In Indiana, as well as across the U.S., mergers are commonplace. Some last year, like Caesars Entertainment acquiring Centaur Gaming for $1.7 billion may be considered blockbusters.
In a perfect world, both sides benefit. This fall, when Indianapolis-based IT company, ECS merged with Covi, an IT consulting and solutions company, it was born out of an 18-year relationship between the two chief executive officers. ECS’s Adam Searcy and Covi’s Chip Heberden had a simple idea – to blend combined industry experience with passionate employees and a singular focus.
Earlier on, this merger offered opportunity to merge cultures and processes.
“Each of our company’s strengths complement one another. Together, we can provide an unparalleled experience and even better results for clients,” said Covi CEO Chip Heberden.
ECS has strong history and expertise of working with larger firms and that have multiple locations (15 – 20 sites and staffs of over 100). Covi is known for its proactive technology road-mapping, strategic forecasting, project oversight and sharing how technology should work to accomplish business goals. Covi works with small to mid-sized companies, including nonprofits. ECS brings specialized expertise in security software, breach prevention and employee education.
For ECS and Covi, there were differences in style and culture with one a more automated approach and the other hands-on, customer-service focused. One had a web portal which requested several pieces of information. The other requested that an email be sent to a support desk. The email generated a call from a help-desk technician who through conversation determined the problem. The merger caused a review of customer service, moving forward with the benefits of automation, without losing the personal touch of live answer help for customer staff and clear investments for the future. While neither approach is incorrect, the merger has streamlined and adapted from each other.
Together, the two firms have streamlined tools, learned from each other’s strengths to form a stronger presence in the market. In the end, the merger combined two companies in the same industry that had two different client bases with benefits for both.
The Covi brand will continue to be the face of the company. ECS’s entire team joined forces with Covi, including CEO, Adam Searcy.
“It is an exciting time for both ECS and Covi employees as they come together as one. Collaboration among the merged team means providing deeper industry knowledge and a full circle customer service experience for clients,” said Searcy.
Together the two firms bring enterprise-level expertise and strong technology management – essentially providing premier services from the boardroom to the breakroom.