Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com October 10, 2016 • Hartford Business Journal 9 25 Years as the IT Partner of Choice and the Best Place to Work 1991 was an exciting year for information technology. The World Wide Web made its debut, Apple released its groundbreaking PowerBook with a whopping 8 Mega- bytes of RAM and the newly available Motorola "Brick Phone" joined the "Bag Phone" in a line of devices mak- ing mobile communication a reality. Businesses needed help understanding how to use emerging technology, and Edward Laprade and Chris- topher Luise, recognizing a need in the local market, co-founded ADNET Technologies. "We wanted to cre- ate a different kind of IT services firm to serve small to mid-sized companies who needed ongoing support as well as strategic guidance in deploying IT solutions. Those organizations could find technical support easily enough, but the business services provided by large con- sulting firms were typically out of their reach. ADNET could offer them both." says Laprade, President & CEO. "From the beginning, we've grown by listening to what our clients need," says Luise, Executive Vice Presi- dent. "We're passionate about technology, but more importantly, we're invested in our clients. We want them to trust that we'll always do the right thing for them." Over the past 25 years, ADNET has maintained its positive growth through challenging times that included two recessions, a financial market collapse, the dot com bust and Y2K by practicing financially responsible lead- ership and keeping an unrelenting focus on its core mis- sion. The firm continues to expand its services and is now operating a second location in Albany, New York, following its 2015 acquisition of SAGE Computer Asso- ciates. Recently, ADNET was recognized as one of the MARCUM Tech Top 40 companies in Connecticut in the IT Services category. While striving to be the partner of choice for its cli- ents, ADNET's vision is also to be one of the best places to work for its employees. In 2014, the company partic- ipated for the first time in the Best Places to Work in Connecticut survey, and was proud to be named to the list. Laprade says, "The award is really just a bonus for us. The feedback we receive from our employees is what we value most. The things people bring up in this survey drive the decisions we make each year." ADNET was also named to the list in 2015 and 2016. "Maintaining an award- winning culture means put- ting our employees first," says Luise. "We need to make sure that people are growing and that they feel engaged and excited. We work hard, but we have fun too. We try to unite the team around a common purpose so everyone knows how they have an impact. Once we do that, our clients' experience is second to none." Laprade and Luise say the firm is preparing for even more growth in the coming years. "There has never been a more exciting time in the technology industry," says Luise. "We're so proud to be celebrating our 25th anniver- sary with our clients and our wonderful team." "Those relationships are our biggest success," adds Laprade. "Without them, we wouldn't be here." Above: Members of the ADNET team attending the WorkSmart Hartford 2016 conference. At right: Christopher J. Luise, Executive Vice President (left) and Edward D. Laprade, President & CEO. ' ' From the beginning, we've grown by listening to what our clients need. We're passionate about technology, but more importantly, we're invested in our clients. We want them to trust that we'll always do the right thing for them. – Christopher J. Luise, Executive Vice President, ADNET Business Profiles SPONSORED CONTENT: P H O T O / J . F I E R E C K P H O T O G R A P H Y ADNET Technologies Locations: 312 Farmington Avenue, Farmington, CT 06032 (860) 409-1700 3 Washington Square, Albany, NY 12205 (518) 458-9300 Website: www.thinkADNET.com Twitter: @ADNETTech Facebook: ADNET Technologies CT; ADNET Technologies NY No. of Employees: 48 Top Executives: Edward D. Laprade, President & CEO; Christopher J. Luise, Executive Vice President; Jeffrey Cohn, Principal Product or Service: Managed IT Services, Security & Compliance Services, Strategic Advisory Services, Application Development Services Year Founded: 1991

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