Barn houses growing IT company

This barn has no cows but plenty of data lines.
TROY, Ohio (AP) -- A high-tech computer-products company on pace to reap $1.3 million in sales this year operates from a building where the reaping once had to do with crops.
An old barn that sits in a cornfield east of this western Ohio city is home to Agilit, which has 400 customers in fields such as health care, manufacturing, accounting and government.
"We've got more data lines running through this barn than any other barn in Miami County, maybe Ohio," President Wesley Gipe said with a grin.
Gipe started his information-technology business five years ago at age 19 from his parents' home outside nearby Covington. Later, one client offered to rent him office space at a barn the client was renovating.
"I took them seriously, and the rest is history," Gipe said.
An occasional beam poking through finished office walls is one of the few reminders of the building's original use.
Gipe likes being away from the hustle and bustle of town, but expects to have to relocate to Troy soon because the growth of his business has made for cramped quarters.
Sales at Agilit -- pronounced "agility" -- have grown 110 percent to 125 percent each year. The company currently has nine employees and recently added a satellite office near Lima.
Reasons for success
Gipe said the company's familiarity with and sensitivity in handling privacy and security concerns specific to health care, finance and other fields has helped it grow. He also cited the company's knowledge of the hardware and software products specific to those industries.
Officials with the Greater Dayton IT Alliance said Agilit's focus on specific industries such as health care and on working with like-sized businesses is typical of successful IT startups.
"We've seen that, in order to be successful, the startup companies have been focusing on niche markets and developing relationships with them," said Andy Hickey, the alliance's program manager. "That seems to be what's working right now."
Gipe said his company has grown through word of mouth and referrals. He said landing an account with Hobart Corp. of Troy in 2001 was a huge opportunity.
"That gave us the confidence to grow," Gipe said.