Growing Companies

Some companies can be buried in a recession. Other can plow through an economic downturn and not look back. And some companies are built not only to survive, but to help other companies thrive when the economy stumbles.

Such a company is iSqFt, which develops and uses the latest technology and software programs to enable construction companies to find commercial developments to work on, and helps those manufacturers find construction companies to build those projects.

"They profit through their participation," said company president and CEO Dave Conway. "We expose the project to as many bidders as possible."

Essentially, iSqFt is an industry-leading provider of online preconstruction management services. It offers customers access to a network that connects tens of thousands of general contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, and manufacturers, and gives them the information and tools they need to work more efficiently and profitably.

"If you think about what we are offering, it's a way for builders to find work, and it's a way for companies to find as many bidders as possible on a project," Conway said from Las Vegas, where he was attending ConExpo, an international gathering held every three years to allow the construction industry to showcase the latest equipment, products, services and technologies.

"Companies are looking for tools to bid as efficiently as possible. That's our sweet spot."

It's been quite sweet for iSqFt, which Phil Ogilby founded as Construction Software Technologies 1993. Three years later, it released a ground-breaking software program to digitize electronic blueprints. iSqFt was created in 2000 when executives saw the power of the internet to provide a more efficient means of sharing information and communicating.

It's been a good run. Three times in the past four years, the company has been named a finalist in The Business Courier's list of the Cincinnati area's fastest growing companies. Several times, the Courier named it among the city's best places to work.

And it's showing no signs of slowing down. Now with 375 employees, it expects to top 500 by year's end, Conway said. It has web-enabled 130,000 construction projects, its website gets 80,000 visits a day, and it sends out 325,000 notifications to its customers daily.

iSqFt is  seeking all types of employees, and currently has openings for about a dozen high-tech or sales, marketing or management jobs on its website.

"We're growing rapidly," Conway said.

Writer: Paul Long
Source: CEO and President Dave Conway