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With its company principal Kristie Roche Johnson at the helm, East Setauket-based Foos Fire recently received certification as a Women-owned Business Enterprise.
Johnson, former owner of an IT consulting firm called Computers Solutions of Long Island, took control of AAA Fire Protection and changed its name to Foos Fire a decade ago. Since then, Johnson has helped grow the fire sprinkler company’s client list, which includes retailers, banks, hospitals, schools and many other types of businesses. The firm, which provides installation, testing and maintenance services of fire sprinkler systems, also has offices in Manhattan and Taunton, Mass.
What skill sets from your IT experience do you draw on in operating a fire sprinkler installation company?
The two industries have little in common, but the implementation and maintenance of technology transcends all businesses. So my background in the field of IT and the skills I possess made an easy integration into starting a construction company. It’s helped me revolutionize the way fire sprinkler companies utilize the latest technology to provide better and more streamlined service. We have thousands of accounts we maintain and using IT as a vehicle has really set us apart from everybody else.
How do you use technology to be more competitive in your industry?
Typically out-of-the-box software solutions that people buy aren’t industry-specific. I’m able to tweak and actually customize software that’s really geared towards our niche industry. And any other enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions that companies use for all of their software, accounting, marketing, CRM, purchase orders etc. are typically only utilized at like 30 to 40 percent, but with my...