One on One with Chris Dalton

The Challenges of Rapid Growth: One-on-One with Acquity's Chris Dalton

Acquity Group, a digital services and technology consulting firm based in Chicago, with offices in Irvine, Calif., Dallas, Kansas City and Phoenix, has been trailblazing in the fields it serves since 2001. CEO Chris Dalton has been spearheading an impressive growth plan—the firm currently has 250 employees and is slated to add 50 by year's end. Consulting talked to Dalton about starting what would become a very successful business in a year that marked the beginning of an economic slide. One of the primary differences between then and now? Talent, he says, was easier to find then.

Consulting: How were you able to see an opportunity at a time when so many companies were facing an economic downturn?

Dalton: I think in 2001 you had to be focused on driving efficiencies. You had to be lean, and we were able to capitalize because we didn't have a whole lot of overhead. We were a lean, entrepreneurial startup organization that was capable to deploying very focused people in one- or two-[people]-sized teams, not twenty or thirty, and I think when you can do that, you can be very competitive and very value-oriented, and I think project by project, account by account, we just grew our reputation for delivering on the services we were providing. We took advantage of a downturn, and turned it into a tremendous opportunity.

Consulting: How did the economy play into your talent search?

Dalton: We were able to get a lot of really good talent. This was a time when Accenture was going public and anyone who had been on a long-term path may have been reconsidering. This is a time when IBM was [laying] off tens of thousands of people, and Sapient and other big firms were downsizing pretty dramatically, so we became a safe haven, so to speak, for those who were very committed to their craft, their talent and their skills in consulting, but still wanted to be a part of something that was entrepreneurial. We had an easier time then than we do now. The market's contracted, and there aren't as many talented people in the marketplace anymore. Everyone's fighting for the same bodies, and it's become quite competitive.

Consulting: How are you separating yourself from other firms in terms of attracting talent now?

Dalton: I think the one thing that is very attractive from our organization's perspective is that we're dealing with leading-edge consumer brand organizations as our clients. We're doing leading-edge technology with the Web and e-commerce and content-management-type solutions, so the projects that people get to work on are very, very attractive projects that have real-world solutions that people touch every day. We've got a wonderful portfolio of clients, and the types of solutions that we're working on are very attractive for anyone who really wants to be on the leading edge of technology. We still have that entrepreneurial spirit; there's an energy about the business right now that's really got people excited about being here and working in this environment so we really feel good about competing in today's marketplace.

Consulting: As you grow, are you worried you're going to lose your edge that being a medium-sized firm affords you?

Dalton: I'm always concerned about that, and I always talk to our people about the cultural implications of growth and the need to stay focused. When you're hiring as many people as we do, it's so difficult to continue to focus on the quality, and you have to. As you get bigger, you run the risk that you're [going to] drop the ball somewhere. You hire somebody that doesn't fit or you're not as attentive to the needs of the business so I think while we're excited about our growth, we're cognizant of the fact that it can all go away fast if you don't focus on it.

Consulting: What do you see next for the firm? Dalton: Well, we've been growing at a pretty amazing pace. I think there are opportunities for us to look at acquisitions. We'd love to have an office on the East Coast. We're also continuing our organic growth. We're crossing through $50 million in revenue right now, and we've got a lot of attention because of that.