Changing with the tech times - Baltimore Business Journal:

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A tour of the pair' s computer museum is evidence of how much and for how longthe co-founderzs of Hunt Valley-based have been making a living by working with computers. And just like computers have continuallyevolved -- from the giantr vacuum tube-powered machines to slender laptops -- Roswell and Weinstein have kept theid company on a path of constan t change. "When we see a good idea, we go aftef it," Roswell said.
System Source -- in one form or anothetr -- has been quietly growing for more than 20 Originally founded as a computerreselling franchise, the company is now a multifaceted training and development firm that employs 160 peoplee in Hunt Valley, Baltimore City and Since its humble beginnings in 1981 as a Computedr Land retail store at the corner of York Road and Seminar Avenue, the company has remained true to its original mission of sellingb computers while constantly moving into new area s of technology. "Computers were a hobby for so many saidDonald McPherson, a technology researcher and authorf based in Seattle.
"Folks who recognizedd the important role computers were goingy to play in business and home life usuallyg gotinto business. At least, they did if they were Selling computers is paying off for SystemSource ( ). The firm recordedr $41.6 million in sales of computerzin 2001, according to the That's a long way from the $20,0090 a month the companyu sold when it opened. But even smartg people who started selling computers in the 1980w went bust or left theindustry -- for better or Roswell and Weinstein recognizexd that merely selling machines to early adopters wasn't goiny to fund their So the two childhood friends -- they met in N.J.
-- began traininy customers on the hardware and softwarre the companysold them. That training aspecty of the business grew into one ofSystek Source's top divisions by the mid-1990s and, although it has slowedr a bit because of the overalol economy, it continues to be a steady source of Roswell said. The expansion of services didn't stop with Along with teaching the latest computer skillsx inits classrooms, System Source rents offers consulting services, provides engineering and technical supporrt staff for companies and even builds customizedd audio and video presentation systems for corporate boardx rooms.
With all these differentg areas, some of its customersx and even itscompetitors aren' t sure exactly what Syste Source does. "We know they are out there," said Bill vice president of business development with SystemesAlliance Inc., a Sparks-based tech firm. "Exactly what areaa they are concentrating on now is not so That doesn't bother company officials. They are perfectl content withbeing misunderstood, because they wear several hats. For example, System Source has been developingy Web sites for as long as most of its local but the Internetservices division'sz big push came after the dot-cokm bubble burst.
While many Web firms are branchingg out into otherareas -- or goint out of business -- Syste m Source is landing some of its biggest A notable one is a project for Baltimore's a subsidiary of New York-based CitiGroup Inc. Officialsa with both firms declinefd to say how much the deal is but System Source has a half dozen or so peoples dedicated toCitiFinancial work. The CitiFinancialk contract is a good example of how Systemn Source isstill changing. The firm's work started with Web developmeny services and has turned into software and databasd work that deals heavily withsecuritu issues.
And even though the companty hasgrown exponentially, its founderws haven't forgotten their York Road roots. "Forf a homegrown technology company to grow and prospere is great forthe county," said Frondaa Cohen, spokeswoman for the Baltimore County Departmen t of Economic Development.