Ramp Technology helps businesses help themselves

What: Ramp Technology Group, Bellevue

Who: John Frankovich, 39, chief operating officer and managing partner

Mission: Enable clients to solve real-world business problems using coordination and teamwork.

No hidden cost: Frankovich cites statistics that 80 percent of all IT projects come in over budget, and one in five is never completed, leading to tremendous cost overruns. As an IT consultancy, Ramp advertises itself as an alternative that always completes its projects for the contracted price. "We make a commitment and we live by it," Frankovich said.

Together or separate: Ramp offers customers a choice: commission Ramp to develop and implement a solution or assemble a team with a representative group of company employees. Most companies choose the latter path. "Most of the failures in delivering projects happen because the problem was handed over to another firm that wasn't clear about the mission," Frankovich said. "There is no one who better understands your own business better than you do."

Modern times: Inefficiencies exist because there are few constants in the software world. "With mechanical engineering, there is already a significant body of knowledge where you know what actions will result in a certain reaction," Frankovich said. "Software engineering is less than 50 years old and is changing so quickly that you can't predict specific outcomes."

Employees: 70

Financials: The profitable private company said it made $8 million to $10 million in revenues last year, for application development and consulting services.

Versatility: "We are the only local company that provides a whole array of services," Frankovich said. "There are other firms who claim to provide this, but they are only recruitment shops or staffing firms. We are the only ones who offer the entire package."

— Charles Bermant