offered since 1998 (over 770 degrees awarded). Over 650 students have earned a B.S./B.A. degree in Computer Science since 1983. Masters programs in CMIS, Computer and Information Systems (CIS), and/or CS have been offered since 1980; and these programs count 275 alumni. NOTABLE RECENT ACHIEVEMENTS: SIUE School Of Engineering On Cutting Edge Of Using Robotics As Outreach For several years, under the guidance of Computer Science associate professors Jerry Weinberg and William Yu, the SIUE School of Engineering has been on the cutting edge of using robotics as a tool for outreach to middle and high school students throughout the Midwest. Last year, Professors Weinberg and Yu received a $150,000 NSF grant to develop walking, rather than wheeled, robot kits and curricula. Walking vs wheeled presents an entirely different challenge to the competitor who is designing a robot, Weinberg pointed out. “We’re really cutting edge on getting them (robots) to be autonomous and getting them into the schools for competitions.” SIUE School of Engineering Students Create Solar Car In response to the NSF description of Engineering Education Programs, the SIUE School of Engineering introduced a Problem-Based Learning project—building a solar vehicle, using teamwork, time scheduling, budgeting, and responsibility skills, just as essential as the skills covered in regular coursework. SIUE School Of Nursing Simulated Learning Center Uses Cutting Edge Technology A state-of-the-art Simulated Learning Center for Health Sciences (SLCHS) in the SIUE School of Nursing supports critical thinking skills, sparking student application of nursing knowledge and skill development in an interactive health care environment. Numerous computers and other electronic enhancements optimize faculty assessment and mentoring of students as they learn complex nursing care in a safe, friendly, and realistic environment. SIUE Interactive Media Unit Recognized Nationally For Web Design The SIUE Interactive Media unit, within the Office Marketing and Communications, has been recognized nationally twice by the Admission Marketing Report—with a silver medal in 2005 and a bronze medal in 2008—for its Web site design. The judges noted that the SIUE unit was the only award winner who did not use an outside consultant in both years. |
 Elizabeth Niedringhaus, President Tom Wyman, Senior Vice President St. Louis-based SSE’s Learning Practice has a nationwide presence delivering world-class solutions. SSE’s practice has been recognized for the last several years by third parties for its outstanding work. Two of the three years, SSE has won the elite Brandon-Hall award for Excellence in Learning that puts SSE’s work in the top 5% of online learning created worldwide! The Brandon Hall Excellence in Learning Awards is entering its 14th year of recognizing the best in innovative learning content, technology, and initiatives in workplace learning. Independent volunteer judges evaluate entries submitted against defined criteria. Each entry is reviewed by four judges. Most recently, SSE was honored with an APEX Award for Communication Excellence. APEX is the Annual Award for Publication Excellence Competition sponsored by Communications Concepts, Inc. The Award program is in its 20th year, having begun in 1988. APEX awards are based on excellence in graphic design, editorial content and the success of the entry--in the opinion of the judges--in achieving overall communications effectiveness and excellence. |
 Larry Schepker, Commissioner - Office of Administration Dan Ross, Chief Information Officer Real-Life IT Recruiting in a Second Life World: The ever-increasing importance of information technology in today’s world keeps both private industry and government scrambling for qualified IT talent. Add to that challenge a young, tech-savvy workforce focused on motivators and social network collaboration styles which differ from the Baby Boomer generation. With the State of Missouri facing the same challenge as private industry, finding qualified IT candidates for vacant positions, it turned to where the techies are – the virtual world of Second Life. Spearheaded by Paul Wright, IT Director for the Missouri Departments of Education as well as chairman of the state’s IT Recruiting Committee and Jan Grecian, Technology Specialist for the state’s Information Technology Services Division, a multiple user virtual environment (MUVE) was created and launched in October 2007. Resembling a pavilion-like space, complete with auditorium, information billboards and the ability to send resumes and questions via real-world email, the site serves to highlight IT opportunities in Missouri State Government. With the launch of this virtual, 24/7 storefront, Missouri became the first state government to establish a presence for IT recruitment in Second Life. Outside-the-box approaches to problem solving are rarely successful without a management-level champion and visionary. For Missouri State Government that champion came in the form of Dan Ross, the state’s Chief Information Officer. “By some estimates, over forty percent of IT professionals trust and regularly use one or more social networking sites like Second Life to communicate with peers and conduct business. I think this community will be pleased that the State of Missouri has made the effort to reach out to and meet them where they hang out”, said Ross. Today the state’s Second Life IT Recruiting Kiosk, located