FieldOne Systems Says Too Much Regulation, Paperwork Hinders Entrepreneurs in N.J.
NJTechWeekly.com recently interviewed FieldOne Systems CEO Ilan Slasky via e-mail as part of a series of articles about the business climate for tech companies in New Jersey.
Founded in 2001, the Mahwah-based company has spent over a decade establishing a platform that addresses the complex challenges many enterprise service organizations face when dispatching and managing field resources in large-scale environments.
Slasky says the company’s flagship product, FieldOne Sky, is a scalable, secure, cloud-based platform that empowers field service professionals to work more efficiently, drive customer satisfaction and increase revenues. The automated routing technology allows service organizations to streamline technician scheduling and dispatching, while offering real-time project status, mobile access, and unified inventory control.
FieldOne recognizes that different companies– and employees within each company– favor different mobile platforms, so the company built native apps on each of the major platforms including Android, iOS (iPad and iPhone) and Windows. In fact, FieldOne was the first company to develop a native app for the new Microsoft Surface tablet.
The company came to our attention when its flagship product, FieldOne Sky, was honored with a Shining Star Award in the Enterprise Mapping or LBS category, and a Rising Star Award in the Field Service category during the 11th Annual Mobile Star Awards program hosted by the mobile technology news and events site MobileVillage.com.
FieldOne’s technology is used by enterprise organizations across dozens of industries including healthcare, property management, IT and technology, waste management, energy, safety/security, mechanical contracting, as well as distribution and logistics.
Our questions for Mr. Slasky:
Why is your company in New Jersey?
After considering other area states to base our headquarters, we decided to choose N.J. where we found the best office space at very reasonable price. Furthermore, since most of our executives live locally, it offered us better commuting options.
About how many people do you employ here?
FieldOne Systems has a total of 21 employees –whom we have recruited locally.
What do you consider the good features of doing business in N.J.?
Of course, one of the major benefits is its proximity to NYC — where, large numbers of companies that fit our prospective customer profile are based. Additionally, N.J. offers us an excellent pool of local resources and technical expertise and talent. We don’t have to go far to find the type of talent that we need.
What aspects of doing business here are difficult?
If there was one aspect of doing business in N.J. that was most challenging, it’s the regulatory environment and the amount of paperwork required from entrepreneurs. Of course we realize that we have to abide by some regulations, but when your time is spent mostly on these types of tasks then it takes away from conducting our real business and providing services. So, we would welcome less paperwork and rigid regulations.
Can you find the right people here? Why and explain.
Yes, we have found a large cross-section of talent and resources that perfectly fit our requirements. From technical talent, to sales and marketing expertise we have been impressed with the level of expertise we are finding locally.
If you could speak to Gov. Christie, the EDA, or anyone else with power, what would you recommend to help the business atmosphere here?
It would most definitely be a request to reduce the legal paperwork required to operate a business in N.J. I think easing the regulations could help foster better relations with entrepreneurs as well as established businesses that may be considering basing their headquarters in N.J.
What do you think of N.J.’s colleges and universities? Do they adequately prepare the workforce?
The state’s colleges offer great resources and talent. They do an excellent job in training the future workforce. We have hired many graduates from Princeton, Rutgers and Ramapo – and they’ve all been well prepared and an asset to our company.
Have you ever taken advantage of any State programs to help N.J. businesses? If so, explain.
We have not – we’ve been fortunate enough to have enjoyed a steady growth in sales that has helped us grow our business as a privately held company.
A recent study said that most N.J. tech companies don’t hire right out of school. Do you? And why or why not?
FieldOne has hired a number of entry level staff on the sales side. We have not hired as many on the technical side, as we require specific expertise in Microsoft CRM software.
