Debra Pierson founded her company in her dining room, with a six-month-old banging on the baby gate. Today, that daughter is 19 and her other baby — Pierson Computing Connection — employs 48 and is steadily growing.
Pierson, which just doubled its office space in a new headquarters in Mechanicsburg, sets up and installs equipment such as PCs, servers, printers, networks, projectors, etc. for large enterprises. Clients include the State of Pennsylvania, where Pierson has twice updated equipment in the House of Representatives, and the Detroit school system, where Pierson installed 40,000 laptops in 150 school buildings last year.
Pierson ascribes her growth to sound financial decisions over the years, especially establishing a rainy day fund that proved essential when the economic downturn began in 2008. Even during the worst of the recession, Pierson says, she continued to hire salespeople to shore up business. Now, she says, business is at a “new normal” and last year was the company's best ever with 25 percent growth.
Some of the growth also comes from geographic expansion. Five years ago, Pierson had only one client outside of Pennsylvania. Today, the company serves clients from Maine to South Carolina and west to Michigan, and a new strategic plan recommends expansion to international markets.
Looking ahead, Pierson also sees wireless as a major opportunity, the focus of her recent hire and her company's next baby step.
Source: Debra Pierson, Pierson Computing Connection
Writer: Elise Vider