on Eduisland3 (136,95,23) in Second Life’s virtual world, has hosted over 400 visitors since its introduction. February 2008 brought the firs t virtual job fair for state government attended by several Second Life avatars (representations of real-life people), presentations by various state avatars (see Missouri’s team in photo at right) on the advantages of working in Missouri’s IT sector. The fair provided the opportunity for avatars to see local employment information, Jefferson City and the surrounding area (things to do, sights, recreation, etc.) as well as receive a virtual t-shirt imprinted with the Missouri Department of Tourism’s logo. Even the state’s CIO was represented by avatar CIODan Jefferson. The State of Missouri continues to recruitment IT professionals via the traditional job fairs supported by a newly-developed centralized job posting website. “We feel that we have some very interesting and challenging work ahead of us and look for those who want a challenge,” says Wright. By venturing into the virtual world of Second Life, Missouri State Government hopes to tap into the IT talents of real-life individuals to fill its IT needs. |
 Zelema Harris, Chancellor Designing a New User-Centric College Public Web Site St. Louis Community College continues to be recognized as an invited presenter at regional and national conferences for designing, developing and implementing a new user-centric public web site. Beginning in 2005, STLCC began the project of replacing its public web site, which featured more than 17,000 pages, with a new site that would provide a "user-centric" experience targeting the many constituencies served by the college. Several firms were enlisted to aid in the data collection, planning and implementation of a completely new site. This work included studies that were conducted to understand the types of visitors that frequent the college’s web site and to identify their individual needs. The user-experiences were identified along with new content, navigation, site organization, image and branding, and the "look and feel" required to successfully provide a sense of "uniqueness" and "connection" with each visitor. This session will benefit other institutions interested in re-engineering or re-focusing their public web site, and discusses committees and personnel, goals, decisions, branding, best practices, and the web content management system and processes the college deployed. STLCC first received recognition for this innovative work at the League for Innovation’s international Conference on Information Technology (CIT) held in Nashville, Tenn., Nov. 11-14, 2007. The college was again recognized by the invitation to present an updated presentation at the MOREnet Higher Education Learning Exchange (HELIX) Conference held at Tan-Tar-A Resort in Osage Beach, Mo., April 2-4, 2008. Partnering with Microsoft to Deliver Student E-mail For many years, St. Louis Community College’s Student Government Association has lobbied the college’s leadership to provide student e-mail. Until recently, the college was unable to provide the resources necessary to deliver a student e-mail system capable of supporting the required number of students. In 2006, Microsoft contacted the college about a new program designed to provide students with college branded free Microsoft Hotmail accounts. STLCC partnered with Microsoft to provide the new service called Microsoft Live@edu for all its current registered credit students and employees. With the help of Microsoft, the college was able to deliver to the students a full featured environment at minimal costs to the college. The Microsoft Live@edu accounts are permanent accounts that the students can continue to use when they become alumni. And, the accounts include innovative Web 2.0 features, such as instant messaging, blogging, wikis, RSS feeds, document storage and more. E-mail alone would have been too costly for the college to provide. Yet in one move, the college was able to leap from an incremental development curve of providing basic e-mail services to students to an exponential curve providing students access to all of the latest Web 2.0 technologies. Through this partnership, the college joined Microsoft in the race to bring new features and enhancements to the market, an innovation that all STLCC students can enjoy. STLCC has recently received recognition from its peers for its innovative approach to deliver expanded services while at the same time holding down costs. The college was recognized at the MOREnet Higher Education Learning Exchange (HELIX) Conference held at Tan-Tar-A in Osage Beach, Mo., by being invited to present these innovations at the annual conference. St. Louis Community College ’s Centers of Excellence
Morris Johnson, President The Cisco Networking Academy is housed in the Advanced Network Training Center on the Forest Park campus and serves the St. Louis Regional area and approximately 15 Local Academies. It is one of only five regional training centers in the state of Missouri. Instructors are certified by Cisco to teach the Cisco Curriculum.
More than 500 students have successfully completed the Cisco Networking Academy coursework. STLCC serves a population that has immensely different backgrounds and can vary as widely as entry level high school students to engineers from Savvis or AT&T. Recent year graduates per academic year in Computer and Information Systems have averaged 36 students.
