 |
Rare & Dear, Inc. Named Hawaii's Fastest Growing Small Business7 August 1998 (Eleele, Kauai, Hawaii) ELEELE, Kauai, Hawaii — Rare & Dear, Inc., a Kauai-based information management consulting company specializing in Oracle technology, recently was named Hawaii's fastest growing company by Pacific Business News (PBN), a publication of the American Cities Business Journals. Rare & Dear recorded a 1,032 percent increase in revenues from 1995 to 1997, placing it on the top of PBN's fourth annual list of "Hawaii's Fastest 50". "Our company has been growing steadily in the past three years, but we didn't realize just how well we were doing," said Ned Dana, Rare & Dear's founder and principal consultant. "It's been a team effort, and the dedication of our staff, combined with tremendous support from other businesses and the local community has enabled us to succeed." To be eligible for Hawaii's Fastest 50, businesses had to be at least three years old, be locally owned and operated, have annual revenues of $50,000 to $5 million, and have been profitable two of the last three years. Each business was then ranked by revenue growth over the three years. Founded in 1994, Rare & Dear's services custom application development, database administration, data warehousing and decision support, system architecture/integration for enterprise information systems. Rare & Dear is an Oracle Alliance Partner, a global business network that unites leading information technology companies to deliver integrated customer solutions for network computing. Dana gained his background in Oracle database development and management while part of the senior technical staff of Oracle Corporation in Menlo Park and Belmont, Calif., from 1981 to 1986, contributing significantly to the technology used today. As the 17th employee to be hired by the company, Dana played an integral role in Oracle's development team for versions 3, 4 and 5 of the RDBMS and early versions of Oracle's application tools. He moved to Kauai in 1988 and was involved in various computer consulting ventures before founding Rare & Dear. Dana attributes the company's success to its straightforward approach to customer service. "We don't rest until our clients are satisfied. We take the time to get to know our clients' business—their goals, objectives, and all aspects of their operations," said Dana. While his staff of 20 employees represents more than 150 yeas of technical and business expertise, Dana and his team believe that operating in Hawaii has been a major contributing success factor. "Because of the complex nature of our business, it's easy to get lost in the technology and mechanics. Being in Hawaii enables us to use the tranquil, nurturing environment of the Islands to clear our minds and to think more freely and creatively. This allows us to develop the most innovative solutions for our clients." Dana acknowledged that it has not been easy operating a small business. The sluggish Hawaii economy, the state's higher cost of living, and competition for qualified technical specialists have presented challenges for the company. "We've had to be very creative in our approach to developing business and maintaining existing relationships," said Dana. In an effort to sustain its remarkable growth, Rare & Dear recently expanded its operations to include an office in Oakland, Calif. "The demand in California for experienced Oracle technology consultants has increased over the past few years, and we look forward to helping California businesses develop optimal solutions," said Dana. "We are very honored to be recognized along with these other 49 fine companies," said Dana. "We're taking some time to enjoy this achievement, but you can be sure that we're already thinking of new ideas so that we can make it onto next year's 'Fastest 50' list." |
