Business transformation: Steve Palmer, CMA, FCMA, uses his entrepreneurial spirit to help build a niche winner.

Entrepreneurial spirit is an important element in any growing company but applying that spirit to cutting edge ideas requires solid management expertise as well. Just as entrepreneurs have to understand a business before they go it alone, a strong concept needs solid backing to become an effective, and effectively managed, product. It's this business savvy that Steve Palmer, CMA, FCMA, contributed to Whitehill Technologies Inc. in 1999.

Whitehill is a software company founded in Moncton, NB, in 1997. Palmer describes the company's products as essentially "the plumbing in an IT system. Our document composition and format transformation software enables organizations to derive greater value from new and legacy business information. We automatically extract any type of data, transform it, render it into any format required, and then distribute it to whomever needs it. It converts structured and unstructured data into XML, an open standard that allows the creation of customizable data tags. The XML can then be automatically rendered to various output formats such as PDF, TIFF, HTML or Postscript, and intelligently distributed through means such as e-mail, fax or to the Web."

Most of the current users of the technology are law firms, which are known for their substantial paper creation and are often affected by inefficient information retrieval and distribution systems. Whitehill's technology helps law firms accelerate business processes such as electronic billing, electronic pre-bill review, creation and distribution of automated reports, and integration with document management systems (for more on this last topic, see our feature on page 26).

In the past seven years, the value of Whitehill's technology has proven itself, with its broad adoption among law firms in Canada, the U.S. and Europe, and its use in 45 countries around the world. Currently, more than half of the world's 1,000 largest law firms use the technology, including such substantial players as Baker & McKenzie and Allen & Overy in the U.S. and U.K. respectively. Palmer has played a critical role in this development, first as vice-president of client services and now as COO of the organization, and a member of the board of directors. By working closely with clients, and understanding their "pain points," as Palmer describes it, the company has stayed abreast of evolving business requirements, developing a constantly improving product and remaining a leader in the marketplace.

Corporate initiatives

Steve Palmer was already well established in the New Brunswick business community before joining Whitehill, having spent 20 years with NBTel. As a CMA with a science degree and an MBA, he worked first in cost accounting at NB Tel and gradually moved into progressively larger groups, taking leadership roles in human resources, marketing and information systems management. Positions included working as comptroller of NBTel and its holding company, Bruncor, prior to the Aliant merger of the four largest telecom companies in Atlantic Canada in 1999. He was also a director of iMagic TV and worked on a number of other start-up projects within the corporation, such as the Genesys Canada joint venture.

"At Bruncor, I was very involved in the mindset of the new services business and was able to get a bird's eye view of how to run such a business," he says. "I was very fortunate in my career to have received a well-rounded business experience. I had hands-on exposure to businesses that were trying to expand and grow into new markets. The experience was very entrepreneurial."

Palmer was heavily involved, for his last three years at NBTel, with consolidation projects--logistics, accounting issues, and more. He was the program director of a major billing process implementation that spanned all four of the Atlantic telcos. The project had a budget of $80 million, and included more than 300 employees and consultants. His last position with the multi-province Aliant Telecom was as CIO.

"I moved from NBTel, which had 2,600 employees, to Aliant Telecom, which had almost 10,000," notes Palmer. "There were new challenges that came with that move, and unique challenges that arose when I moved to Whitehill, which had 45 employees when I joined."

Working for such a large company gave Palmer a wide variety of experiences that he couldn't have found elsewhere. For instance, from 1987-89, he took part in an executive exchange program with the federal government, a program for mid-level and senior managers to give them a better understanding of how government organizations function. For these two years, Palmer worked for Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), which was headquartered in Moncton.

"I spent a lot of the time in the region and was responsible for innovation programs--working with entrepreneurs, small companies and universities, building a technology base in Atlantic Canada," he says. "It was a great opportunity to meet and work with entrepreneurs, as well as other executives in the program from large firms like Shell, DuPont, and Air Canada."

Growth and diversification

Palmer saw the move to Whitehill as a chance to really develop his entrepreneurial skill--something he had wanted to do for some time. "As VP of client services initially, I was dealing with the implementation of systems, training customers, and software support," he notes. "I still operate in that area, working closely with clients and technical staff. I am conversant with all parts of software companies, so this has simply helped me apply those skills differently. As my role as COO has evolved, I've witnessed many changes in the company--substantial growth, both in the number of employees and in the business." As COO, he has been instrumental in seeing that happen.

The company has grown by building its strong core business among law firms while also expanding into insurance and financial institutions. "We are creating new verticals and pushing deeper into the insurance and financial services sectors," says Palmer. "The systems used in insurance companies are very good at what they do individually, but they don't integrate well. In the past 18 months we have landed a number of high-profile insurance companies that have seen the value that our product offers them.

"We are also creating selective partnerships where we see the greatest opportunities, such as the one we currently have with Computer Associates, which includes three main products and variants of those products."

Spreading the word

Palmer feels strongly about the importance of building a vibrant, sustainable tech industry in Atlantic Canada. Whitehill itself has grown through the development of home-grown talent.

"We've been very successful with junior skilled individuals," he says. "We have been able to bring in junior people and allow them to grow into the business. And with our high quality of service, we are able to maintain excellent levels of repeat business."

To help the industry as a whole, Palmer currently chairs the Greater Moncton Knowledge Industry Network (GMKIN), an advisory group representing 80 tech companies and more than 2,000 employees in the area. The GMKIN's marquee program is its mentoring program, known as Rising Stars.

"Technical people are great at what they do but they need to understand the business side of that work," says Palmer. "This program helps them broaden their knowledge and receive recognition for what they do. The program started in 2003, with seven people being recognized. A year later it became a province-wide initiative, with 15 people being recognized. These 22 alumni enjoyed the experience and seemed to have learned a lot from it."

The GMKIN is also starting to talk with universities, businesses and government to create innovation networks within the community. "Often, success in this area is simply about connecting the dots, getting the right people in the right room together," he says.

Palmer takes great pride in helping young people to aspire to positions of leadership--through the GMKIN, and in his role as a mentor for CMA New Brunswick. He has been involved in local and provincial CMA activities as well.

Although Palmer spends a great deal of time within the community, supporting the development of the New Brunswick market, in the end the main focus remains on Whitehill, which appears to be set for even greater growth. Since Palmer joined the company, it has grown from 45 employees to its current mark of 90. Revenues have more than doubled, and the financial capacity of the firm has grown. In addition, the company recently received series B financing from GrowthWorks. "I am very excited about Whitehill's opportunity for continued growth," says Palmer.

Robert Colman is editor-in-chief of CMA Management.