Centare Group's Story
Our Story
Centare Group has been in business in Southeastern Wisconsin for nearly a decade. Our story is a prime example of what can be accomplished when great people are hired to do great work. Throughout our existence we’ve stressed our core elements of technical innovation and exceptional client service. By focusing on these key concepts we have emerged as a leader in the IT industry. Investing in our employees’ growth and development has yielded measureable results and increased Centare revenues annually for the past eight years. We invite you to read our story. We think it’s a good one.
Formative Years
Centare Group was established on January 19, 1999 by Dave and Becky Glyzewski. The privately held company found its niche early as a technology consultation company specializing in product development and training for businesses looking to better manage their information technology systems. Headquartered in Brookfield, Wisconsin, Centare Group convinced Ed Chaltry to join the promising upstart in June of 1999 as the third member of the executive team. Together, the three serve Centare Group as managing partner / president (Dave), managing partner / chief technology officer (Ed) and director of operations (Becky). With their guidance and leadership, Centare Group has garnered the reputation as Southeastern Wisconsin’s solutions leader for IBM WebSphere, Java, .NET and open source technologies and applications.
In 2000, Centare Group reached a significant milestone by having its annual revenue exceed a million dollars for the first time in the company’s brief history. Shortly thereafter, in 2001, Centare Group began it’s relationship with IBM as an official IBM Business Partner. This allowed the company to grow its base of products, services and technology expertise. Centare Group continued the momentum by achieving three consecutive annual listings among the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce Future 50 (2002-2004). Future 50 recognizes the youngest and hottest companies in the Milwaukee area and allows for only a thee-year eligibility window.
Service Expansion
As the company solidified its reputation for providing excellent client service and reliable software solutions, Centare Group sought to establish itself as a true industry leader in information technology. In 2002, Centare Group consultants hosted the first of what would become a successful series of seminars that address the prevalent issues and future technologies burgeoning within the industry. The initial seminar dealt with Open Source software and its use in business-driven applications. Centare Group has since earned recognition for their “Lunch and Learn” programs as they shepherd the growth of technology education.
Centare Group’s persistence in delivering software solutions that capitalize on innovative technologies ultimately led to a relationship with Microsoft and the broad range of products and services they offer. In 2003, Centare Group became a Microsoft Certified Partner, and much like the relationship with IBM, this partnership increased the breadth of Centare resources and expertise.
In 2004, Centare Group entered into a partnership with Actuate, a global software company headquartered in California’s Silicon Valley. The relationship with Actuate allowed Centare consultants exclusive rights to their innovative e.Spreadsheet and BIRT (Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools) applications systems. Centare consultants also worked hand-in-hand with iPortal, Actuate’s workgroup deployment offering. Through the partnership with Actuate, Centare Group would eventually begin its foray into scalable enterprise services via Actuate’s advanced iServer infrastructure system. iServer provides an all-encompassing infrastructure that integrates information from any data source and application to serve the host business and their clientele.
Internal Growth
As Centare Group continued to grow, the company challenged itself to maintain its status as a place where employees enjoyed working. In 2005, Centare Group created the employee-led Environment Committee. The Environment Committee is responsible for nurturing the company’s positive culture. Over the years, the Environment Committee has conducted surveys relevant to measuring various aspects of employee satisfaction. The group has also spearheaded several social outings such as bowling, paintball and happy hours to help keep morale high.
As a steward to the community, Centare Group has become involved annually with Al’s Run & Walk – a Milwaukee-based charity event that has raised over $8.5 million for Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. Centare Group is also dedicated to increasing the awareness of technology usage by working closely with Wisconsin WebSphere Users Group, Wisconsin Java Users Group, and Waukesha County Technical College. Centare Group supports business associations including Metro Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC), Council of Small Business Executives (COSBE) and Sales and Marketing Executives (SME).
Centare Group offers an open and flexible work environment where active participation and professional development is encouraged. Centare Group’s designated “Technology Evangelists” meet regularly to share experiences and thoughts to a larger Centare audience. The educational gatherings termed “Forward Thinking Seminars” give consultants a viable forum for engaging in fruitful discussions on uses of new technology and creative problem solving. Center consultants develop entrepreneurial attitudes as they learn new concepts to help meet client challenges head-on.
Each Centare staff member plays a role in the success of the company and is treated equally – there are no internal titles. With the aid of employee-led groups like the Environment Committee and the Technology Evangelists, Centare Group ensures that employment with the company means more than just a paycheck.
Today, Tomorrow and Beyond
Today, Centare Group is recognized as the leader in providing technology solutions for Southeastern Wisconsin and beyond. Recently named to the Inc. 5000 list of the nation’s fastest growing companies, Centare Group has experienced revenue growth of 92% in the past three years. And since inception, Centare Group has expanded its roster of consulting experts to include 35 full-time employees.
The company’s commitment to innovation keeps employees in step with new technologies and services. Centare Group is proficient in staff augmentation, project work, systems integration, custom software development and software sales. Centare Group’s expertise with Actuate-based services continues to solidify them as Southeastern Wisconsin’s leader in the integration of Actuate Reporting Engines and Performance Management applications. The company remains Southeastern Wisconsin’s primary supplier of .NET and Java services and maintains strong partnership with the world’s leading technology companies, including IBM and Microsoft.
Centare Group is now an IBM Advanced Business Partner. As such, Centare consultants are well-versed in IBM WebSphere and other products and applications. In 2007, Centare Group achieved status as a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner. Centare consultants readily use Microsoft’s SharePoint and have expertise in Microsoft other stable of business automation tools. Centare Group is also working to attain specialization in Microsoft’s Application Life Cycle Management (ALM).
Centare Group is proud to call both emerging companies and many of Wisconsin’s Fortune 1000 businesses among its growing list of valued clients. Centare Group is pleased to serve many diverse industries including:
- Insurance
- Government
- Manufacturing
- Printing
- Retail
- Financial Services
- Healthcare
As Centare Group looks to the future, the company will continue to provide reliable and flexible solutions that clients have come to expect from Centare consultants. And Centare Group will continue deliver intelligent business solutions that provide a competitive business advantage.