EqualFooting's enviable war chest may be traceable to the McKinsey-bred founders' careful selections. The Goliath in this field held less than a 2 percent market share in 1999. Others include family-run shops reluctant or unable to tap the Internet. Most MRO companies are much, much smaller and have only a local or regional presence. MRO is a classic case of a market that was ready for a seismic shift, says Tim Minahan, an analyst at the Boston-based Aberdeen Group.
Exchanges are hot too.
In 2002, those numbers will grow to 69 percent and 71 percent, respectively. So EqualFooting detected a market that could benefit from Internet-borne efficiencies. Business Development Chief Aaron Martin, President Angie Kim, CEO Jim Fox and CIO Mintu Bachann. From the beginning, EqualFooting's founders knew the company had to be more than a portal site for those seeking a good price on shop-vacs. He is most enthusiastic when discussing the services he thinks differentiate EqualFooting.