April 26th 1999 The Fort Worth Star Telegram

Argus Connection utilizes a wolf pack to symbolize an employee-friendly value system.

By Geoffrey A. Campbell

GRAPEVINE -- After years of working for large, relatively impersonal computer companies, three local entrepreneurs decided to create the company for which they had always wanted to work.

The result was Argus Connection, a company that the entrepreneurs -- Allen Beach, Andi Featherston and Matt Malone -- designed specifically with their employees in mind. It provides computer staffing and services, along with hardware and software configuration and integration.

The owners expect a lot from their employees. They've implemented a value system symbolized by a wolf pack. As part of the pack, employees are expected to provide consistently superior performance; have a positive, helpful attitude; take pride in their work; show respect for co-workers; and exercise sound ethics.

In return, Argus provides them with medical and dental insurance, and recently launched a 401(k) program.

"We're committed to adding to the employee benefits," Malone says. "We've all been there, where you get an email or memo every week saying that this benefit has been cut or that benefit is going to cost more. We don't want to do that."

The company also has a number of awards, including the Silver Wolf, which is presented at an annual awards conference. The awards conference for Silver Wolfs will be held in Cancun, Mexico, next year. Then there's the Leader of the Pack monthly award, which allows the recipient three weeks use of the company's 1999 red Corvette.

Harry Stucker, a counselor with the Service Corps of Retired Executives, says the level of benefits provided by Argus is "very unusual for a small business." But he adds that the strategy is sound.

"In that kind of business, the main asset is the people," he says. "If they keep a lot of those ideas in place, they should be successful."

The owners say no detail is too small for consideration.

Mailings to employees never read, "Dear Employee." Instead, each letter or communication is addressed to a specific person.

Featherston says a number of employees have told her that such personal touches are meaningful.

"We hear things all the time from employees like, `One of the reasons I work here is because you know who I am and you know who my wife is,' " she says. "That's one way of letting them know that what they contribute to the company is important. Little things go a long way.

"Anytime I'd work someplace, I would think, `I would have this or that benefit.' It's all come together here, and so far, it seems to be working well."

Beach says: "We put our money into people and growth. A big piece goes into people, and the rest goes into the growth of the company, which also helps our people."

The three founded the company in July 1996. By 1997, the company was doing roughly $650,000 annually in sales. Last year, sales jumped to in excess of $3 million, and Beach says 1999 sales are on target to hit around $6 million.

"It's been very explosive growth," he says. "This is the best group of people I've worked with in my life."

The company's strategic plan calls for steady expansion. After developing a solid base in the Metroplex, Argus opened offices in Tulsa and San Antonio. The plan calls for Argus to have 10 regions of the country covered by 2001.

"Once we have a successful base, then we duplicate it," Beach says. "Once we're well- established in a region, we look for the next region."

Malone says the plan is to expand west, though the company is committed primarily to expanding "where the customers lead us."

TRADE SECRETS

The owners of Argus Connection in Grapevine adopted the wolf as their symbol because they thought it best exemplified the corporate culture they hoped to create.

Wolves work in packs, demonstrating the power of what can be accomplished when a team works together. But wolves are also playful, and co- owner Allen Beach says having fun should be part of the job.

Toward that end, the company holds an annual gathering at the Garrett Creek Conference Center in Paradise, where employees and their spouses gather for recreation.

"It's a good atmosphere for team-building," says co-owner Andi Featherston. "And the employees get to see what awful volleyball players we are."

The company's mascot is a stuffed wolf beanie-type animal named Sugra, which is Argus spelled backwards. The name stands for survival, unity, guarding, resourcefulness and awareness. The stuffed animals are found throughout Argus' offices, and a likeness appears on the company's invoices.

COMPANY: Argus Connection, 1701 W. Northwest Highway, Grapevine, 329-5043

OWNERS: Allen Beach, Andi Featherston and Matt Malone

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES: Among other things, it provides on-site computer support, including system programmers and project managers, and designs and implements systems.