News

2011 Companies to Watch Celebration

On August 25th, BlueSky attended the 2011 Indiana Companies to Watch celebration held at the Indiana Roof Ballroom. The 'Companies to Watch' program focuses on small to medium sized companies 10-99 employees. BlueSky was honored as a company to watch in Indiana. Much of this wonderful recognition comes from the a multitude of criteria including BlueSky's involvement in our community, our employees, and culture. BlueSky is very proud to have such a great culture and team that really makes a difference. To see more on the Companies to Watch Celebration please visit http://link.backlight.tv/growindian/videos/companies-to-watch-1217.html

2011 Indiana Companies To Watch Honorees

DATE: July 11, 2011

BlueSky Technology Partners Honored as One of the 2011 Indiana Companies to Watch

(Noblesville, IN) – BlueSky Technology Partners, Inc. has been recognized as one of the 2011 Indiana Companies to Watch, an awards program presented by the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, its Small Business Development Center network, Purdue University and the Edward Lowe Foundation.

Forty-three companies from Indiana will be honored as outstanding second-stage companies during the fourth annual Indiana Companies to Watch awards program, held on Aug. 25 in Indianapolis.

Companies to Watch is an awards program that celebrates Indiana's privately held second-stage companies, typically those businesses that are past the startup phase, are considered to be established, and face issues of growth, not survival.

Companies honored range in industries and have headquarters based in 19 counties throughout the state. Among the 43 honored companies in 2011 is BlueSky Technology Partners.

About Indiana Companies to Watch

Companies to Watch firms must employ between six and 150 full-time equivalent employees, have between $750,000 and $100 million in annual revenue or working capital in place, and demonstrate the intent and capacity to grow based on employee or sales growth, exceptional entrepreneurial leadership, sustainable competitive advantage or other notable strengths.

This year more than 300 Indiana companies were nominated and 213 companies submitted applications for the Companies to Watch program. From that pool, 111 finalists were selected, and 43 companies emerged to become the 2011 class of Indiana Companies to Watch.

This awards program is unique because of its focus on second-stage companies. The impact of these companies on Indiana's economy is immense. During 2006-2008 Indiana's resident companies averaged more than 33,000 second-stage establishments according to YourEconomy.org, an online resource of the Edward Lowe Foundation. Those second-stage companies employed more than 784,000 workers.

Looking at the contributions of these companies from a different perspective, from 2006-2008 only 9.5 percent of Indiana's resident establishments were in the second-stage category, however, they generated 37 percent of net new jobs.

Indiana Companies to Watch is a collaboration among the Indiana Economic Development Corp., through its Small Business Development Center Network, Purdue University and the Edward Lowe Foundation.

This program would not be possible without the generous support of Barnes & Thornburg LLP as well as Premier Capital Corporation, Katz, Sapper & Miller, KeyBank and Ivy Tech Community College. The program is also supported by media sponsors BizVoice magazine, Inside Indiana Business and Northwest Indiana Business Quarterly.

About the program presenters:

The state of Indiana's lead economic development agency, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation oversees Indiana's statewide business attraction and development efforts, coordinates state programs and incentives for companies looking to grow in Indiana, and provides assistance and funding to Indiana entrepreneurs and high-tech start-ups.

The Indiana Small Business Development Center Network offers free and low-cost strategic assistance for growth oriented entrepreneurs and businesses with less than 500 employees. Funded in part by the federal and state government, the ISBDC is focused on growing the economy through small businesses.

As Indiana's land-grant university, Purdue University has a long history and commitment to Indiana's economic development. In today's knowledge based economy, this commitment is more important than ever. Purdue supports the Companies to Watch program through its Office of Engagement, Center for Regional Development, Burton Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship, College of Agriculture, Purdue Extension, Technical Assistance Program, and the Purdue Research Foundation.

The Edward Lowe Foundation inspired the creation of the Companies to Watch program to celebrate second-stage entrepreneurs and their companies. Established in 1985, the Edward Lowe Foundation is a Michigan-based nonprofit organization that supports entrepreneurship through recognition, education and research with a focus on second-stage companies—those that have moved beyond the startup phase and seek significant, steady growth. The foundation also encourages economic gardening, an entrepreneur-centered strategy providing balance to the traditional approach of business recruitment.

BlueSky is Declared a Top Place to Work in Indiana

BlueSky's success can be directly attributed to the people we employ. As a result, we strive to provide an environment and culture conducive to attracting and retaining like-minded individuals with a passion for e-commerce and software development, as well as a yearning for winning and success.

