KALAMAZOO Two IT companies that had millions of dollars in business with the former Pharmacia have formed a virtual partnership to regain the revenue lost when Pfizer cancelled their contracts. Net-Force Associates also works with nearly a dozen other Southwest Michigan IT companies to provide a one-source IT solution for business the classic virtual corporation.
E-Force Technologies and Virtual IT.Net, both well recognized names in the Kalamazoo technology community, are the marquee names in Net-Force, which was created about a month ago. President Nancy Martin Is a board member of glimaSouthwest. Many of her virtual associates are members as well.
Hard times forced E-Force and Virtual IT.Net to work together. Each company had multi million dollar contracts with Pharmacia. When Pfizer bought Pharmacia, the worlds largest pharmaceutical company ended most of those contracts, costing both companies about two-thirds of their business.
We wanted to regroup and go forward in the community again, Martin said. Virtual IT.Net continues to focus on data design and business processes; E-Force brings the hardware/software support. In addition, we have now partnered up with many local companies to provide services in other areas, including Microsoft training, accounting software training, telecom bill analysis, high speed internet solutions, high end web page, software development and more.
On the books, Net-Force Associates employs eight people. But both companies also operate as separate entities in collaboration with nearly a dozen other companies in Southwest and West Michigan. Martin said project management is the core of what they offer bringing the right partner to each job as needed.
Partners working with Net-Force Associates include glima members,
Michael Stafford of Waypoint Technology Solutions, Rusty Smith of Ask Rusty Computer Services, and Jackie Davis of Technisource.
Non glima partners include: Lou Hanoute of Micro Audit, Irv Wolfson of US Signal, Brian Friedt of Netcom, Victor Budiwarman of Wired Solutions, Giff Blaylock of Blaylock & Associates, Jason Jarrett of Bright Ideas, Sherri Messimer of Great Northern Sentry and Bob Brown of Whizdom.
The virtual corporations web site will be at Net-force.biz.
