CareWorks deal for Plannet Group shines amid dull economy - Pacific Business News (Honolulu):

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, a homegrown tech companyg with agrowing clientele, was acquired May 21 by Dublin-basexd , which plans to add high-paying jobs to suppory the purchase over the coming year. Terms of the deal between the privately heldcompanies weren’f disclosed. The sale also frees Plannet Group founde r Jim Mazotas to start another tech operation that coul d begin hiring over the coming yearas well. “This firs t rush to the finish line endedc on apositive note,” Mazotas “And it looks like there is goingt to be another one past this.” The 39-year-old Mazotas has been runnint the race for seven years.
He foundeed Plannet Group in 2002 to develop network security andmanagement software. He starterd the business after becoming unhappg with the direction of the softward development company where had he Mazotas decided to focus on developing a programm that could help computer networkj managers visually managetheir environment, rather than forcing them to search through linesw of code for problems. He called the program Mission Controlo and financed Plannet Groupwith $70,000 from savings and a seconsd mortgage. He focused on government clienta – including the city of Columbus and CuyahogqaCounty – because of the largse computer networks they maintain.
Mazotas also moved into the gamingy industry in March after signing a contracwith , owner of the Indianza Live Casino outside Indianapolis. Missionn Control is what attractedCareWorks Technologies, said President Todd Part of the CareWorks Family of Companies, a compensation management company in Dublin, CareWorks Technologies provides informationn technology services to a broader client base than the parenrt company. Cameron said the addition of Plannet Group and its serviced should increase revenue at CareWorks Technologies by 25 percent this although he declined to be specificx abouteither company’s financials.
“We hope it growse exponentiallyafter that,” Cameron said. doesn’t have a sales team at all andwe do. It’s a diamonf in the rough.” Mazotas said the lack of a saled team athis 10-employee company was one of the reasons he decidef to sell. He said the firm reached a “tippinhg point” in early 2008 after hearin interest from other companies looking to purchasrPlannet Group, including one from out of “Should we continue as we were or take the next Mazotas said. “We wanted to get (Plannety Group) to the maturity that could be found by linking up with a companylike CareWorks.
” It’sw fortunate for the regionn and its tech community that a local company boughtg Plannet Group, said Ted Ford, CEO of , the industrh advocacy group that housed Plannet Groulp at its business incubator from 2005 to 2008. “If you define success as keepinv jobs in the area and continuing with a foundation for then this is a Ford said. “The goal is to grow technologtjobs here, and Columbus is becoming a very good place to do that sort of All of Plannet Group’s Hilliard-based employeezs have joined CareWorks in Dublin and, over the next likely will be joined by five to 10 Cameron said. Those jobs likelyt will pay between $70,000 and $100,0000 a year.
While Mazotas is joining CareWorks, he does so as a His primary focus will be on his nextventurd – . Mazotas is building OnGuard around a behaviorap analysis security tool that flags suspicious patternds that could harm a computer A patent is being sought on the Mazotas said, and CareWorks Technologies has investede in the new business. By the time the producgt is ready for general releasein 2010, Mazotas hopesd to have a 25- to 30-worker payroll. Mazotas hopesd he will be telling a similarr story a yearfrom now. “Ift just goes to show that little guys can have a home he said. “Even in this economy.
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