Joelle Rubcich, along with partners Erica Krumlauf and Dave Michels, started Leading EDJE three and a half years ago when a competitor purchased the IT company they were working for.
Today, the company is gaining recognition not just for its IT services, but for its growth and business philosophy.
Recently, the 15-employee firm was named one of the fastest-growing companies in central Ohio, coming in 13th in Business First's recent Fast 50 rankings. Last week, Rubcich was honored as one of 11 women business owners to receive the Ohio Department of Development's 2010 Keys to Success award. And also last week, Business First included Leading EDJE among the region's best places to work for the second year in a row.
Leading EDJE, located in the village of Galena north of Columbus, develops custom software for a who's who of central Ohio customers, including universities, retailers, fast food restaurants and healthcare organizations, says Rubcich, the company's president.
"We partner with clients of all industries and help them custom build software solutions to allow them to gain a competitive edge," she explains.
Revenues were up more than 60 percent last year over the previous year, and employment has been rising steadily, she says. While growth is important, Rubcich says doing it the right way is paramount.
"The real focus of our company is providing extraordinary technical talent with high positive energy, and creating fun in the workplace," she says -- explaining why she holds the Best Places to Work award above the others in importance. "We're not going to compromise our business plan for the sake of growth. If it gets to the point where we're focusing on anything but enjoying what we do, we've broken our business model. We're concentrating on having a blast being excellent geeks."
Source: Joelle Rubcich
Writer: Gene Monteith