As we put 2008 behind us and look forward to better times in 2009, I thought I’d point out a few companies that I’ve visited with over the last year that have either 1) have been around a while, but have kept below the radar or 2) are just now emerging onto the market. The thing they have in common (based upon what I’ve seen, heard, or had other personal experience with) is they all have great potential to make significant moves in 2009.

I had the opportunity recently to engage with International Commerce (ICI) on a system selection project that they’re working on. Two of the principals of ICI that I worked with, Ed Bell and Dunham Cobb (names that should be familiar to many in the industry), demonstrated terrific professionalism, great project leadership, and brought with them a thoroughness in execution that was very impressive. While the project is underway and moving to the next phase, I can’t provide much in the way of specifics; however, I will say that based upon their performance in this engagement, they should have a very satisfied customer. Given their experience, intellectual horsepower and quality deliverables, I would say that these guys should be well positioned to see much success in 2009.

In August of this year, I posted my thoughts about Paragon Consulting, lead by Jason Wells and Kevin Gerold, and their new credit risk product, Vanguard. At the time, they were just bringing their system to market. While I haven’t had the opportunity to catch-up with them recently to get an update, I do know that they have been demo’ing the system and have been receiving good reviews. Based upon what I’ve heard, their system is solid, competitive, and if the market for credit risk doesn’t tank (very unlikely it will), they should be closing several new deals in the coming year.

I recently met up with Eivind Johnsen, the president of Entrion. Eivind’s company has been working with a couple of energy clients to develop a web delivered solution for VAR. The product they’ve developed, which they’re calling Pro-Fin Risk, is currently configured to address the needs of smaller organizations that require a VAR model, but don’t have the need for the higher end analytics, modeling and simulation found in most risk products. I got a demo of their product and it looks like a very good solution for that market. Again, web-delivered with easy connectivity to client data, a clean, simple front end and price point that should position them well for those smaller shops. I think there is a market for this type of product and they seem to have put together a solid offering.

And finally, DMS - Data Management Solutions. DMS has been around for more than 15 years, founded and lead by Frank Pena. Frank has been a gas professional for decades and developed his product, GasPro, to address many of the issues faced by the industry, particularly in the area of gas accounting. I’ve demoed the product and spent quite a bit of time with Frank. The more I see of this company, its products, and its leadership, the more impressed I am. The company knows its capabilities and is not trying to be everything to everyone. Frank has been very clear that his goal is to service the needs of physical gas players and is not interested in trying to grow his company by branching out into areas that don’t fit their expertise. That philosophy, while not generating a huge customer base across diverse industries, has generated some significant sales over the years and created a highly referencable client base. And while they’ve been around for 15 years, they’ve chosen to remain somewhat below the radar, relying on relationships to sell their products. I’ve seen indications that the company will be raising their profile in terms of sales and marketing, and I suspect as the natural gas market learns about DMS and GasPro, things could get very busy, very quickly for Frank and his team.

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