As a testament to this mission, BlueSky Technology Partners is proud to announce a TOP 10 ranking in the 2011 edition of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce's Best Places to Work in Indiana program! BlueSky participated in the small/medium-sized employer category (<250 people). Program rankings were determined through an Employer Benefits & Policies questionnaire, as well as a comprehensive Employee Engagement & Satisfaction survey. The employee survey results were analyzed and categorized according to 8 Core Focus Areas: Leadership and Planning, Corporate Culture and Communications, Role Satisfaction, Work Environment, Relationship with Supervisor, Training and Development, Pay and Benefits and Overall Engagement.

Earlier this year, we learned that BlueSky made the list, however, final rankings would not be disclosed until the May 5th awards ceremony where the announcement was made BlueSky ranked 6th overall! BlueSky is very proud to have received such a meaningful award. While it was an honor to simply be associated with the 34 other small and medium sized businesses from around Indiana, the outcome as 6th best place to work was very exciting and rewarding. This award is a special moment for BlueSky since our placement depended directly upon the employees that make up our organization. We always strive to make all of our employees excited to work for BlueSky, and we are very thankful to have such a great team of hard workers.

Click here to see all of the rankings in the final press release from the Chamber of Commerce. Best Places to Work in Indiana - Final Rankings!

BlueSky is Awarded Professional Retail Business Credential

The National Retail Federation (NRF) Foundation offers a number of professional certifications and credentials for business partners and consulting firms that service the retail industry and promote standards of excellence in this industry. The NRF Foundation's professional certifications confirm a company's exemplary industry knowledge of critical skills identified by the industry. BlueSky Technology Partners (BlueSky) is proud to announce they recently obtained the Professional Retail Business Credential.

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The NRF Foundation's Professional Retail Business Credential measures and validates knowledge of key retail disciplines. The credential aims to foster deeper industry familiarity among business consulting professionals and sets standards for the retail industry. To receive this credential, non-retailers must complete a proctored assessment that tests their knowledge and understanding of seven key areas of retail operations:

• Retail Operations
• Merchandising
• Sales & Marketing
• Retail Management & Planning
• The Retail Context & Customer
• The Retail Organization & People/HR
• Warehousing & Logistics

BlueSky's continuous education of key industry skills is part of our consulting success. This credential demonstrates BlueSky's commitment to understating our retail clients' needs. As a result, BlueSky now continues to consult retailers with key insights into their business.

"This is another step in our continuous improvement activities and we are extremely proud to have received this professional credential. BlueSky is extremely proud of our talented and extremely valued consultants who helped earn this accreditation."
Todd Irwin, CEO, BlueSky.

Are you attending eTail 2011 in Palm Desert, California? BlueSky will have presence this year at eTail West, where we will join Heiler, a PIM software company, at their booth. Certainly Palm Desert, California will be a treat for BlueSky'ers as we will enjoy getting out of the cold. BlueSky will be there to get involved and talk with companies about eCommerce technology.

eTail consists of a conference and expo where renowned speakers will cover topics like: search marketing, mobile commerce, mobile marketing, social media, and emerging technologies. Please make sure to come meet BlueSky. See you there!

NRF 2011 Recap

This year, for the first time, BlueSky was a proud exhibitor at the National Retail Federation's Conference and Expo in New York City. The 2011 expo showcased around 600 exhibitors and over 18,000 attendees, spanning all categories of retail. This year's Big Show celebrated the 100 year anniversary of the NRF Expo and was an event of which we were proud and excited to be a part.

This year's "Millennial" theme led much of the expo and conference to be focused on new ideas, best practices, and technologies that retailers can use to target the evolving and smarter consumer. To appeal to the millennial generation, BlueSky unveiled a Websphere Commerce Madison's Mobile Store demo, which could be viewed easily and instantly with the quick scan of the QR code displayed at our booth. Using the demo, we walked our guests through the shopping and checkout experience on their own mobile phones. This allowed us to give our guests a preview of what Websphere Commerce's seamless integration strategy is between the in store, online and mobile shopping experiences.

The recent IBM acquisitions of Sterling Commerce and Coremetrics were highlighted at the Expo and Conference, as well. IBM's recent growth in the commerce industry and their latest acquisitions have broadened their offerings to align directly with all types of retailers. IBM's Sterling Commerce acquisition will allow BlueSky to offer a more diverse solution that provides retailers with seamless integration between their order management and online shopping experience. BlueSky is proud to be a Premier Business Partner with IBM and we are looking forward to the growth in their product line as these acquisitions are finalized.

