It only takes a couple of minutes talking with Kelly Paisley to figure out that his company, The I.T. Company Ltd., is nothing like other IT companies.
For starters, Paisley describes his role as Managing Partner and All-Around Cool Guy. His co-Managing Partner, Andrew Bennett, doubles as Office Robot, while Andrea Mettimano takes care of Logistics and Coffee Consumption and Dominic So is the Solutions Engineer who, says Paisley, “is loved by his peers.”
For a company that will celebrate its 15th anniversary in October 2023, it’s obvious these guys still know how to have fun while getting the job done.
In the beginning, the two founders had worked together as an internal corporate IT team for a company in Calgary before leaving to start an internet café and gaming centre in Airdrie, Where Paisley and Bennett both live. After hearing one too many IT support horror stories from business acquaintances, the pair began doing more and more IT service, “first for beer and dinner,” says Paisley, “but as the business grew through referrals we started charging for our services.”
With both the potential and passion being stronger on the IT side of things, they decided to concentrate full-time on that and The I.T. Company was officially born.
Part of the challenge finding reliable IT help, says Paisley, is there’s no accreditation or certification required and very little start-up cost, so you end up with a lot of inexperienced people providing poor IT services. Customers are often none the wiser because, after all, it’s technology that they probably don’t fully understand.
“There’s also this perception of the IT person who is socially inept, who speaks only in ones and zeros. We wanted to create an environment where clients could trust that we were experts in the field and would advise them on technologies that what made sense for their business, not for our pocketbooks. And we wanted to be able to do this and communicate it in a way that was simple and easy to understand.”
The I.T. Company caters to a diverse range of companies with varying needs, including those seeking to utilize technology to drive their expansion, who are seeking a strategic partner to facilitate their growth, and those looking for a dependable and secure IT environment. They also work with companies that already have an IT team in place, providing supplementary services in areas that may require specialized expertise or additional time.
Some of the industries they have experience with include engineering, legal, accounting/finance, oil and gas, land services and logistics.
“The main advantage we offer is that we help organizations find the time they need to increase revenue and net profits,” says Paisley, who is also a mentor for the City of Airdrie’s SMARTstart entrepreneur program. “We have been in business for a long time, and we are business owners first, and IT providers second. We just happen to utilize technology as the means to help our clients achieve their goals.
“This means that we are focused more on our clients’ growth than simply operating as their help desk. The real value we bring to the partnership is strategic consulting and a holistic approach, which means with everything we do for our clients, we focus on two core ideals: Will this solution or service positively impact the client’s net profits? And, is this solution or service aligned with the company’s goals and growth strategy?”
What’s more, as an advisor for the Canada Digital Adoption Program (CDAP), they’re able to help organizations access federal government funding to implement digital technology plans in growing their busineses.
Perhaps the best example of how The I.T. Company can help a business grow is their own story. Business is booming, the company is growing, adding staff and thinking about knocking down some walls to make more room in the office.
“Then we could all add ‘Sledgehammer Demolition’ to our resumes too!”
