Xcelerate LLC, an Accpac reseller with offices in Buffalo Grove, Ill., and Knox, Ind., was formed on Jan. 1, 2006.
The formation came after the Buffalo Grove branch separated from its parent, Forepoint Inc., a leading Sage Accpac and CRM reseller with offices in three different states, and merged with nearby Accpac reseller DataQuest Consulting Inc., based in Knox, Ind.
"We have a long-standing, very productive and successful relationship amongst everyone. The whole staff is committed to a long-term relationship [with Forepoint], but more in an affiliate role now," said Jan Goodman, co-owner of Xcelerate. "One reason [for the split] was the marketing dollars and programs -- things that are very different here."
Kevin Cumley, chief executive officer and president of Forepoint, stressed the amicability between the two organizations as well, noting, "The competitive landscape is vastly different in Chicago than it is for our Pacific Northwest offices," where all the other Forepoint offices are located.
"The name [Xcelerate] is new," said Goodman. "We're still testing the waters with the name. It's a spin-off of excellent and excel and we kind of just fell into it."
Forepoint, now with offices in Woodinville, Wash., Madison, Wis., and Helena, Mont., was once a part of a larger Canadian Accpac reseller that went bankrupt. The four offices that remained in the United States turned themselves into Forepoint and have remained such since the late 1990s, Cumley said.
However, both Cumley and Goodman agreed that the regional differences, mostly marketing, were becoming too vast to keep the Chicago office together with the rest of the group. The decision to split was made jointly.
Cumley and Shirley Crocker will continue to run Forepoint. More business- and financial-minded, Cumley said, his title right now is chief executive officer and president; while Crocker is more technology-minded and so titled vice president. But those titles could both change very soon.
"We are looking for something to reflect equal ownership and control in the company," said Cumley.
Goodman and Mark Binkley will head Xcelerate, and are also still trying to determine what will be their titles.
Binkley, who owned DataQuest, will head the Knox office of Xcelerate that holds approximately six people, said Goodman. Goodman will in turn head the Buffalo Grove office, which also houses six employees, but is adding two more in the coming months.Both companies stated that they service approximately 300 clients. No product offerings, phone numbers, addresses or customer service representatives will change with the separation of Xcelerate from Forepoint, or from the merger with DataQuest, and there will be no lay-offs. Terms of the agreements were not disclosed.
