Centrend CEO wins Worcester Business Journal Top 40 under 40
Adapted from the Worcester Business Journal Article of the
same title...
Paul LaFlamme is a rising star...
During 10 years as an IT manager for a large manufacturer, Paul LaFlamme had more than his share of IT consultants "who promised the world but couldn't deliver." He vowed that he would someday "create an IT company that would do it right."
That day finally came in January of 2005, when LaFlamme started a firm that supplies outsourced IT services to small and medium-size companies in diverse industries from manufacturing to banking, as well as nonprofits. This year, Centrend is on track to double its 2005 business.
LaFlamme, after pursuing a BA in Management Information Systems from Clark University and an MBA Certificate from Tulane, distinguishes his firm by providing an experienced "designated technical consultant" for each client. This individual not only commits to understanding the client's IT needs but also strives to become familiar with the firms managers and business systems.
As LaFlamme recalls, he caught the technology bug early in life. His father, a Sears technician, let him tinker with discarded TV sets that the two would fix. A summer computer camp at age 14 Fed his growing attraction to tech work.
Still, the IT entrepreneur emphasizes that technology is not an end in itself but a means of solving business problems. He respects such figures as Lee Iacocca for his "great skill and determination in taking on the seemingly impossible task" of turning around Chrysler. He also admires the late business guru Peter Drucker for his philosophy of both empowering employees and holding them accountable.
With a job that immerses him and technology, LaFlamme often feels the need to "unplug" and gravitates to outdoor hobbies like mountain biking and kayaking. "Being on the river early morning," he reflects, "is a wonderful way to realize that there is more to life than making money."