Digital Arts and Technology Alliance St. Louis Community College at Meramec Dr. Paul Pai, President The Digital Arts and Technology Alliance grew from the Center for Visual Technology that was established on the STLCC-Meramec campus in 1998. The Digital Arts and Technology Alliance is a consortium of digital arts and design programs that employ cutting-edge technology in the presentation of innovative and one-of-a kind workshops, seminars and interdisciplinary courses. Degrees and Certificates offered within the Digital Arts and Technology Alliance framework include the following:
St. Louis Community College – District-wide Center for Plant and Life Sciences This district-wide initiative began in 2006 in an effort to maximize the efforts of the St. Louis Community College plant and life sciences programs. This Center of Excellence supports these related programs:
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 Kristin Tucker, Principal David Kocs, Principal TDK Technologies, LLC, a St. Louis-based Information Technology Consulting firm, was recognized in the August issue of Entrepreneur magazine as one of the Hot 500 entrepreneurial businesses for 2007. The Hot 500 marks Entrepreneur’s 13th consecutive year of revealing the nation’s fastest-growing companies and the entrepreneurs behind them. Founded in April 2001 by Terry Tucker, David Kocs and Kristin Tucker, TDK Technologies fills the Information Technology needs of their clients through staff augmentation and solution-based project delivery. The firm is managed by Kristin Tucker and David Kocs, and is certified by the National Women Business Owners Corporation (NWBOC) as a woman-owned business enterprise (WBE). TDK Technologies’ appearance at number 364 marks their first appearance in Entrepreneur’s Hot 500. "2007 has been a great year for us" says Kristin Tucker, Principal of TDK Technologies. "The relationships we’ve built with our clients over the last six years and the outstanding team we’ve assembled are what drives TDK Technologies to success. This recognition by Entrepreneur is a huge accomplishment for everyone who is part of TDK Technologies. "Entrepreneur compiled the Hot 500 from a database of over 19 million U.S. businesses with the help of the Corporate Research Board, a leading provider of economic and business data, research and information. Criteria for each company included factors such as a minimum level of sales growth, positive job growth from 2002 to 2006, and company sales for 2006 exceeding $1 million. |
 Richard McClure, President and CEO Randall Poppell, CIO and Sr. VP - Strategic Planning In 2007 UniGroup, Inc. was honored by CIO magazine as one of the top 100 organizations that have distinguished themselves by creating business value through the effective and innovative use of information technology. The CIO 100 is the industry's most respected professional honor. Competition for this coveted recognition, now in its 20th year, heightens each year and includes many Fortune 500 companies. In addition to the CIO 100, UniGroup was also recognized in 2007 for the eighth consecutive year by CMP Media’s InformationWeek 500, a prestigious listing of the most innovative users of information technology in the United States. For the past five years, UniGroup was also included in InformationWeek’s Top 250 Innovators listing. For nearly 20 years, InformationWeek 500 has identified and honored the nation’s most innovative users of information technology with its annual listing. The list is unique among corporate rankings because it spotlights the power of innovation in information technology rather than simply identifying the biggest IT spenders. According to UniGroup’s CIO, Randy Poppell, “t he significance of these recognitions is that it continues to reaffirm the company’s steady progress toward establishing UniGroup as an innovative leader in the use of technology within our industry and across all industries. We continue to be committed to developing progressive technology that answers our agents' and customers’ global needs. UniGroup is proud of its accomplishments as we continue to bring innovation and value to the UniGroup family of companies, while continuing to build outstanding capabilities that are recognized globally.” UniGroup was recognized by these organizations last year for developing an innovative enterprise-wide Fleet Technology initiative for its United Van Lines and Mayflower Transit lines of business. The primary business goal of UniGroup’s Fleet Technology initiative was to allow UniGroup, its van line agents, and its drivers to operate in a more efficient and profitable manner while raising barriers to competition and delivering quality to customers. UniGroup had limited fleet tracking and driver communications technology in place for several years, but the technology was aging and was never fully adopted or utilized by van line agents and drivers. This new initiative sought to implement state-of-the-art tracking technology for UniGroup’s entire fleet of thousands of trailers, and to provide more sophisticated, but easier-to-use, functionality to UniGroup’s drivers. This initiative was undertaken in a multi-faceted approach. The implementation of comprehensive tracking for the fleet was accomplished through the use of global positioning technology. UniGroup worked with SkyBitz, a provider of satellite-based asset location tracking, to equip