Ron Janecke

Business activity: Employees can work when they want. They can wear what they want. They can work where they choose. They even can take vacation when they want.

It almost sounds too good to be true -- but it's working for TechTalent Inc.

The firm, founded by Jennifer Lenz in January 2001, has grown more than 400 percent in a little more than two years and is on track to hit $5 million in revenue by the end of this year.

For employees who like the flexibility and freedom the job brings, there is one obvious hitch -- they get paid only when they place technology and engineering professionals in jobs.

TechTalent provides contract-to-hire services, direct-hire services and a managed services program for information technology and engineering personnel.

During the first week in June, TechTalent moved to 904 S. Main St. in the historic district of St. Charles, a few blocks down Main Street from its previous location. Five employees are internal staff members and 45 are billable consultants. "We wanted to create the kind of workplace we could never find for ourselves," Lenz said. "We figured the best way to do that was to make a list of everything we'd liked and disliked at other companies." She and a team of account managers and recruiters dredged up a list of all the less-favorable practices that had irked her. It was a list of practices that the group swore never to follow.

Flexibility is a key for TechTalent employees, including Lenz and her husband, James, the firm's chief financial officer. The couple has three children and is in the process of adopting a 13-year-old girl.

"When I started the company, I had three small children, including a baby, so I worked at home and at various hours," Jennifer Lenz said. "It was not unusual to work after I put the kids to bed, maybe working until 1 in the morning."

Putting in unusual hours has continued, throughout the staff, Lenz said. "It's a real advantage sometimes. A company will send a request at 5 p.m. Many of the large competitors work 9 to 5, but because we answer the request, say at 11 p.m., we will provide the client with someone before the competitors open in the morning."

When Lenz made her list of "likes and dislikes," she said the first big thing (a dislike) on the list was hiding the numbers.

"Say you are a recruiter or account manager and you go to your boss and ask for financial information regarding what goes into the margin or rate calculator, and he tells us it's something that just is not shared. That's like entering a marriage and not knowing things about our spouse," Lenz said.

TechTalent openly explains the company's financials, which are available at any time to employees who ask. "They need the tools to do their jobs," she said. Lenz developed a formula which provides a "productivity" number, which she shares with the employees.

Enterprise Rent-A-Car was TechTalent's first client, and the firm now has seven active clients. The others are Washington University; GKN Aerospace; MFA Oil and Carfax.com, both in Columbia, Mo.; Maritz Inc.; and the Chase Park Plaza.

Executives: Jennifer Lenz, 32, is president, chief executive and founder of TechTalent. After growing up in north St. Louis County, she moved to St. Charles in 1983 and graduated from Lindenwood University with a degree in human relations. She worked for a health-care contract company and in 1996, she joined Rose International.

James Lenz, 32, is vice president and chief financial officer, who joined his wife in the business in April 2002. The son of an Air Force officer, he was born in Indiana and moved to Missouri in 1983. He spent 10 years in the air freight business and held management positions at DaimlerChrysler and General Motors plants here. Among his duties are handling billing and payroll.

Sandy Albert, senior business development manager, joined the company in September 2001. Shirley Rice is senior account manager; Cheryl Smith is senior account manager.

Company history: Lenz started her firm with $1,000, a home office in the living room of the Lenz's house in St. Peters, equipped with a desk, a couple of telephone lines and a fax machine.

TechTalent began as a permanent staffing agency primarily servicing the information technology industry. The company branched into the engineering field in July 2002, and the move has greatly increased the firm's revenue. The company does all the screening of candidates, sifting through resumes and providing skills testing of job applicants on the Internet.

Employees keep 70 percent of the money they receive for placing people. The rest goes to TechTalent, which provides medical and dental insurance and a retirement account. Any extra income is used to buy unbudgeted equipment and for year-end lump-sum bonuses.

Revenue: 2003 revenue is expected to top $5 million. After taking in $187,000 in its first year, TechTalent had revenue of $1 million in 2002.

The future: Lenz wants to continue to grow the company, primarily in the St. Louis area, but will do work for companies in other parts of the country who seek out the services of TechTalent. She would like the company to grow to 100 contracted employees