IT Kickstart grants drive $800,000 in regional IT investment

ERIE, PA (May 6, 2004) --- A pilot program designed to help small- and medium-sized companies make critical advances in information technology is turning $100,000 in state funding into nearly $1 million in IT investments in northwest Pennsylvania.

Forty-one regional companies submitted proposals to the IT Kickstart program designed to accomplish everything from integrating operations to reengineering Web sites. Grants will be made over the next several months to projects that will be completed in 2004.

“IT Kickstart already has been successful on multiple levels,” says Mark Squeglia, who manages the pilot program on behalf of the Center for eBusiness and Advanced Information Technology (eBizITPA) in conjunction with the Northwest Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center.

Recognizing that many companies with fewer than 500 employees could benefit enormously from a small boost of information technology (IT) resources and/or expertise, eBizITPA introduced IT Kickstart with an eye towards accomplishing several goals.

“We wanted to give small- and medium-sized businesses the incentive to move an IT project to the front burner,” says Squeglia. “And by requiring the winners to work only with IT providers from northwest Pennsylvania, the program will enhance IT job growth for the entire region.”

As part of the program, winners are required to create electronic requests for proposals (RFPs) to ensure they gain first-hand experience with the benefits of using technology in purchasing. They are introduced to several companies from which to select the IT provider that best meets their needs and resources.

eBizITPA was pleased both by the variety of proposals received from a wide range of industries and by the diverse geographic locations within the 13 counties of northwest Pennsylvania. Among the initial grant recipients are Sharon Custom Metal Forming of Farrell, Pa.; Advanced Finishing of Fairview, Pa.; and Potratz Floral Shop and Greenhouses, Inc. of Erie, Pa. If implemented, all of the proposals funded will generate more than $800,000 in direct IT investment in the northwest region.

Sharon Custom Metal Forming, which manufactures custom metal fabrications including robotic weldings, stampings, and assemblies, will use its grant to create a multi-generation plan integrating numerous software applications.

“Smaller companies don’t always have the luxury of looking at the bigger picture,” Squeglia observes. “Using IT Kickstart and NWIRC funding, Sharon Custom Metal Forming will hire a consultant to help them select and purchase the best software integration application for their business.”

According to Squeglia, this particular project underscores one of the tenets of eBizITPA—that smaller companies should focus on their core business and work to communicate their business needs to IT professionals who can provide the best solutions.

“Companies that avoid technology investment because they lack the in-house expertise are taking a short-sighted approach,” says Squeglia. “They can evaluate and communicate their business requirements to the experts and IT Kickstart will give them the resources to take this step.”

Both Advanced Finishing and Potratz Floral Shop intend to reengineer their Web sites with IT Kickstart monies.

“The Web is not only a marketing tool, but also an extension of a company’s sales force,” says Squeglia. “These companies plan to reconfigure their sites to receive the optimum number of visitors, to provide relevant links, and to handle on-line orders.”

The Center for eBusiness and Advanced Information Technology, a statewide Ben Franklin Technology Authority initiative to help Pennsylvania businesses and organizations understand and use information technology and e-business tools, hopes to introduce a second round of IT Kickstart grants later this year. More information about eBizIT PA, headquartered in Erie, PA, is available at www.ebizitPA.org.

A Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority Initiative