truck trailers with easy-to-install, low power mobile terminals. These tracking devices provide location updates to UniGroup’s headquarters with a frequency that can be customized based on the asset type or situation. Using a Service Oriented Architecture approach and sophisticated middleware from IBM, location data from mobile terminals is provided to UniGroup’s operational systems. Thus, UniGroup’s van line agents are able to locate trailers through traditional dispatching applications, and UniGroup’s customers can track their shipments via public and authenticated web sites. The implementation of wireless communications for drivers was accomplished through the use of wireless phones running mobile applications. UniGroup worked with wireless carriers and TMW Systems, Inc. to create software that allows drivers to accept shipments, report status, and stay in close contact with dispatchers. Using J2ME technology, the communications software runs on nearly any wireless device. In the absence of network coverage, the software stores driver data so that it may be forwarded as coverage again becomes available. Additionally, the software can be pushed to devices as new releases become available. This technology has enabled UniGroup to acquire new customers and positioned the company to participate in the $100B third-party logistics (3PL) marketplace. Experience with asset tracking technologies will also be applied to UniGroup’s rapidly growing container services program, SAM (Store and Move). |
University of Missouri - Columbia Brady J. Deaton, Chancellor B.S. Information Technology, program started in 2005, approximately 140 enrolled and 49 graduates The Information Technology (IT) degree program was launched in 2005 with a gift from AT&T/SBC. It has two focus areas/tracks: Information Systems and Media/Entertainment. By the end of the third year, the IT program had grown to over 140 students, the majority of whom are in the media track. The program has proven attractive to students because of its distinguished faculty and state-of-the-art facilities. Just as important are the hands-on educational opportunities offered by our program that allow the students to engage in authentic activities such as developing games, producing computer animation and visual effects for films, editing video and creating DVDs, and engaging in the production of several feature length films. |
 Dr. Mary Lacity, Professor of Information Systems Dr. Mary Cecelia Lacity is a Professor of Information Systems and International Business Fellow at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and Research Affiliate at Templeton College, Oxford University. Her current research focuses on global outsourcing of business and IT services, IT’s contribution to business performance, innovation diffusion, and turnover among IT professionals. She has conducted case studies and surveys of hundreds of organizations on their outsourcing and management practices. She has given executive seminars world-wide and has served as an expert witness for the US Congress. She was the recipient of the 2000 World Outsourcing Achievement Award sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers and Michael Corbett and Associates. She has written eight books, most recently Offshore Outsourcing of IT Work, (Palgrave, 2008; coauthor Joe Rottman) and Global Sourcing of Business and IT Services (Palgrave, 2006; coauthor Leslie Willcocks). Her 40 journal publications have appeared in the Harvard Business Review, Sloan Management Review, MIS Quarterly, IEEE Computer, Communications of the ACM and many other academic and practitioner outlets. Her work has been cited more than 3000 times. She is US Editor of the Journal of Information Technology, and Co-editor of the Palgrave Series: Work, Technology, and Globalization and on the Editorial Boards for MIS Quarterly Executive, Journal of Strategic Information Systems, and Strategic Outsourcing. She has previously served as Senior Editor for MIS Quarterly Executive. Before earning her Ph.D. at the University of Houston, she worked as a consultant for Technology Partners International and as a systems analyst for Exxon Company, USA. |
 Dr. Neil George, President The Webster University School of Business and Technology's ath & Computer Science Department has had the following achievements in the past year: Dr. Jiangping Wang, published, "DBMS Data Quality Control for Protecting Business Data," Proceedings of 15th Annual Conference of American Society of Business and Behavioural Sciences (ASBBS), Las Vegas, NV, February 2008. Jon Weimer, published, "3ds Max Modeling: Bots, Mechs, and Droids," Wordware publishing, April 2008. Martha Smith and J.P. Wang, published, "Teaching Towards E-Commerce Data Processing," Proceedings of 7th Hawaii International Conference on Business, Honolulu, HI, May 2007 Dr. Janet Kourik, "Emerging Tachnology in Business Informatics: Text Analytics," 9th Annual IBIMA Conference on Information Management in Modern Organizations, International Business Information Management Association (IBIMA), Marrakech, Morocco, January 2008. Dr. Peter Maher and Dr. Janet Kourik, "A Knowledge Management System for Disseminating Semi-Structured Information in a Worldwide University," Portland International Center for Management of Engineering Conference: Technology Managment for a Sustainable Economy, Cape Town, South Africa, July 2008. |
