3 Taking bytes out of the U.S. market.

• Author: Stewart Nick
• Position: Top 5 Companies to Watch

With a client list that includes the likes of Adidas, American T-Shirt Co., and Willow Pointe Sportswear and a customer base that is 98 per cent American, North Bay's FDM4 International Inc. truly lives up to its name.

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Business for the developer and provider of software solutions for distribution, inventory and catalogue industries has been so swift that the firm is looking expand its current 10,000-square-foot facility by an additional 11,000 square feet in the coming spring.

"The reason that we have to do this is that not only are we getting new customers, but we're getting more business from our existing customers," says John Cutsey, president.

"If we don't scale up with people to do that, my customers are going to go somewhere else."

In order to meet customer demand, FDM4 has already seen recent expansions. Within the last three months, the company increased its workforce from 45 to 58, with an eye on potentially boosting that number to 80 as the new building is constructed.

As a result, many of the company's work space, from its storage rooms to its training rooms to its garages, have been converted into office space for its programmers and managers. What's more, 11 offices have been rented out at the Jack Garland Airport to house staff.

However, this new building will handle its current workforce, while still leaving room for new hires as the company continues to grow. In fact, with a gymnasium, an exercise facility, and 12-foot ceiling-to-floor glass windows for every office, Cutsey says the new facility will provide strong incentive to not only to attract new staff, but to retain existing workers. The facility will also feature a fresh air ventilation system, which Cutsey says is key for the well-being of his workers.

"It is so important to have the freshest, most humid of air for my people who are here all day, using their brain. It's crucial that they have the best possible ventilation for their working environment."

Although business is booming for FDM4, it wasn't always this way for Cutsey, who begin within the business nearly 29 years ago as a national sales manager for Olivetti typewriters and calculators.

After purchasing the local branch office from the company and discovering that the former staff had taken the client list, Cutsey decided to move into the field of selling...