Ensono CEO Jeff VonDeylen
Ensono, formerly Acxiom IT, is on the lookout for the “right talent” and has already hired 12 interns in partnership with the University of Central Arkansas in Conway and its participation in virtual career fairs.
The spin-off of Acxiom Corp. of Little Rock is headquartered in Chicago, but 25 percent of its workforce and about 10 percent of its administrative team is stationed in Conway, according to CEO Jeff VonDeylen.
The goal of the company, which he describes as a startup even though it began with $200 million in revenue and tenured employees, is to reach $300 million in revenue in three years.
Also in Ensono’s plans is moving from the Acxiom campus in Conway to another location in the city by the first half of next year.
Ensono is going to need dedicated people to grow, VonDeylen said. He added that the company had already exceeded growth expectations by adding several clients.
Neither the CEO nor Rashmi Bhatnagar, talent and acquisition monitor for Ensono, could say how many people it might hire total or in Conway specifically. The numbers change every quarter based on growth metrics, Bhatnagar said.
But most of Ensono’s workforce is full time, and the focus in Conway is developing young people who can help clients manage mainframe systems, she said.
Although use of mainframe technology is not growing, many companies are seeing their IT talent retire and deciding to outsource that function, VonDeylen said. Ensono is unique in that mainframe management accounts for a little more than a third of its business, he said.
To meet that need, “we have to be credible to our customers because we can’t sit there and say, ‘Yeah here’s all of our 60-year-old people that are managing these environments.’ We’ve got to show them a path where we’re developing and training new and younger workers,” VonDeylen said.
He also said Ensono could begin managing a client’s mainframe system then help them transition to or use cloud technology in conjunction with it, helping to guide their clients’ growth.
The CEO added that clients typically sign five- or 10-year contracts and need to be assured that talent is there and will be there as long as they are bound to Ensono.
VonDeylen also said the company is hiring developers to work on programming, with a focus on automation to increase efficiency.
The internship program is one way to find talent. Another is internal marketing, having people who work there recommend candidates and get the word out about openings, Bhatnagar said.
She added that Ensono is looking for curiosity, passion and those who can contribute to and benefit from the company’s collaborative culture.
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