It values the sharp people it already has, and is working to keep them happy. The company works in the areas of database and systems management, data warehousing and decision support, application infrastructure management, and Year 2000 reengineering. But acquisitions don't account for all the new employees. The company projects an employee base of over 10,000 by the turn of the century. The fast pace of acquisitions has brought the challenge of blending the cultures of companies of different sizes, geographic locations and histories.
Geographic flexibility is another result of the company's approach to acquisitions.
About 1,100 people work in its Oakbrook and Lyle, IL locations. Another 800 are in California, from San Diego to San Jose, with the largest concentrations in Redwood City and Los Angeles. As the company continues to expand geographically, it is paying close attention to the diversity of its workforce. He notes that the company has increased its efforts to bring in new grads. It's also working with minority technical organizations and attending several national job fairs.