Technology and Innovation winner: Anexio

Anexio, which provides IT support, business consulting and technology infrastructure services to clients locally, nationally and internationally, doesn’t focus on the technology aspect when meeting with new clients.

Instead, Anexio first understands each business and its specific needs so that it can target its services to each client.

It’s that approach, an “aligning technology” approach, that Anexio CEO Jeffrey Nelson says sets his company apart from other technology companies.

“We want to use technology to help solve their (clients’) problems,” says Nelson. “We want to understand what the business is about and take the business focus and align it with technology.”

Another way Anexio stands out among its competitors is that nothing is outsourced. Anexio, headquartered in Sarasota, has a fully staffed service desk and local network operations center. It offers assistance in IT services, onsite support services, server technologies, telecommunications systems, technology consulting services and more.

“The biggest thing I’ve learned is to always focus on customer service,” Nelson said. “We want to make IT work for you.”

IT is Anexio’s primary service, and the company was the first company globally to become a Green Certified IT provider awarded from the Management Services Provider Alliance. Anexio not only strives to reduce its own carbon footprint (by installing CFL light bulbs, for instance) but helps its clients employ green IT practices such as scanning documents electronically instead of printing them; reducing energy consumption throughout the office; installing energy-smart PCs; and utilizing cloud computing. Cloud computing allows companies to house their servers online instead of in their offices, which reduces the amount of energy used.

Part of Anexio’s job, of course, is to stay on top of the latest technology trends, but Anexio goes one step further and makes sure to help its clients understand how they can utilize the latest technology practices in their businesses.

“A lot of our job is educating the companies and clients on trends and making it user-friendly,” Nelson said.
One way Anexio reaches its clients is through its blog on its website, anexio.com. A recent post showed a video of an Anexio employee interviewing Ed McCrane, Sarasota County emergency management chief, about an upcoming seminar on disaster preparedness and business continuity, held at State College of Florida’s Center for Innovation and Technology.

Nelson says receiving phone calls from clients thanking the company for helping them reduce their costs is one of the greatest rewards of his job.

“The best part of my job is to see clients be successful,” Nelson. “To me, it’s why I do what I do.”
 

At a glance

Address: 40 N. Osprey Ave., Sarasota

Start date: Company founded in April 1996; CEO Jeffrey Nelson came on board in 2002

Number of employees when started/number of employees now: Two when company started; 19 now

Biggest challenge: “One of the biggest challenges is to stay in touch and ahead of the technology — technology is an ever-changing landscape,” Nelson said. “We want to make sure we are able to translate that down into productive solutions for our clients.”

If you could have any job for the day, what would you do? “I’m not sure I’ve ever thought about that,” Nelson said. “I’m having such a blast doing what I do, and I have such a passion for what I do.”

Who is your business hero? "Herman Cain (who recently entered the 2012 Republican party presidential race), who I worked for at another job before I came here. And Jack Welch, (former CEO of General Electric). He encouraged his team and company to always do their best.”

Advice for other small business owners: “The biggest thing I’ve learned is to always focus on customer service,” Nelson said. “That’s king to all we do; it all flows down to the customer.”

Where is the best place to go for a power lunch? “Divino’s on Main Street.”

What is one advantage of having your business in Sarasota? “Besides the weather? Sarasota has become very business-friendly. Sarasota hasn’t been known as a technology hot bed, but there’s such a diversification of businesses in the area that are our core market size. We have a lot of great community leaders and great organizations, like the chamber.”

Contact Jessica Luck at [email protected].