A Third of a Century - Single Source Systems

33.333 years ago, it was 1985. Microsoft Windows 1.0 was released. Coca-Cola united the country against its "New Coke" formula. Back to the Future enchanted audiences. And in Indiana, Tony Petrucciani founded Single Source Systems, Inc. 

Everything A Business Might Need

"When I started the company, I was just finishing my senior year at Ball State University," said Petrucciani. "While I had grown up in a family business– my mom and dad had started a medical equipment distribution company in 1969 – I wasn't sure what to expect in the technology world. I came up with the name 'Single Source Systems' to convey my desire to be able to provide everything that a business might need with respect to technology."

In the early days, Single Source provided servers, desktops, networking, operating systems, enterprise software, customizations, consulting, and training. The company grew rapidly, making the Inc. 500 list in 1993 and again in 1996. Meanwhile, technology expanded rapidly, too. The PC market boomed with competitors like Gateway and Dell. The internet and mobile phones were huge advances with far-reaching impacts. Technology advanced exponentially, and for Single Source, that continued to create new business needs and opportunities.

"We realized that we had a knack for taking existing technologies and putting them together to solve our customers' problems," said Tony. The company pivoted from customizing programs for each customer to creating solutions that many organizations needed to make their enterprise software work better for them. One area of expertise they developed was in the Service Management industry, serving companies with maintenance and repair technicians. Through partnering with global software vendors such as Sage and Infor, Single Source had over 1,000 customers in 29 countries by 2011. 

Single Source 2.0

It was at that time that another shift occurred. On 11/1/11 ("There has to be a binary joke in there somewhere!" said Tony), recognizing the value of what Single Source had created, Infor made Single Source an offer for its propriety Service Management product. The industry leader in enterprise software solutions also hired all of Single Source's employees save for a few. With a vision for the future, Tony, Cory Rhodes, Jeff Smith, Jeff Bozovich, and Terri Smith, set about building a new foundation for the company, which came to be known as Single Source 2.0.

"The acquisition was an amazing event for Single Source," said Terri, Corporate Controller, who recently celebrated 29 years with the company. "It was a confirmation that we had built a successful company with great products. We celebrated that success, but it was difficult to see that era come to an end. Since then, however, many employees have found their way back to us. I believe that says a great deal about the culture that has been created here. The values from Single Source 1.0 are still very much alive, and we have a new group of leaders, with Cory as our President, continuing some traditions and creating new ones.”

“Even early on, Tony and Marty Rhodes (President from 1997 to 2012) focused on their team’s education and personal growth,” said Cory Rhodes, who has been at Single Source for over 21 years and became its President in January 2015. “They recognized back then something we still believe today, that our number one asset is people. For example, we had a company book club, which I’m looking at bringing back, centered around learning best practices and always evolving, never letting the grass grow on our feet.”

Some Things Never Change

Now, at a third of a century old, Single Source is 21 employees strong and growing at a fast pace once more. Recognizing the disruptions that new technologies such as AI and IoT are creating, the company is focused on turning those into the present and future opportunities for its customers. One of Infor's top allies to this day, Single Source just received the first-of-its-kind "Cross-Sell Partner of the Year" award during Infor's annual Partner Summit. “Our passion – to build a thriving business that provides a better quality of life for our employees, customers, and our community – is as important as ever in this fast-changing business and technological landscape," said Cory.

At Single Source, change and evolution have always been the norm. “In a way, I have always felt like Single Source was more than a company but almost like a living, breathing thing,” said Terri. “It is a very exciting time! I think our staff feels like they are part of something bigger, and I believe they are then able to share that with our customers.”

 “Our goal is to continue to use our experience to provide solutions our customers need – like IncentViz for processing sales commissions and incentive programs and The Service School for providing training and accelerating implementation – while evolving our company from being solution-centric to being more customer-centric," said Cory. "That’s what we’re focusing on right now."

“We learned that in our DNA exists the drive to build solutions to help our customers with their enterprise software,” said Tony. "More things have changed than imaginable over the past 33.333 years, but helping our customers grow and become more efficient and competitive is just as important now as it was in 1985.” There is much on the horizon for 2019 and the next third of a century!