Kineticom

A Process for Success

Kineticom hires well, adheres to proven plan

Few would dispute that Kineticom’s got technology chops.

The 13-year-old organization is an ISO-certified talent firm with specific focuses on technology recruitment and service delivery, and it’s got a slew of awards that illustrate that it not only does what it says – but does so at a level comparable to only the best of the best in the industry.

The prowess is no accident. In fact, says CEO Mike Wager, it’s a direct result of the emphasis the company puts on the people it brings through the front door.

“We’re the human capital piece of the equation,” he says.

“Whether that’s on a staff-augmentation basis or a project solution basis where we’re working with clients and are focused more on deliverables and results versus billable hours, what we bring to the equation is the human capital that’s necessary to enable the technology.”

BUILDING A FOUNDATION

The San Diego-based company was founded in 2000 by partners Simon Billsberry, Steve Orr and Paul Roebuck, and among its first successful operations was the reengineering and outsourcing of staffing functions at Metapath Software International. A project consultation was initiated with Flextronics within a year, and inaugural staffing placements were at local offices for both Sprint and Ericsson.

Shortly thereafter, international specialist teams were deployed to Latin America for Ericsson, a first staffing service contract was secured with T-Mobile, a three-year contract was awarded by Cingular Wireless for nationwide operations and maintenance staffing, a United Kingdom subsidiary was launched and a deal to support IT and engineering needs was struck with Amazon.

By 2005, Inc. Magazine placed Kineticom at No. 33 on its list of 500-fastest growing companies that year, the San Diego Business Journal tabbed it as the city’s second-fastest growing company that same year and Staffing Industry Analysts Inc. labeled it the industry’s fastest-growing private company.

It was a quick rise to some, but all part of the initial plan, Wager says.

POSITIVE FEEDBACK

And it’s the recurring ability to deliver consistently that’s kept the agreements coming.

Kineticom has been deemed a “Best of Staffing” award-winner in each of the last three years by Inavero, an Oregon-based organization – the only one of its kind – that gathers and reports information regarding client and talent satisfaction through online surveys.

To qualify, firms must generate revenue in North America from placing temporary, contract or direct-hire employees. A minimum number of clients and employees take a three-question survey and a company is recognized if its satisfaction score exceeds a set benchmark, a standard achieved by only 1 percent of the staffing industry

“With their acute expertise in the wireless industry, the founders decided that they could build and implement a business model in which a company would deliver a unique client and candidate experience in the wireless market,” he says. “It’s the high level of service across the wide number of projects that brings me the pride – the consistency over such a period of time.

“Anybody can hit a good shot once, but it’s the ability to be so consistent across a broad spectrum of clients over the years that represents truly great achievement.”

The first step is associating with the right people, which, in this case, are those possessing a passion for customer service – whether they’re dealing with clients internally or externally.

“You can’t be successful without all the elements of the organization working together,” Wager says.

“We’re looking not just for high-achievers, but also those who understand that staffing is a sophisticated industry and that it’s only by playing a team game that we can be successful for the end client.”

PERFECTING THE PROCESS

Once the right people are brought in, it’s all about process, process, process – whether it’s crafting a solution for a specific business model, or deploying people to perform specific tasks.

“There’s a particular method we’ve developed as a business. We have a process and we adhere and conform to it,” he says. “The fact that we’re ISO-certified is evidence of that. We’ve brought on the right people, developed them the right way and created a success-based culture. It’s a much more exciting environment than you would typically walk into when visiting a staffing company. It sounds cliché, but if you hire great people who can work together, they can produce outstanding results.

“We provide the development. But the people are the ones who bring the energy, the desire and the motivation to exceed and excel.”

A wholly-owned subsidiary, K2COM Services LLC, was founded in 2013 to supply skilled technicians – foremen, top hands and climbers – within the tower-climbing niche of the wireless industry.

“I’m very proud of how it came about,” Wager says. “We worked with a client over an extended period of time and they were so pleased with the results we provided and the confluence of process and predictable results that they asked us to expand our skill base with additional talent in an entirely new sector.

Because they’re on the front lines of a rapidly evolving technology industry, it’s little surprise that Kineticom looks toward the future with similar plans for evolution.

It’s expanded from a centralized San Diego base to regional offices across North America – including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. and Virginia Beach, Va., along with Calgary, Toronto and Vancouver in Canada – and has plans to continue growth, both in terms of infrastructure investment and addition of staff.

“We’re committed to expanding the brand with new clients in the wireless space and on the IT side of the business,” Wager says. “We’ve made some investments in terms of upgrading our back-office operations and automating some functions, but the greatest investment is people – both in terms of innovation and development.”

Truth told, the evolution is mandatory for any company with a fighting chance at remaining current.

“The industry is expanding at such a rapid pace, and, because of the introduction of new technology and the required upgrades of existing networks, it will continue to drive immense demand for our services. It’s an exciting time to be in this business.”