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Columbia Business Monthly

2019 SC 25 Fastest Growing Companies: No. 7 Intellectual Capitol

LEADERSHIP Traci and Barry Newkirk

INDUSTRY IT Staffing, Security, Small Application Development, Organizational Management

LOCATION Greenville

FOUNDED 2003

If someone were to make a movie about your company, what would be the story you'd want to tell? 

(Traci) "Rudy." Our story seems to be similar. Two kids with no talent who wanted to make their dreams come true and had lots of perseverance and grit to make it happen.

What is the one thing that you would want others to know about your company?

I would want people to know that we change lives and transform teams. We want to leave South Carolina better than we found it.

What interview questions do you ask or what hiring techniques do you use to hire the right candidate? 

We use personality assessments to help us understand the fit to role potential for each candidate. My favorite question to ask is "What did you fail at recently and how did you recover?"

What advice would you give to a company in growth mode? 

Plan your goals quarterly and measure everything you can.

What lessons did you learn the hard way? 

Hire slow and fire fast.

If you could go back five or 10 years, what advice would you tell yourself?

Hire people who have failed BIG but figured out how to bounce back. They will appreciate a great place to work.

What books would you recommend reading? 

"Atomic Habits" and "Dare to Lead." Both were loved by our staff. (We read eight books a year as a team.) 

What marketing tips would you offer other companies? 

Use the free stuff and keep your brand clear and simple.