February 2011
Dayton Business Journal

A Shelby County tech firm is eyeing rapid growth this year.

Sidney-based SMS proTECH SMS proTECHLatest from The Business JournalsSogeti to hire 25 employees in Dayton areaFollow this companyplans to add up to 12 employees this year, fueled by increased demand for virtualization and storage, said Jeff Boate, president.

The 35-employee company specializes in information technology network services, system integration and technical support.

SMS proTECH expects to see an increase for services as customers go virtual — consolidate the number of servers they use, which reduces hardware expenses and energy usage — while also filling a hole in the marketplace from industry contraction during the recession, Boate said.

Boate projects the company will post sales of $16.8 million this year, compared to $13.4 million last year and $12.2 million in 2009. The new employees should be on board by July and will include technical, sales and administrative roles.

At its 15,000-square-foot facility in Sidney, SMS proTECH recently made an investment in rebuilding its internal systems and is nearing completion of an on-site data center, Boate said. The data center will be important as Boate expects as much as 20 percent of his client’s infrastructure to move to cloud computing — where access to software and data storage is done over the Internet, as opposed to internal servers — during the next few years.

The company also is adding a backup site in Lima. He declined to disclose the amount of the investments.

“We feel the economy is turning at the right time and we want to capture it,” Boate said.

In addition to its core IT services, SMS proTECH offers Cisco CiscoLatest from The Business JournalsGenentech, Singularity University ink dealCisco earnings eyed for more on recoveryCisco earnings eyed for more improvementFollow this companywireless technology, IP Telephony services, network storage and disaster recovery services. About a third of the company’s clients are in manufacturing and another third are health care providers, such as Upper Valley Medical Center.

SMS proTECH SMS proTECHLatest from The Business JournalsSogeti to hire 25 employees in Dayton areaFollow this com is one of several Dayton-area IT companies planning to grow in 2011.

Officials from Miami Township-based Teradata CorpTeradata CorpLatest from The Business JournalsHP gets dismissal of Oracle suit on Mark Hurd settlementUD president Dan Curran to lead DDC boardRegional guide: Interchange opens way for Austin Landing to thriveFollow th. recently said they are in the process of hiring as many as 45 people, which should bring its local employee tally to nearly 450. On the other side of the spectrum, Eaton-based Opti-Vise LLC Opti-Vise LLCLatest from The Business JournalsPreble County embarks on mission to spark business Sogeti to hire 25 employees in Dayton areaPreble County firm to expandFollow this com grew to six employees in 2010 and more than tripled its space in December when it purchased a 3,300-square-foot building.

Ann Gallaher, chief operating officer of Technology FirstTechnology FirstLatest from The Business JournalsDayton seeks broadband planTech firms face difficulty filling certain IT jobsRoss Group adds staff to its rosterFollow this c, said an annual salary survey by the regional IT association shows the local industry is on the upswing.

“Not only are companies looking to hire, but a lot of the pay cuts or pay freezes have been lifted,” Gallaher said. “Things are starting to pick up. There’s a lot more focus on how IT can bring revenue into companies.”

In addition to organic growth, SMS proTECH looks to make one or two acquisitions during each of the next two years, Boate said.

The company was launched in 1988 as a division of SMS Group. It covers a big chunk of southwest Ohio: from Lima in the north to Middletown in the south and from the Indiana border to the west and to the outskirts of Columbus to the east.

In 2007, it was sold to Lima-based Perry Corp. Perry Corp.Latest from The Business JournalsTexas Business Journals Roundup 2-2Super PACs have super power in presidential raceSuper PACs showing super power in presidential raceFollow this compa where it operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary. Perry has about 175 employees, in addition to SMS proTECH’s roster.