Illinois Technology Association - ITA Spotlight: Instant Technology
ITA Spotlight: Instant Technology
October 19, 2011
With Rona Borre,
Founder/President/CEO
Your company name:
Instant Technology
Your company url:
http://www.instanttechnology.com/
What is your company’s Twitter handle?
@instanttech
Who are the founders of your company? What are your company roots?
Ten years ago I left a global recruiting firm to start Instant Technology with the commitment to providing personalized service to our candidates and clients. I was keenly aware of the importance of leveraging relationships, listening to people and connecting that with our customers’ needs. I also wanted to create an environment where we could foster the growth of young professionals into successful business executives.
In 25 words or less, what are you all about?
We are a full-service talent management firm helping companies identify strategic solutions around finding the best IT talent to grow their organization.
What problem do you solve?
As a full-service IT talent solutions provider, we offer personalized recruitment services by identifying talent and allowing companies to gain access to top-quality talent. We help to put together a comprehensive team that will successfully grow their business and execute on their technology objectives.
How did you get started?
I left a global consulting firm to launch Instant Technology because I believed the industry needed more of a personal touch and strong representation of the client and consultant experience. I recognized our customers needed a partner with strong business acumen around industry verticals. What started as an idea from my home during the dot-com bubble burst has flourished into a multimillion dollar award-winning talent management agency in downtown Chicago.
What makes your company special? How is your product differentiated in the eyes of the consumer?
What makes our company special is our people. As a boutique talent management firm, we are able to work on a more personal level with our clients. We make a concerted effort in understanding our customer’s business and identifying strategic solutions to help them grow. The people on my team have the innate ability to understand the technical needs of our customers and the insight to find the right fit for their business.
How do you make money? Who are your primary customers and why do they choose you?
We work with a number of Fortune 1000 companies as well as select middle-market firms that are looking for rapid, cost-effective staffing solutions. We offer a full range of services including contract and contract-to-hire placements, executive search and project-based consulting. Our customers know that we can deliver top-quality IT talent because we take a vested interest in understanding their business and technical needs, enabling us to help identify the right people.
Work Hard/Play Hard or The Early Bird Gets The Worm or something else?
As the CEO, my motto is “The Proof is in the Pudding.” Give us an opportunity and we’ll show you we can deliver. We also believe in the “Work Hard, Play Hard” ideology. We understand the importance of building relationships through motivation, encouragement and incentives – within our company as well as with our customers.
What’s the #1 thing on your To-Do list?
Our number one thing is to continue to expand our footprint in the Chicagoland market and deliver the best quality talent to our customers, along with expanding our business in the project management sector.
What are your dreams for your company?
To continue to be a premier solutions provider around talent management for IT staffing opportunities, as we flourish and grow through helping our customers find the best human capital. By having and cultivating valuable relationships in the industry, we are able to provide our customers with access to top-quality talent.
It’s our kind of town too… but what are the advantages of being a Chicago-based technology company?
The Chicago technology community has seen so much growth and evolution in the past few years. It’s an exciting time to be involved in the IT community because there’s a great deal of energy and innovation, and a lot of opportunities for a company like ours with the drive and knowledge to succeed. It’s been great to be a part of organizations like Illinois Technology Association, Excelerate Labs, Chicago Career Tech, Built in Chicago and the City of Chicago Mayor’s Council of Technology Advisors, where there’s a lot of support and resources available. There’s something about being in the Midwest, a sense of warmth and collaboration that isn’t in many other cities.
What trends do you see heading into 2011 that are relevant to your industry and company?
We see a high volume of contract needs and overall staffing as a whole is on an uptick. Technology staffing is booming right now and we see a strong focus on project/program management as well as many of our clients bringing jobs back onshore and fostering growth within their organizations.
What’s your #1 need going forward… other than funding and customers, anyway?
We’re always looking for good people to add to our team with the initiative and drive to cultivate and bring in new business. With the number of start-ups burgeoning in Chicago and continued growth within established businesses, there is a wealth of opportunity.
What are the biggest challenges you are facing in scaling your business up?
The biggest challenge for most companies in the staffing business is continually finding great internal talent. We are always looking to hire dynamic professionals who can help take our firm to the next level.
This one is all you… Anything else you want to tell us?
We’re excited to continue our partnerships and to continue to help build the tech community in Chicago. I have a vested interested in helping to grow our city’s prominence in the IT industry and look forward to working with other companies towards that goal.
http://www.illinoistech.org/story.aspx/305050
