Dude Solutions pledges jobs, school safety with new partnership
October 1, 2014 - A new partnership aimed at helping schools during disasters won’t just lead to a new product, execs at Cary-based Dude Solutions say. It will lead to jobs.
Dude co-founder Lee Prevost, speaking as his company was preparing to announce a partnership with Herndon, Virginia-based Irving Burton Associates, says the resulting offering, In Case of Crisis, is exactly what it sounds like.
Read: Dude Solutions to triple its Cary workforce
“There’s a lot of stories about school safety issues and scary things,” he says, pointing to school shootings and natural disasters, such as tornadoes and earthquakes. “These types of emergencies happen all too often in schools. So, what our clients tell us is, they’re actually pretty well prepared. They have done the legwork to write down a plan.”
But, when disaster strikes, that three-ring binder with your emergency preparedness plan? It’s not always in arm’s reach.
“Most of us, when an emergency happens, we grab a cellphone and keys,” he says. “So, basically, we’re putting the three ring binder on the smartphone.”
The offering means a ramp of sales positions, initially, he says. And it’s already started. As Dude’s subsidiaries, SchoolDude and FacilityDude grow their client base, jobs will keep coming, he adds.
The product was developed by IBA, and the deal has Dude Solutions exclusively delivering the platform to education, health care, local government and membership-based markets. The platform is meant to complement SchoolDude and FacilityDude’s operations management product suite, already implemented by more than 8,000 organizations.
“SchoolDude and FacilityDude have a vibrant client base and proven market success, so it made sense to bring the companies together to accelerate the adoption of our mobile safety solution,” said Chris Britton, general manager of IBA’s In Case of Crisis, via prepared statement.
Jobs would be coming to Dude, however, regardless of the partnership. The firm pledged in February to triple its then 220-employee headcount over five years, due to a $100 million investment from an affiliate of private equity firm Warburg Pincus.
Execs maintain that it’s making good on that promise.
“We are growing rapidly,” says Prevost, adding that culture plays a big part in the hiring process. “We’re looking for people [who] are already inspired by our mission. We’re making a big difference in the communities we live and worth with, the school systems, the hospitals, the cities and towns. ... So we are looking for people who are inspired by that.”
Prevost says there’s a conscious effort to maintain that culture, even amid extensive growth.
“We ask each employee to help grow and defend it,” he says. “We spend a lot of time when we’re onboarding people, training people, talking about what our culture is, defining it, but also asking them to help defend it.”
As of Tuesday, the headcount was more than 300, 154 of which had been hired in 2014.
“Currently, there are approximately 30 open positions that the company is recruiting for,” confirms a company spokesperson, adding that, when the firm’s new Agile Development Center opens in November, open positions will increase.
Dude Solutions was founded by Prevost and Kent Hudson.
About RockDove Solutions
RockDove Solutions, developer of the adaptable mobile crisis management solution In Case of Crisis, helps organizations turns their crisis management, business continuity, emergency preparedness, and workplace safety plans into accessible and actionable digital playbooks. Serving hundreds of public and private institutions, in the rapidly growing enterprise mobile marketplace, the company’s award-winning, customizable crisis app prepares companies to quickly and effectively respond to crises. For more information, visit www.rockdovesolutions.com.
Originally Posted on BizJournals.com
