Louisiana-based ECS + My IT, which acquired two Kansas City-area tech companies this year, views the Kansas City market as integral to its success.
The managed services provider (MSP) for IT employs roughly 150 people companywide, including about 65 locally. Kansas City represents its largest office.
“Given just the size and scale of the operation that we have in Kansas City today, it’s going to be a key part of the future success of this organization,” CEO Kevin Cook told the Kansas City Business Journal. “If we can’t be successful in Kansas City, then we’re not going to be successful as a whole in this organization. As we look at markets we want to be in, Kansas City is a place where we feel like there’s just exceptional growth opportunity for us.”
It's a place that's home to thousands of potential customers as well as companies that are choosing to start here or relocate, he said. It hits the company's sweet spot of serving small to midsize businesses.
ECS + My IT acquired Olathe-based Network Technologies Inc. in June and The Purple Guys, based in Kansas City, Kansas, in April. The Shreveport company now is taking on The Purple Guys name and plans to carry on the local company’s signature marketing tactic — wearing purple every day. It’s a unique brand and a stark contrast to the typical names chosen by tech companies, including the one Cook led as CEO, Enterprise Computing Services.
“There’s 17,000 or 20,000 MSPs in this country, and they all have very boring names,” he said. “We really wanted to stand out and be different.”
Cook said The Purple Guys and Network Technologies checked off the characteristics his company looks for in acquisition targets, from a top-notch team to a culture that’s focused on learning, being selfless, encouraging one another to ask questions and challenging the status quo.
“It’s really the people side of the business that’s really important as we’re looking for potential companies to acquire,” he said.
Since the two local acquisitions, the company has added seven employees and plans to add six or seven more by year’s end in outside sales and technical roles such as virtual chief information officers. Cook said the company will continue expanding its employee base in the Kansas City market.
Moving forward, The Purple Guys plans to consolidate the two local offices into one and is searching for office space that’s 15,000 to 20,000 square feet.
The company has “significant potential” and is backed with a strong management team, Kian Capital partner Matt Levenson said. Since Kian’s investment less than two years ago, revenue has roughly doubled, he said. ECS + My IT is backed by Kian Capital and ParkSouth Ventures.
In addition to organic growth, a core focus will be acquisitions in existing markets and new ones. Levenson said they’re building a robust pipeline of potential acquisitions. Even if an owner isn’t yet ready to sell, it’s never too early to start developing those relationships, he said.
Cook hopes to close another acquisition before year’s end.
“I want to build a sustainable business that is the leading MSP in the regions that we serve,” Cook said. “At the end of the day, when somebody says I need a technology solutions provider that can help me run my business and make me better, I want them to think of The Purple Guys.”
