Building an Evergreen Technology Services Company with Exceptional Culture in Bentonville with Jared Smith
- Author
- Bentonville Economic Development | Greater Bentonville Area Chamber of Commerce
- Published
- Mon 12 Dec 2022
- Episode Link
- https://share.transistor.fm/s/90cc7baf
Summary
On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell is joined by Jared Smith, President and CEO of Kitestring Technical Services, a leading technology services firm. Kitestring brings together talented people, influential ideas and a mission-driven culture to turn business visions into tangible value. Jared has led Kitestring for nearly ten years, scaling it from fourteen employees to more than 150, and he is also a board member of STOPWATCH, another local tech firm that provides cloud-based commerce software. Throughout the episode, James and Jared discuss the evolution of Kitestring, the importance of workplace culture in retaining employees and the benefits of establishing a business in Bentonville.
Thanks for tuning in!
Show Notes:
(0:54) Introduction to Jared
(6:43) About Kitestring
(8:58) Jared’s Proudest Moments at Kitestring
(11:23) Challenges Kitestring Has Faced
(14:04) How COVID Effected Kitestring
(18:24) Leaving a Legacy
(19:35) Employee Retention
(25:28) Sustainably Attracting Employees
(31:00) Advantages to Being Located in Bentonville
(34:07) Bentonville’s Culture and Evolvement
(40:33) #Bentonville Story
(42:37) Closing Questions
Links
Bentonville Economic Development
Quotes
“What we’re doing in essence is helping our customers solve hard problems. That’s what we do, and we bring in knowledgeable people. Currently, there’s 185 kitestringers who are really smart people dedicated to solving really hard problems for our customers, which are anywhere from startups to the world's largest company.” - Jared Smith, (7:42)
“I think about legacy a lot, and I would love to leave something and build something that’s bigger than me. That’s a part of what motivates me…we’re evergreen versus exit-focused companies. We’re building companies for the long haul, and when you have this long perspective, it’s easier to absorb challenges as they come.” - Jared Smith, (15:33)
“I think the key to keeping people in your company where it’s more than just a paycheck is it has to be something they get real fulfillment and joy out of. I think that fulfillment and joy is going to come from the work they do, but also the people they work with.” - Jared Smith, (20:49)
“I’m hiring talent that already lives here, and there’s a lot of talented people living in Bentonville that have a ton of great experience that have worked for some of the big companies here. So there's a good talent pool that has gotten better and better over the years.” - Jared Smith, (32:21)
