Page 33 - BusinessWest February 19, 2024

IT workforce development in the region, and also for implementing an ESOP (employee stock ownership plan) model that may create dozens of employee- owner millionaires over time.
“We think we can be a $250 million company in 15 years,” he told BusinessWest. “But in order to do that, we’re going to need to grow a lot, and we’re going to need capital. A lot of businesses in our position bring in a private equity group and leverage their dollars, but that means you work for them, and they make a lot of the big decisions, and it isn’t the same company anymore. And we decidedly did not want to do that.”
He also had no interest in selling the company, feeling he has more to give. “So the third option was to do what we did the first time we wanted to grow, and double down on the ESOP. In this case, we’re becoming 100% employee-owned.”
Keys to Success
Looking back, one of the biggest decisions in Bean’s career took place after he and a partner (whom he eventually bought out) settled on the name Valley Computer Works and bought the house in Hadley.
By 2011, the client base was about 60% residential (with about 4,000 customers) and 40% commercial.
“We got it running like a well-oiled machine. There was a touchscreen kiosk when you dropped it off — you checked
off what services you wanted to get. We had it running like a car wash: ‘do you want this package or this package?’ And the whole thing was really efficient, but we weren’t enjoying it. It wasn’t giving me a lot of excitement,” he recalled. “But I loved the commercial stuff. I loved helping companies and working with businesses.”
So, one day, he woke up and decided his future would be in commercial support — and he made the bold decision to shut down 60% of his revenue at the time and build on the 40%.
These days, Paragus exclusively provides IT support to
Besides its Hadley headquarters (pictured), Paragus has a location in Worcester and ambitions to expand its footprint steadily from there.
small businesses in an ongoing contract model, he explained. “We are their outsourced IT department, and we become
an extension of their company, managing and taking care of whatever they need.”
Bean describes Paragus’ traditional services in terms of three pillars. The first is the help desk. “Your employees have a problem — they can’t turn their computer on, they can’t get into their email, their phone’s not working — and we’re the help desk. We’re the people you call to get those issues taken care of.”
The second pillar is the proactive part of IT: the backups, monitoring, and security. “Obviously, that has evolved and
“How can we be the sherpas, the guides, for those small businesses and tell them what’s coming around the corner, what they should
be thinking about, and what they should be” preparing for?
A special salute to Delcie Bean,
a member of Bay Path University’s Board of Trustees, and the
Class of 2024 Difference Makers:
• Matt Bannister Senior Vice President, Marketing and Corporate Responsibility, PeoplesBank • Linda Dunlavy Executive Director, Franklin Regional Council of Governments
• Dr. Fred and Mary Kay Kadushin Co-founders, Feed the Kids
• Scott Keiter CEO, Keiter
• Springfield Symphony Orchestra and Springfield Chamber Players
• Shannon Rudder President and CEO, Martin Luther King Jr. Family Services • The Staff of Rock 102
As leaders in our region, you have ‘Seized the Day’ by encouraging others to reach beyond their potential, helping those in need, possessing an entrepreneurial and innovative spirit, and inspiring people through your actions.
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