Concept Systems moves to accommodate growth

CNY Business Journal (1996+), May 30, 2008 by Tampone, Kevin

ITHACA - A local consulting firm has relocated to downtown Ithaca after it outgrew its previous office.

The firm, Concept Systems, Inc., made the move in March. The company increased its square footage from 3,700 in the Gateway Commons to 6,200 at 136 East State St. on The Commons, Ithaca's central, outdoor pedestrian mall.

Growth was the main reason for the move, says Mary Kane, president, CEO, and co-owner of Concept Systems. The firm employs 15, up from eight people a few years ago.

The company provides help with consensus building, decision-making, planning, development, and evaluation mainly for federal and state government. The business uses a proprietary software system developed by a Cornell University professor to aid its work.

Its approach has helped it attract more and more government contracts, Kane says. Now, rather than simply submitting a proposal in response to a government request, agencies are contacting the company on their own.

"The reason why we're adding talent here is because the work we're doing with the federal government has begun to catch on in a very nice way," Kane says. "The work has also grown in scope."

"We're working more deeply with large-scale planning, organizational development, and especially evaluation of federal programs."

Some of the agencies Concept Systems has worked with include the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Environmental Protection Agency. The expanded federal work led to more contracts with state agencies as well.

"There is a referential network among these agencies," Kane says. "Their state partners hear about us through them."

The company also does work for nonprofit groups.

Kane and her husband, William Trochim, co-own Concept Systems. Trochim is also the Cornell professor who developed the original Concept Systems software.

Since then, the software has gone through several modifications. It's now a Web-based system, Kane says.

Concept Systems launched in 1993 and has been located in downtown Ithaca. Before the current building and the Gateway Commons, the company was in an office on Aurora Street.

Trochim and Kane bought the 100-year-old, four-story building that is Concept Systems' current home. Their company occupies the second and third floors. There are apartments on the fourth floor and retail space below.

The owners spent $330,000 renovating Concept Systems' space. Next year, they plan to do work on the building's exterior, Kane says.

Concept Systems generated about $2 million in revenue in 2007.

Before starting Concept Systems, Kane was a librarian. She often found herself, however, in positions aimed at administration and organizational strategy.

"That's really always been my bent," she says. "Developing and running organizations has always been something of interest to me."