First Tek: Connecting the Best IT Talent to Opportunities at Progressive Companies

Digitalization is not a new concept for the industry. The majority of businesses have been questioning the effectiveness of digitalization and adopting the new technological trends. The pandemic managed to highlight the importance of technology but also underlined the essentiality of constant innovation. Innovation is the key for businesses to not only survive but also thrive in the grimmest circumstances. Another aspect that it highlighted was the importance of trust. Trust plays an important part in business to develop reliable connections with clients. Though it may seem like an outdated business model proposition, business models with innovation and trust have only managed to thrive. This formula worked for First Tek and it has been a true disruptor since its inception.

Founded by Kumar Bhavanasi in 2001, First Tek is a global technology company headquartered in New Jersey with offices throughout the United States and internationally. Now a family of businesses focused on innovation in the technology space, First Tek was established with a vision to provide quality, cost-effective services, and solutions. The company assists clients in achieving mission-critical business objectives using state-of-the-art technologies while maximizing their ability to deliver value to their customers. Since the inception, First Tek has been partnering with leading companies to connect them with top technology talent, First Tek’s CEO and Founder, Kumar Bhavanasi has leveraged his exceptional connections to grow and expand its services to include custom software design and development for web and mobile applications for clients across the United States.

An Essential Driving Force

A veteran of the IT services arena, Kumar specializes in strategic planning, executive client relationships, driving revenue, and extending the overall business model through strategic partnerships. Kumar’s accomplishments include building enterprise systems for Fleet Bank, ADP Brokerage, and Morgan Stanley and establishing strategic alliances with many of First Tek’s clients.

As a developer himself, Kumar built First Tek by first identifying and cultivating talented individuals working in emerging technologies, then connecting them to clients ranging from Fortune 100 companies to state governments. He has a passion for driving efficiency and developing synergies among employees, clients, and vendors. By continually striving to understand what will make his clients and people successful, he collaboratively develops the long-term strategic vision and an efficient tactical plan and motivates his team to get results. He is the driving force behind First Tek’s success since its founding and guardian of the company’s loyalty and dedication to its clients and employees.

Factors that Propelled Success

First Tek has repeatedly demonstrated its capability to successfully provide candidates to diversified IT industries throughout the nation. The company’s response rate has historically not only been rapid but also regarded as high quality according to clients.

Kumar sees ethics and success going hand in hand in his business. Client and employee relationships have to be built on honesty and hard work to grow and lead to other relationships. When asked to name some of the factors that have propelled his success through the years, Bhavanasi lists persistence, hard work, education, his wife’s support, and his ability to anticipate changes in the market and his clients’ needs.

From an initial focus in the Northeast and MidAtlantic region, today First Tek has more than 1000 employees serving clients across the United States and around the world, with projected revenue of $100 million in 2021. Clients include 3M, AAA, AMC Networks, AMN Sentara, Arconic, Bank of America, Black Duck, Beverly Hills Unified School District, Bonneville Power Administration, Calspan, CBN, Center for Child & Family Services, City of Beverly Hills, Custom Vinyl Products, LLC, Deckers Outdoor Corporation, Discovery Communications LLC, Disney, Faneuil, Inc., eBay, Ferguson Enterprises, Inc., Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc, Fox, fme US, LLC, General Cigar Co, H&R Block, Hampton Roads Community Action Program, Harrison & Lear, Howmet, HNNCSB, Iberia Bank, Internal Medicine of Williamsburg, Kaufman & Canoles, Lennar Corporation, Liberty Mutual Insurance, Mercedes Benz, Microsoft, Mobile Communications America, NBC Universal, Netflix, Northrop Grumman, Old Point National Bank, Olympus Corporation of the Americas , Oracle, PB Mares, Pacific Investment Management Company LLC (PIMCO), Plum, PricewaterCoopers Advisory Services LLC, Rand McNally, ReMax, SAP, Sapient, Stanford University, Scans America, Serenity C&C, Smithfield Foods, Suffolk Sales, , Ten-X,Uline, Walmart, WM Jordan Co, and many others.

A testament to the company’s culture and focus on quality and integrity is that First Tek has grown its employee and client base primarily through referrals and repeat business, with very little other marketing.

Employee Retention is Vital

First Tek has a global workforce with a wide spectrum of skillsets and capabilities from a vast range of countries and cultures working together for a common cause. By bringing together these unique identities, First Tek supports the systems, services, and processes that run the world’s most powerful companies.

Despite its rapid growth, First Tek employees remain loyal to the company, with an average tenure of more than a decade. Much of that retention is attributable to the company’s consistent focus on professional development, first hiring the best and the brightest individuals, then making a significant investment in training to keep certifications current or ahead of trends. From the very first day, First Tek supports the employees to contribute their own ideas for the development of the company and feel like they are part of something bigger.

Kumar asserts, “Employees come first. Without employees, we wouldn’t have a business. And the longer they stay with us, the better and more productive they are. We have a great team of tenured employees who are accountable, self-directed, and get things done efficiently.”

Performance Improvement and other Perks

First Tek employees are motivated by a variety of perks beyond excellent professional development opportunities and great leadership. In addition to access to typical insurance and retirement benefits, employees have the opportunity to earn additional compensation based on their client service and the revenue they generate. They also enjoy access to a variety of work across different technologies, skillsets, verticals, client types, and geographic locations.

While there is boundless opportunity for First Tek employees, there is also a strong emphasis on work-life balance. Employees are encouraged to keep regular hours, then leave the work at the office and focus on their lives outside the office. Besides, vacation time is “use it or lose it,” so employees are strongly encouraged to schedule a time to disconnect periodically.

Promoting Forward Thinking Ideas

Innovation can’t exist in a vacuum and in today’s world, the future depends on innovation. As a company that has built its success on developing new technology to improve the way IT professionals work, First Tek does its best to create an environment where forward-thinking ideas are celebrated and rewarded. Managers hold regular brainstorming sessions to recognize creative ideas and collaborate on ways to bring those ideas to fruition.

First Tek believes that true growth can only be meaningful when it is inclusive. This is why they focus on cultivating an open, friendly environment that pushes experimentation and exploration, both as an employee and an individual. Open interaction with senior management is encouraged, healthy competition is rewarded, and outstanding performance is recognized, none of which could exist without the environment First Tek has spent years cultivating.

Strong Growth and Profitability

First Tek values simplicity, creativity, integrity, independence, and most of all, respect. These values are not only fundamental to the culture and the business, but they guide the actions of their employees every day. It demands the highest standards of ethical behavior from all of its employees. This stretches from senior executives to new hires. They hold themselves to these standards and take pride in doing the right thing, no matter the circumstances.

The company shows its belief in its values beyond company walls and is active in a variety of philanthropic pursuits, both financially and through volunteering, and is looking to do more in the future.

As for the future, Kumar foresees continued growth for First Tek and its affiliates. He anticipates expanding the company’s footprint by adding locations, new skillsets, and emerging technologies through acquisitions of companies that show strong growth and profitability.

Quote: “To succeed in the complex world of technology, you need exceptional connections – to the right experts, the right opportunities, and the right answers.”