IBM has released a WebSphere Commerce V7 Feature pack 2 overview

IBM has released an overview of feature pack 2 for WebSphere Commerce V7. Feature Pack 2 has many new functional enhancements that can improve enterprises deliver more personal shopper experiences. This feature pack delivers an intuitive storefront experience for your customers. Some features include:

• Search solution- allows shoppers to find products that best serve their needs
• Social bridging- connects your storefront to social networks by building "social bridges"
• Co-shopping- allows shoppers to chat and browse the online marketplace together
• Pricing- helps businesses manage simple and complex pricing to deliver dynamic price scenarios
• Service provider solution- allows retailers to sell subscription-based offerings and allows shoppers to place recurring orders online
• Analytics- integration with recently acquired Coremetrics delivers real time recommendations based on shopper behavior
• Foundational Leadership- Provide improvements in business user tools for content management and IBM management center

V7 Feature Pack 2 will be available December 17, 2010, for electronic distribution and January 14, 2011, for physical distribution. If you would like to learn more about WebSphere Commerce, its V7 or what Feature Pack 2 has to offer then please contact BlueSky today.

BlueSky held our 5th Annual Customer and Partner Appreciation Day on Carb Day, May 28th.

BlueSky hosted our 5th Annual Customer and Partner Appreciation Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Carb Day, Friday, May 28th. Each year, BlueSky hosts this event by private invitation for everyone within BlueSky's value chain. We choose Carb Day to leverage the spirit of motorsports in the capital of motorsports, Indianapolis. It is a great opportunity for us to strengthen our relationships with the people that mean the most to us, our clients and business partners. Carb Day makes for the perfect setting. We keep solution profiles/case studies of our clients and allow our partners to showcase a little something about them while we enjoy the confines of the Bill Lukovich suite in Gasoline Alley where all of the action is. This event is truly a great way to catch up with all of our colleagues who come from out of town and those clients and partners as Indianapolis prepares for the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, The Indy 500. Visit http://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/indy500 to see more about the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

BlueSky wins best B2C Deployment at the 2009 IBM WebSphere Commerce Leadership Summit

Press Release

Noblesville, IN, September 15, 2009 - BlueSky Technology Partners, one of Indiana’s fastest growing consulting companies, was the recipient of the best B2C Deployment award for a Systems Integrator during the 2009 IBM WebSphere Commerce Leadership Summit held in Toronto, Canada, from September 14 - 17. The awards ceremony was held on September 15 when BlueSky was chosen the winner by an IBM executive committee for the e- commerce site deployed for Kotulas, a brand of Northern Tool & Equipment (NTE).

The eCommerce site www.kotulas.com was selected by IBM over other well known brand sites that were nominated in the category. BlueSky attributes its success to CodeBlue Frameworks, BlueSky’s pre-built WebSphere Commerce assets and methods. Using these assets and methods allowed the team to achieve the desired business results and served as the catalyst for IBM’s selection of BlueSky as the winner.

In 2008 NTE’s brand development group for Kotulas was challenged with the need to test-bed their new brand initiative on a limited budget and an aggressive time table. The new initiative for Kotulas was a completely new concept for NTE as it went after the market for selling unique gifts and gadgets. NTE has been working with BlueSky for several years on various WebSphere Commerce initiatives. To meet the challenge facing the Kotulas brand team, NTE leveraged BlueSky’s lean WebSphere Commerce solution called CodeBlue Frameworks. CodeBlue Frameworks leverages pre-built frameworks and the out-of-the-box functionality of WebSphere Commerce to deliver a solution in a short timeframe and for limited budgets. NTE and BlueSky agreed that CodeBlue Frameworks was the perfect fit for NTE’s initiative, and two months later NTE launched www.kotulas.com.

The CodeBlue Frameworks solution for Kotulas delivered the core capabilities of WebSphere Commerce including marketing functions such as eSpots and promotions; integrations to pricing and inventory; and customizations to tax, freight and promo/key code interfaces. The initial launch leveraged the out of the box search capability that comes with WebSphere Commerce.

Kotulas.com proved to be a very successful venture for NTE as they were able to achieve their 12 month revenue goals ahead of budget. Since achieving the better than expected ROI, NTE has reinvested in the site to include social media forums, ratings and reviews, and additional Web 2.0 features. The CodeBlue Frameworks solution built with WebSphere Commerce gave them the architecture capable of extending capabilities over time. NTE has risen to # 74 (based on their on-line sales revenue) of the 500 largest US-based e-retailers by Internet Retailer and #2 in the Hardware / Home Improvement web retailers category.

"BlueSky is honored to have won this prestigious award by IBM," states Todd Irwin, CEO, BlueSky Technology Partners. "I’m even prouder of the achievement since the nomination for the award was provided by our client Northern Tool. Anytime your client provides you this type of acknowledgement it means the world to a consultancy. We’re very proud."

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