Success Story: Technology and Networking Inc.
Cape Girardeau, Mo.

If the fictional character Roy Hobbs is "The Natural" in his chosen sport of baseball, then youthful Southeast Missouri entrepreneur Jason Eftink is definitely a natural in his chosen field.

As founder and CEO of the Cape Girardeau-based Technology and Networking Inc., Jason successfully faces challenges in the business world with the same determination he applies to the challenges of life.

In 11 years he has taken Technology and Networking from a two-man start-up to a vital and growing company with more than 30 employees. The firm offers sales and service in the areas of computer technology and telecommunications. Its client list covers a range of businesses, though it has a strong vertical focus on the banking industry.

Jason Eftink (above) founded Technology and Networking 11 years ago in Scott City, where he and his brother, Shawn (below), started out as a two-man team. Today the company is located in Cape Girardeau and has more than 30 employees providing complete IT outsourcing and communications networking solutions for its clients.

"From the time I was in high school I always planned to start a business of some kind," muses the 33-year-old businessman.

Some of his relatives owned and operated businesses, so he had a first-hand view of success in private enterprise from role models who inspired him with dreams of his own business. However, life dealt Jason an extreme challenge to his entrepreneurial vision in 1994.

"At the age of 19 I was in a water skiing accident that left me paralyzed. One of the realizations that followed was that I would likely rely on technology to face the new challenges of life. So I also chose technology as my path to entrepreneurship."

He started Technology and Networking in 1997 at his home in Scott City. Working in league with his brother, Shawn, and with the encouragement of his aunt and uncle, Jason found the initial years in business of little difficulty. The economy was strong and the firm generated around $500,000 in sales each of its first two years.

The next five years were a different story. Jason found the excitement of running a new business had worn thin. He was working long hours and learning to manage people ... employees hired to meet the increasing demands of clients. Annual revenues exceeded $1 million, but profit margins shrank. Jason also learned to work more closely with family members during increasingly difficult times for the economy.

By 2005, Jason and his company were turning a more positive corner on the entrepreneurial boulevard. Since then the firm has acquired two small information technology companies, merged with Automation Services Co. Inc. (the Southeast Missouri area's largest and most advanced IT company), and shifted its location to Cape Girardeau from Scott City. During the growth process annual sales revenues have climbed beyond the $4-million level as the company's team passed the 30-member mark.It's been a progressive enterprising 11-year journey, during which Jason has demonstrated his natural entrepreneurial talents as leader of Technology and Networking. However, he readily admits others also deserve accolades for the firm's fortunes.

(Above): State Sen. Jason Crowell (left foreground, R-27th District) presented a legislative resolution to Jason Eftink during the recent MO SBDC Client Showcase in Jefferson City. In the background are two sales consultants for Eftink's firm: Donnie Lawson (left) and Matt Hopkins.
(Below): Jason Eftink receives a Missouri Small Business Development Centers award from Max Summers (right), state director of the MO SBDC program.

"I credit much of our success to those who sit on our current board and to the staff as a whole," says Jason. "These people are sharp."

He also acknowledges the value of a source of advice he's had access to along the way: Larry Cooper, business counselor with the Small Business Development Center at Southeast Missouri State University, who first worked with Jason in 1998.

"When you start a business, especially at a young age, you will most likely be missing some key elements necessary to run a business," admits Jason.

Cooper located some of those missing keys, helping Jason focus on business planning, marketing, financing and government contracts. In addition to providing counseling, Cooper also connected Jason to other experts in the MO SBDC statewide business counseling network: technology specialists at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg; government procurement counselors with the Missouri Procurement Technical Assistance Centers at the University of Missouri in Columbia; and Jack Sterrett, a marketing professor at SEMO's Donald L. Harrison College of Business.

"Larry has played a role in several strategic initiatives," explains Jason. "He gave me direction, putting me in touch with the right people." So all the expert advice-combined with Jason's natural determination, his high-quality staff, mergers and acquisitions, and the company's board of directors-has led Technology and Networking to a new threshold. "We expect to achieve double-digit growth for at least the next several years," he confidently predicts.

However, he also knows that as the leader of a business he must maintain flexibility in pursuit of his goals: "Technology is an ever-changing animal. To be successful you need to put in a lot more than 40 hours a week. Missing out on some personal time may be a drawback. At the same time, I really enjoy what I do."

Spoken like a true natural.

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This story was featured in the March 2008 newsletter.

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