Many entrepreneurs dream of having
huge customers like Staples, Ralph
Lauren and the U.S. Postal Service within their first two years of business.
While many can dream about that scenario,
Chris Cole and Jim McCarthy felt
the reality of it after
they co-founded
Intelligrated Inc., a
supplier of integrated material handling
systems, services
and products.
They started the
company in 2001,
and one week later
they faced their first
challenge when the
Sept. 11 attacks
occurred. Despite
the poor economy,
they stuck with their
plan and plunged forward. They also faced two $1 billion-plus
companies based out of Europe as competition, but they focused on treating all their
suppliers, customers and employees in the
same way they would like to be treated.
This simple philosophy helped them create
an entrepreneurial culture at the company.
They maintain open and honest communication with employees about company revenue
targets and overall goals. By doing so, it
sparks enthusiasm in all of their employees
to do their part to help realize these goals.
This approach has paid off for the pair, as
their revenue has grown tremendously in
the last few years, and they’ve gone from
the 17 employees that started with them in
2001 to 450 now. Cole and McCarthy credit
their people with making Intelligrated’s
growth successful.
“There are more people with jobs at our
competitors’ companies, but there are
more people with passion at our company,”
McCarthy says.
HOW TO REACH: Intelligrated Inc., (513) 701-7311 or
www.intelligrated.com