Provides battery-powered time clocks to construction sites. (Woodland Hills)
Growth Rate 249%
Executives:
Tony Pappas, chief executive; Stephen Simmonds, founder
Early Days/Financing:
(Simmonds) The idea for the company came when I was running my own construction business and I would go to the various construction sites to check up on the progress of the work. When I showed up at 2:30 in the afternoon, most of the workers were frequently gone, even though they were supposed to work until 3 p.m. If this was happening at my company, it was probably happening elsewhere. That convinced me of the business opportunity for a portable time clock that could withstand the rigors of a construction site and track when workers arrived and left. I put in some of my own resources to develop the time clock.
Big Break:
(Simmonds) I advertised the Job Clock in a construction trade magazine in late 2000. At the time, there were few battery-powered time clocks on the market; ours was the most durable. The phones started ringing and they really haven’t stopped ringing since. That’s when I hired a software company executive friend of mine, Tony Pappas, to run the company while I returned to my construction firm.
Biggest Challenge:
(Pappas) We are reaching out to other industries where our clock can be put to good use, especially the light manufacturing sector. They are already using time clocks, so we have to convince them that our data storage capacity will give them advantages over more traditional time clocks.
Secrets of Success:
(Simmonds) Even though I was originally looking for a way to improve productivity of my own workers, I thought of this as a business opportunity from the get-go. But I also knew that while I knew how to run a construction firm, I needed to bring in someone who really knew how to run this type of business and let them take the reins from me.
What’s Next:
(Pappas) We’re looking into developing a video monitor to better track the movements of workers while they are clocked in and to cut down on time-card fraud. Also, we are looking to penetrate other markets, especially light manufacturing.
