VARBusiness 500 Executive of the Year: Jim Simpson
Jim Simpson is more than happy to tell you what has made him a successful business leader--that is, if you can find him.
One place you almost certainly won't see the president and CEO of MSI Systems Integrators is in his Omaha, Neb., office. That's because, as he'll tell you, doing 200 sales calls on the road each year is a key part of his game plan. And that plan is a good one: MSI has made steady progress up the VARBusiness 500, peaking this year at No. 153. Simpson was named this year's VARBusiness 500 Executive of the Year.
Simpson, who came to MSI in 1999 after two decades in sales at IBM, says he tries hard to remain true to the three core principles MSI's founders established in 1994: dedication to the client; respect for the individual; and commitment to world-class solutions.
"The bottom line is that we are a people-based business," Simpson says, adding that the company's eight Technology Enablement Centers give MSI's growing roster of employees a place to shine. "You put talented people in an environment where they can be innovative and magic happens."
Educated in the Jesuit tradition at Creighton University, Simpson says his faith has a strong impact on the way he leads at MSI.
"At MSI, we talk a lot about faith, family and the MSI spirit," Simpson says. "Those are the things that are most important to us."
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