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This is Fred Ball for Zions Bank, speaking on business.
When an expert in the auto industry and the 1999 Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year put their heads together, it's a good idea to fasten your seat belt and hold on. Something exciting is about to happen.
In 2000, Rich Holland and Alan Rudd combined their talents and ideas to form Arkona, Inc. Since then, Arkona has become a national leader in creating and installing management software for automobile dealers.
But don't think that Arkona's success has anything to do with a lack of competition. In fact, until Arkona came along the industry was dominated by two multi-billion dollar organizations. When I spoke with Dave Jenkins on the phone, Arkona's director of marketing and sales, I asked Dave how Arkona was able to break into a market dominated by such heavy weights. His answer wasn't surprising. Dave told me that the larger companies couldn't compete with Arkona's customer service and quick response time. He then explained to me that Arkona offers month-to-month contracts -- a guarantee, says Dave, to its customers, that Arkona will earn their business every month.
Arkona is an industry leader when it comes to developing new technology. Arkona's clients can be certain that their auto dealerships are using the latest and greatest in management software. In fact, nearly 40 dealerships in Utah use Arkona's software, as well as businesses in 38 states. Arkona is committed to making their customers' businesses run as smoothly as possible.
It's a good sign when your business is in need of more employees. Though it's unlikely you'd find a "Help Wanted" sign hanging from either Rich's or Alan's door, rest assured that the public company is growing at a steady rate. It began modestly -- the result of a merger -- with only 12 employees. But due to their success that number has doubled each year and today Arkona employs more than forty individuals.
For Zions Bank, I'm Fred Ball. I'm speaking on business.
