Summary
‍On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell is joined by Jared Smith, President and CEO of Kitestring Technical Services, a leading technology services firm. Kitestring brings together talented people, influential ideas and a mission-driven culture to turn business visions into tangible value. Jared has led Kitestring for nearly ten years, scaling it from fourteen employees to more than 150, and he is also a board member of STOPWATCH, another local tech firm that provides cloud-based commerce software. Throughout the episode, James and Jared discuss the evolution of Kitestring, the importance of workplace culture in retaining employees and the benefits of establishing a business in Bentonville.

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‍Show Notes
(0:54) Introduction to Jared
(6:43) About Kitestring
(8:58) Jared’s Proudest Moments at Kitestring
(11:23) Challenges Kitestring Has Faced
(14:04) How COVID Effected Kitestring
(18:24) Leaving a Legacy
(19:35) Employee Retention
(25:28) Sustainably Attracting Employees
(31:00) Advantages to Being Located in Bentonville
(34:07) Bentonville’s Culture and Evolvement
(40:33) #Bentonville Story
(42:37) Closing Questions
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‍Links
JAMES BELL‍‍
‍BENTONVILLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT‍‍
JARED SMITH
KITESTRING TECHNICAL SERVICES
ONYX COFFEE LAB BENTONVILLE
MICHAEL PALADINO
REVUNIT
JEFF CLAPPER
8TH & WALTON
MEAGAN KINMONTH BOWMAN
STOPWATCH
DAVE GANDY
FONT AWESOME
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Quotes
“What we’re doing in essence is helping our customers solve hard problems. That’s what we do, and we bring in knowledgeable people. Currently, there’s 185 kitestringers who are really smart people dedicated to solving really hard problems for our customers, which are anywhere from startups to the world’s largest company.” – Jared Smith, (7:42)

“I think about legacy a lot, and I would love to leave something and build something that’s bigger than me. That’s a part of what motivates me…we’re evergreen versus exit-focused companies. We’re building companies for the long haul, and when you have this long perspective, it’s easier to absorb challenges as they come.” – Jared Smith, (15:33) 

“I think the key to keeping people in your company where it’s more than just a paycheck is it has to be something they get real fulfillment and joy out of. I think that fulfillment and joy is going to come from the work they do, but also the people they work with.” – Jared Smith, (20:49)

“I’m hiring talent that already lives here, and there’s a lot of talented people living in Bentonville that have a ton of great experience that have worked for some of the big companies here. So there’s a good talent pool that has gotten better and better over the years.” – Jared Smith, (32:21)

Tackling Technical Problems with Jared Smith of Kitestring
On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell is joined by Jared Smith, President and CEO of Kitestring Technical Services, a leading technology services firm. Kitestring brings together talented people, influential ideas and a mission-driven culture to turn business visions into tangible value. Jared has led Kitestring for nearly ten years, scaling it from fourteen employees to more than 150, and he is also a board member of STOPWATCH, another local tech firm that provides cloud-based commerce software. Throughout the episode, James and Jared discuss the evolution of Kitestring, the importance of workplace culture in retaining employees and the benefits of establishing a business in Bentonville.‍‍‍
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Kitestring Solutions
As a part of its technical services, Kitestring offers what it calls strategic consulting, where it helps executive-level positions create a roadmap for their technology. Furthermore, the business specializes in implementation work called co-engineering, where it builds software alongside its client. Kitestring also provides durable product teams. These are complete teams that are designed to solve a specific problem for customers having issues with that particular problem.
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Lastly, Kitestring executes custom software development for customers that need software solutions. Ultimately, Kitestring’s clients contract the business to solve technical problems they don’t have the bandwidth to solve. Kitestring currently operates in five countries and has employees in thirty different states.

“What we’re doing in essence is helping our customers solve hard problems. That’s what we do, and we bring in knowledgeable people. Currently, there’s 185 kitestringers who are really smart people dedicated to solving really hard problems for our customers, which are anywhere from startups to the world’s largest company.” – Jared Smith, (7:42)

Putting Employees First
In a recent anonymous survey, one hundred percent of Kitestring’s employees said Kitestring was a great place to work. This is a result of the business’s mission to intentionally put its employees first. Kitestring believes that happy consultants lead to happy customers. If it puts its employees first, they will go to bat for the customer, and those customers will feel that difference. The client recognizes when the employee is excited about the company they work for.
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“I think the key to keeping people in your company where it’s more than just a paycheck is it has to be something they get real fulfillment and joy out of. I think that fulfillment and joy is going to come from the work they do, but also the people they work with.” – Jared Smith, (20:49)
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In the current economic landscape, there are between four and six job openings for every job seeker, which makes it difficult for mid-sized companies like Kitestring to offer the highest salary. If they cannot offer a competitive salary, businesses must find non-monetary ways to compensate their employees. Kitestring successfully retains its employees by providing an amazing workplace culture that proves the company is supportive and inclusive to all team members.
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Get Connected!
‍Thanks for tuning in to this episode of The Bentonville Beacon! Join us weekly for more stories from entrepreneurs and business leaders who are making a positive impact on Bentonville’s culture, community, and lifestyle. Don’t forget, Bentonville is a place where you can have more of what you want and less of what you don’t!