CIM Technology Solutions has stayed under the radar for most of its 25 years, and relied on word of mouth to attract clients. Avoiding
the limelight is getting more difficult for the Columbus based
audiovisual company after being nominated for several awards, and
experiencing rapid, national growth.
CIM was included on
the "2008 Indiana Companies to Watch" list. Fifty companies were
honored by a panel of judges from the Indiana Economic Development
Corp., Indiana Small Business Center, Purdue University and the Edward
Lowe Foundation. CIM was the only winner from Columbus. The
company, which integrates audiovisual systems into classrooms and
boardrooms, was chosen as a finalist for the Indiana Entrepreneurial
Leadership Award in the growth and innovation categories. CIM placed in
the Top 10 in each category. CIM also is a finalist in the
BKD Indiana Excellence Awards competition in the industry category.
Winners will be announced at a luncheon Wednesday .
"This just affirms what our employees have been doing for 25 years" CIM President Dale Gayman said.
The awards reflect the success of a company that started modestly but has boomed recently. CIM
had 43 employees in 2007 but has 100 now. About 40 employees work in
Columbus, but 15 to 20 more could be employed here in the next few
years, Gayman said. Revenues have grown from $14 million
in 2006 to $21 million in 2007 and are projected to reach $28 to $30
million this year.
"We have turned into one of the elite integration companies in the state of Indiana" Gayman said.
25 years and growing! The company was founded by Dale's parents, Sue and John Gayman, in 1983,
selling slide and film-stop projectors to schools for kindergarten through Grade 12. Another son, J.R., serves as director of business development.
"I think there were years when we thought, 'Can we continue?'" said Sue Gayman-Clason, CIM's CIM Technology Solutions chief executive officer.
The company has grown bit by bit, picking up new technologies to sell to clients. CIM's focus is installing and integrating audiovisual systems for schools, businesses, churches and hospitals. A
key time for CIM was 2006, when the price on projection systems dropped
below $1,000, said J.R. Gayman. Lower costs opened a new market with
schools, as they wanted the systems in classrooms.
One
product CIM integrates is a hand-held radio frequency response pad.
Students hold it and use it to answer teachers' questions. It has
numbers and letters on it, allowing for use in all types of classes.
Answers can be tracked on teachers' computers, so they can see who is
performing well and who needs help. CIM also installs
wireless slate tablets, on which students and teachers can write
answers, which are projected on video screens.
 Jr, Sue and Dale
"We always try to stay on the cutting edge of the newest and best solutions for schools" J.R. Gayman said.
North
and East high schools and Central and Northside middle schools are
among the local schools embracing new technology in classrooms, Dale
Gayman said. Many new teachers want to work in school districts that utilize integrated audiovisual technology systems, he added. When
Honda announced it was going to build an auto manufacturing plant in
Greensburg, Decatur County schools contacted CIM about upgrading their
audiovisual systems to place more emphasis on technology as a teaching tool.
Companies
such as Cummins want video conferencing capabilities for use with
clients, and flat screens and projections systems that also can aid in
teaching. Indiana and Purdue universities, too, have become clients in the last 10 years.
CIM
initially served clients in Indiana, then spread to Illinois, Kentucky
and Ohio. Now it is expanding to the West and Northwest - Alaska,
Hawaii, Utah, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California - and Northeast,
including Delaware, Maryland and southern New Jersey. Growth
has spurred expansion. CIM has 30 remote locations across the country.
Its two locations in Columbus use about 16,000 square feet. Dale Gayman
said a new facility of about 25,000 square feet is needed.
--JOE HARPRING | THE REPUBLIC |