By Marian Accardi
Times Business Writer
Sentar CEO keeps software business running layoff-free
Despite setbacks, Peter Kiss doesn’t quit, focuses on company’s growth
Peter Kiss believes that the bumps on the road of life just make you stronger.
In 1994, the same year his software development company, Sentar Inc., lost a contract with a customer that made up about half of its business, Kiss bought out his partners and rebuilt the company as a custom software developer.
Late last year, a stop-work order came through on a subcontract that 10 employees were working on, and several other projects were coming to an end.
“We had 30 employees and paying work for five,” he said, grimacing at the memory.
Kiss didn’t lay off any employees, but used corporate resources to keep employees paid. “We went out and got new work,” he said. “The result is a better diversified customer base and a quick return to operating levels close to those where we started.”
Kiss, Sentar’s soft-spoken founder and chief executive officer, just isn’t a quitter.
“I don’t like giving up, I’m much more of a long-term doer,” said Kiss, whose business card lists his title as “Visionary.”
These days, his focus is on how to double sales and the number of employees in the next two years.
“Last year, almost all our government contracts were with a single customer,” Kiss said. “Now we’ve got six different customers from the government side. We’re much stronger coming out” of setbacks. “That’s been the case every time.”
In 1982, Kiss was helping a friend put together a business and marketing plan for a company he was starting. “I was bitten by the entrepreneurial bug,” he said. Within eight years, Kiss was starting Sentar with a partner, at first doing systems engineering and analysis.
He was finally nudged into action by the death of Paul Wake, the founder of a small Huntsville firm, Wake Research, which had worked on a project for Kiss while Kiss was working at BDM International. Wake’s widow was selling off furniture and equipment.
“A contract was already in place, everything was in place,” said Kiss. He bought the company and its assets and changed the name to Sentar.
He even moved into the company’s office on Bob Wallace Avenue.
Kiss had long wanted to start his own business. As he worked his way up in management over the years with large companies, he questioned business decisions.
He continued to climb in management, and “business decisions still didn’t make sense. It was a challenge to see if I could do it better, if I could build an environment that is for employees instead of management and shareholders.”
In 1994, he lost a major customer and it turned
out to be one of Kiss’ toughest years in business.
“We had grown to about 30 people 6 and we went
back to almost nothing,” said Kiss. “I went for
about six months with very sporadic paychecks.”
Kiss started rebuilding the company, and moved
into developing custom software.
On the commercial side, Sentar has recently
developed a business-to-business online ordering
system and a telecommunication equipment
ordering system. For government customers, the
company has provided ground support software
for a missile launch, and battle management,
command and control software.
“Sentar is pure software,” Kiss said. “What we’re
competing on is excellence in software. We’re
building an environment for top-notch software
people to flourish.”