 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Get Live Support Now
About NetEffect NetEffect |
|
 |
|
“At the time the town was at the start of its ‘Mirage’-phase of development,” he says. “There was a lot of construction going on and not much else in terms of professional service work. I figured my chances were better at landing something out of market, and that turned out to be true. However, time changes a lot of things.” Today, after returning to Las Vegas in 2003, Grace heads up NetEffect, an IT consulting firm that offers computer and technology support to a variety of businesses in Southern Nevada. Grace’s clients include everything from manufacturing (Nevada Ready Mix) and retail (Multi-Pure Drinking Water Systems) to entertainment (Brenden Theatres). Every business, it seems, has a computer or network component in need of service, upgrade, troubleshooting, or a combination of all three. “Local business, like the city, has matured. By design and default most local businesses are equipped with computers and network systems. And some, especially in the manufacturing sector, couldn’t exist without an IT infrastructure. When I got back to town, I realized there was a growing and vibrant market for the types of services I was working on and could deliver.” Prior to returning to Las Vegas, Grace worked for AimNet Solutions in Boston, one of the few metro areas in the country outside of Silicon Valley with a heavy orientation toward high tech companies and high tech start-ups. At the time, his work consisted of network analysis and troubleshooting complex system problems for companies that included The New York Times, Cannondale and the Massachusetts Port Authority. While at AimNet, Grace started a division called the Acute and Chronic Problem Resolution Unit, a group of highly-skilled analysts who solved difficult technical problems a client’s on-staff IT personnel couldn’t. The division was extremely successful in solving complex network issues, and garnered Grace new clients and a reputation as the “go-to” person for network issues. Upward mobility in the company was limited, however, which caused him to start thinking about the viability of starting his own independent consulting unit. “The desire to do something for myself with my skills was definitely there,” he says. A trip to Las Vegas in 2001 to visit his parents convinced him the timing was right for a return to his hometown. While there were plenty of companies with networks, there didn’t seem to be consultants to fix or troubleshoot the problems that always arise with network technology. “I figured there was either a great market because there was no one else doing what I could do, or it was a bad market because there wasn’t enough work for people who did what I could do. I had nothing to lose, so I made the move back and started NetEffect in 2002.” For a short-time he set up an office in his parent’s house but quickly discovered his first assumption about the market was correct. “Businesses needed someone with high tech experience who could talk in non-technical terms about issues that would get their businesses back up and running and keep them that way. A lot of times, it was just being able to show up and do the job – which was a first for a lot of my clients,” he says. “I found myself competing against other high tech people who weren’t punctual or didn’t understand the bottom-line of a customer’s business. From that perspective, I think that is what has made us successful.” Over the past two years, NetEffect has staffed up to six full-time network engineers, all of whom are highly skilled and are able to work independently and on-site to address network issues and problems. Grace considers his staff to be a large part of the company’s growth and success. “Finding high tech people who are both ‘people’ people and ‘business’ people is a challenge, but I’ve been fortunate to get some of the best,” he says. “I doubt there’s another local company like ours that can rely so strongly on its staff to deliver day-to-day like ours can.” NetEffect’s ability to integrate big business practices learned at the Fortune 500 level and scale them down for small businesses has been key to the firm’s growth. According to Grace, that mentality strongly resonates with business owners. “I see big box competitors tout their ‘Geek Squads,’” he says. “That’s the stuff we try to eliminate, because a business owner doesn’t want a Geek Squad. An owner wants his business up and running and making money. That’s really the core of our business, because I firmly believe IT done well has a positive net effect on a customer’s bottom-line.” Grace is also happy to be back home. A product of the local school system that included Howard Wasden Elementary, Hyde Park Junior High and Clark High School, Grace graduated from UNLV in 1989, and has come to terms with the city and its growth. “It’s funny. Places we used to hang out in the desert are now the center of some part of town. I like Las Vegas now in a way I didn’t before. I appreciate the fact there is opportunity here that doesn’t exist other places – and that includes Boston and New York,” he says. “This place, and this time, is a great time to be here.”
|
||