In “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” the two outlaws, played by Paul Newman and Robert Redford, flee bounty hunters across the American West. In spite of their best efforts, they cannot elude their pursuers. After each failed evasion, Butch or Sundance asks the other, “Who are those guys?”
I hear that question a lot when pitching Spire to my SBT VisionPoint, SBT Pro Series,ACCPAC Pro and Sage Pro ERP clients. “Spire? Never heard of them. Who are those guys?” It’s a good question. You’ve heard of Microsoft, Sage, SAP, Netsuite and the other ‘name’ ERPs. But Spire? Rather than answer the question myself, I asked Mr. Al Romeyn, CEO of Spire Systems that question and a few others. Here is the interview.
What is Spire Systems?
“Spire Systems is the publisher of Spire, an integrated accounting, sales and inventory management solution for small to medium-sized companies.”
What inspired you and your partners to start SpireSystems?
“We started Spire out of necessity. We were a Sage BusinessVision Partner and haddeveloped Essentials — our own BV add-on to manage sales and inventory orders.There were rumors about Sage ending support for BusinessVision, which would alsoimpact the growth of our add-on product. We decided to take Essentials and developit into a standalone product, which is now called Spire.”
How long have you been in business and how long has the Spire product been offered for sale?
“Officially, Spire Systems opened its doors in 2014, and we released Spire 1.0 that year. However, we’ve been developing software since 1994, creating custom solutions for our clients and then developing the Essentials add-on for BusinessVision.”
How many Spire installations are there as of October, 2019?
“We have over 700 companies using Spire.”
How many Spire partners (Lefkowitz Systems is a Spire partner) are there as of October, 2019?
“Currently, there are 80 Spire Partners across North America.”
Is Spire financially healthy?
“Yes. We are self-funded and profitable.”
What other assurances do you have that Spire is a good, long-term technology partner for my business?
“We’re in it for the long haul. Our expertise lies in creating software to solve business challenges and we have been very successful at this over the last 25 years. Since launching Spire in 2014, we’ve gained over 700 customers with 80 partners across North America. We’re in a great spot, where we’re able to maintain a healthy business model. This allows us to invest in the long term and put resources into developing innovative solutions for small and mid-sized businesses.”
Thank you Al!
In the end, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid flee to South America and resume their life of crime. They are gunned down by Bolivian soldiers after robbing a mule train which is where the similarity between “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and Spire ends.
October 2019.Matthew Lefkowitz, PresidentLefkowitz Systems, Inc.