Big ambitions

Employees and management at Knight Point Systems LLC in Reston are focused on “10X,” an initiative that challenges the company to grow tenfold by 2022.

To achieve this goal, the company would need to have revenues of $400 million and 1,000 employees by the end of 2022. And it’s well on its way, surpassing $40 million in revenues at the end of 2012.

“We almost doubled our revenue in 2012” and repeated that feat again last year,  says Richard Cable, the company’s human resources manager. The company’s workforce also nearly doubled in 2013.

Knight Point was No. 1 among small businesses (with fewer than 100 employees) on the Best Places to Work in Virginia for two years. Now with 140 workers, it is the top company in the midsize class.

The company’s 10X focus emphasizes not only exceeding customer expectations but also promoting personal growth for employees. “Attaining the 10X goal is obviously beneficial for the company, but employees can realize rewards such as job security, management opportunities, more training and the opportunity to contribute,” Cable says.

New employees are outfitted with the 10X logo before their first day at work. “We send a welcome package to new hires with polo shirts, a hardcover notebook, luggage tags and lanyards with the logo. It shows up before their first day,” Cable says.

The company also sends flowers or some type of gift to the homes of new employees on their first day of work. “We set the tone from day one to let them know we care about them and want them to be happy,” Cable says. “We want to help them grow in their career.”

Last year the company was No. 1,507 on the 2013 Inc. 5,000 list of fastest- growing private companies in the U.S. Cable credits that aggressive growth to the high caliber of people the company hires.

Even though the company has seen substantial growth, it continues to maintain a small-company, family feel. “We have increased our management staff so employees know there is always someone they can go to,” Cable says, noting the company’s open-door policy.

The company hopes to be up to 180 employees by this spring. Most of its employees are located in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. “We have a strong reputation in the D.C. area,” Cable says.

The company also has an operations office in West Virginia and other offices in Stennis, Miss.; Ogden, Utah; Philadelphia and Oklahoma City.

The company’s offerings range from cloud services to cybersecurity. “We are trying to be a leader in the cybersecurity industry,” Cable says. “That is still big for us.”

Last year, the company won a large government contract and other contract wins that will add more than 80 people to the roster. “We won 10 contracts in 2013, and five of those are very significant,” Cable says.

One of the company’s goals is to recruit more women to the IT industry. “The IT industry, until recently, has been a male-dominated industry,” Cable says. “When I get applications in the office, the majority are from men.”

The company has begun community outreach efforts to make women aware of industry opportunities. “We want to open the door for more women,” Cable says. “This January we started a women’s mentoring program. Our female employees who have been in the industry mentor other female employees to help them grow in the IT field.” 

Efforts also are underway to recruit more minorities for IT positions. The company recently implemented a new career page on its website with an applicant tracking area. “We are trying to do more for minority groups, which are being underutilized in the industry,” Cable says. “We can track the applicants we are getting so we know where we need to reach out to different organizations in order to give minorities opportunities to get into the industry.”

The company is continuing the Emerging Leaders Program it began in 2011. The program, conducted by the company’s executive management team, helps employees learn more about leadership. “We are currently in the selection process for the next class,” Cable says.

Philanthropy is another facet of the company’s culture. President and CEO Bob Eisiminger, a disabled veteran and West Point graduate, serves on the board for the Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team. Last year the company purchased $1,000 worth of tickets to a softball game hosted by several players from the NFL.

The company also supports Hero Dogs, a program that trains and places service dogs with injured or disabled veterans. “We are now supporting our second dog, Jack. There is no charge to the veteran for using the animals,” says Cable, noting that “giving back to the troops” is highly important to the company.

Best Places to Work 2014 list of midsize employers