3-Jan-06 8:00 AM CST

Early to rise: Rafte & Company featured in Houston Business Journal

The Houston Business Journal featured Rafte & Company in its Dec. 23, 2005 edition. "Early to rise," examined the company's move to integrate its core legal technology consulting services with legal business consulting services, which help law firms strategically align their services with the current and future needs of their clients.

The complete text of the article, written by Christie Taylor, is available at the Houston Business Journal site.

Gifted with a knack for technology, entrepreneur Dena Rafte was visiting retail technology store MicroCenter on a regular basis while most people were still learning what mini computers and word processors were capable of.

Now the owner of technology consulting firm Rafte & Co., Rafte distinguished herself early on by offering computer services before they became a fixture on every desktop. Within six months of launching Rafte & Co. from an office in her home in 1983, Rafte had hired her first employee and moved into an outside office.

Rafte & Co. was founded as an information technology company that specialized in setting up computer networks. Trained as a Certified Public Accountant, Rafte had a talent for anticipating and responding to trends in the professional services industry, which landed her several deals providing law firms with technology that helped streamline practices.

But as the market changed, so did Rafte & Co. which has since diversified from the field of law. In fact, Rafte hired strategist Rebecca Cooke in October to develop new markets and align clients with the changing global workplace. Cooke previously held strategic positions with Sprint Corp., Paranet Inc., BMC Software Inc. and IBM Corp.

Today Rafte & Co. employs 15 people in its downtown Houston headquarters, where the company moved last May. The new office also houses a training center where clients come to update their technology skills.

As business practices have become increasingly complex, Rafte & Co. has helped clients comply. Law firms and other professional organizations have caught on quickly.

In 2004, Rafte & Co.'s annual revenue totaled $2 million, climbing to a steady $2.5 million in 2005.

Companies hire Rafte & Co. to help reengineer workflow, develop technology infrastructure and gain new positions in the market.

The firm constantly develops new areas of expertise in response to customers' needs.

"Five years ago, there was a market change in the attitude of the client base toward technology," Rafte says. "There was a shift from being very focused on industry-specific technology support to something more generic. Technology became a more price-driven thing, and now everything is much more plug and play."

So instead of continuing to shop for hard-to-find hard drives and linking them together like she did in the 1980s, Rafte has turned toward counseling clients on how to better use their resources. Cooke's arrival brings an even wider realm of expertise to the table.

"By spending time talking to clients about their vision of the future for their business, we know how we can help them get there," Cooke says. "Sometimes IT becomes the way in which they do that, but many times we focus first on clarifying the direction in which they're going. Instead of being a service firm that focuses solely on technology, we focus on a broader spectrum of services -- from strategy and business development down through technology."

Increasingly complex tax codes have also influenced the way Rafte & Co. interfaces with clients.

"Fifteen or 20 years ago, professional service providers could do what they wanted and bill what they wanted, no questions asked," Rafte explains. "What's happened over the past 10 years is corporate America has said 'we are going to dictate how, when and where you provide your services.'"

Tech titans

Rafte & Co. guides clients on how to succeed as technology and business practices change, working with them on retainer, fixed-fee and hourly contracts, often going on location to understand how a company works.

Having already built a solid client base largely made up of law firms, Rafte says the company's next challenge is educating existing and potential clients on the expanded services that are offered.

"When you're looking at the full range of services we provide, our competition is our client," Cooke says. "What we do for them, they could do for themselves, but we try to understand their business well enough so they choose us as the best alternative for getting this done."

Referrals and the Internet also help the firm earn new business.

"We get calls out of the blue from people out of state," Rafte says.

She and Cooke also accept speaking engagements and lead corporate retreats, both of which have proved helpful for growing the business. More than anything, they depend on their reputation in the field, Cooke says.

Gary Miller, a partner with the boutique law firm Boyar & Miller PC, began working with Rafte & Co. years ago, a relationship that accelerated when the law firm moved its office earlier this year.

"We wanted to keep up with being a modern new office because our clients expect us, if not to be cutting-edge, then to be close to cutting-edge," Miller says. "What makes Rafte unique is that they're not only specialists in technology, but specialists in technology in the legal world."

Rafte & Co. advised Boyar & Miller on which new equipment to use and on ways to think strategically, Miller says. Now someone from Rafte & Co. comes onsite several hours each week to work with Boyar & Miller's in-house IT expert.

Once this transition is complete, Miller plans to work with Rafte & Co. on projects such as providing clients access to their confidential information online.

"That's something we're not doing right now, but we know it's important," Miller says.

Meanwhile, Rafte & Co. is carrying over its experience servicing clients in the legal industry to serving other professionals.

"It's not who has the jazziest laptops," Rafte says. "It's about making data safe and secure for our clients so they can get information they need on a timely basis and minimize their risk."

Christie Taylor is a Houston-based freelance writer.