2st Century -- Company celebrates 10th year

Local 21st Century Systems staff members include, front, from left, Vinson Skiver, Tyler Haugen, Shayne Riley and Zane Engelbert. Back: Brian Smith, Jeff Hicks, Scott Johnson, Matt Stebbins, Rosalie Manley and Tiffany Fisher. Hicks is the 21 CSI president and Stebbins is the director of applied information systems for the McCook office. (Gene O. Morris/McCook Daily Gazette)

With 20 new contracts in the works, the president of 21st Century Systems Inc. predicts continued growth for the software developer with offices in McCook and nine other American cities.

Speaking Monday at the company's tenth anniversary open house, the 21CSI president, Jeffrey Hicks, said the company has been pleased with operations in McCook. "It's an important site for us," he said.

"In addition to software development, McCook serves as our help desk and as the disaster recovery location."

To provide disaster recovery, McCook is mirrored technologically with the main office in Omaha. Should there be a disaster there -- such as a tornado -- the mirrored data would be on file in McCook.

21 CSI now operates out of corner offices on the second floor of Walsh-Brady Hall at McCook Community College. However, that space is now at capacity, with the maximum 10 work stations in service.

Plans call for a move to renovated space at the Keystone Hotel, but -- until that happens -- Hicks says it may be necessary to find other temporary office space in McCook.

The reason is the company's rapid growth. In 2004, 21 CSI was ranked as one of the 500 fastest growing companies in America with a growth rate of 394 percent. As rapid as that growth was, 21 CSI expanded even faster in 2005, growing by 500 percent.

"We had 58 employees at the end of 2004 and 134 staff members at the end of 2005," he said. In the first quarter of 2006, the staff continued to grow, reaching a total of 150 by this week, according to Hicks.

The company was founded by Alexander Stoyen, a former University of Nebraska-Omaha professor, to develop decision-making software.

In the early years, the U.S. military was the principal user of the 21 CSI services. In recent months, the company has stepped up the sale of safeguard software for private industry, including power plants and industries with extensive technological investments.

21st Century Systems Inc. came to McCook following a chance encounter between Hicks and U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska, who was born and raised in McCook.

At a conversation at Reagan International Airport in Washington, Nelson asked Hicks if a company such as 21 CSI could function in a rural community, Hicks said yes.

Shortly thereafter, Sen. Nelson put the then McCook mayor, Jerda Garey, in touch with Hicks. She arranged a meeting of Hicks with the McCook Economic Development Corp. and McCook Community College. He liked what he saw and Matt Stebbins was brought on board in 2003 to establish the office in McCook.

Stebbins now serves as director of Applied Information Systems and Scott Johnson is the network administrator in McCook. In addition, the McCook office is staffed with seven software engineers and a student intern.

McCook is one of 10 21 CSI locations. The other offices are in Omaha, Colorado Springs, San Diego, Bremerton, Wash., Honolulu,Crown Pointe, Ind., Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., Crystal City, Va. and Newport, R.I.