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Jeremy Hill, director of business development; Chris Huels, senior service director; Thomas Douglas, president and CEO; and Brenda Blades, partner
Jeremy Hill, director of business development; Chris Huels, senior service director; Thomas Douglas, president and CEO; and Brenda Blades, partner

2015 Economic Impact Awards 16-29 Years in Operation Finalist: JMark Business Solutions Inc.

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JMark Business Solutions Inc. may be known for its technological services, but its expertise isn’t its only secret to success.

“Our business is very much relationships,” says President and CEO Thomas Douglas, who has grown the company from six employees to 80 in his 14 years of ownership.

That mindset led JMark’s expansion into the Tulsa market earlier this year. The office, home to nine new employees, adds approximately $1.2 million in revenue, bumping the company’s 2015 forecast to $15 million.  

In a day and age where 90 percent of JMark’s services can be handled from Springfield, Douglas says physical presence in a market is still important.

“People want to do business with people in their community,” he says. “That’s just the nature of America.”

That local philosophy, however, hasn’t stunted JMark’s growth. The company has clients in 30 states with the intent to expand.

“If you establish that trust from afar, you know it can be done from anywhere,” Douglas says. “But it’s still a relationship game.”

2015 is a year of change for JMark, but that’s really just business as usual.

“The nature of our industry is change,” Douglas says. “Every day, there’s some new type of technology that’s coming out.”

Douglas says he constantly looks for ways to improve the company, since “what got us here won’t get us there. If we’re not evolving, then we’re not going to get to the next level as an organization.”

The “there” Douglas refers to is the company’s goal of 15-25 percent annual growth. Coming in at more than 15 percent so far, sales goals are on track for 2015. Of course, Douglas acknowledges  such gains will become increasingly difficult.

“Fifteen percent of a $10 million company versus a $20 million company (is) a lot more growth that you have to add on,” he says.

But JMark is ramping up for the challenge. It has increased focus on business development in 2015, as well as online and strategic marketing.

“We’re getting a lot of questions about strategic growth and about how (information technology) helps businesses grow,” Douglas says.

To answer those queries, JMark has an eight-member business development team.

Despite the changes, the company’s core values – honesty, passion, teamwork, excellence, accountability and fun – remain constant.

“Those are big things,” Douglas says. “We hire and occasionally fire just because of core values. If someone doesn’t adhere to those, then we can’t have them stay in our organization.”

The company’s culture also has led to benefits for its employees, such as a profit-sharing plan. Another example is health insurance, which is fully funded for employees and 70 percent covered for families.

“We try to be really aggressive in those categories to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to show the team how much we appreciate the hard work they put into the company,” Douglas says.

And it works – JMark has a 98 percent employee retention rate.

But the IT company also wants to enrich the lives of people beyond its walls and has contributed thousands of hours to both local and national charitable organizations.

“That’s what a good community does,” Douglas says. “They take care of theirs. We’re proud to be a part of that.”

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