Open Sky Group

We chatted with CEO Curt Sardeson of Open Sky Group to learn how this North Carolina company is changing the paradigm for supply chain software implementations for companies around the globe.

Part 1

A Need for Comprehensive Service

Curt Sardeson founded Open Sky Group when he saw a need for more skill and expertise in the supply chain software industry. He noticed many distribution and warehousing companies in particular were not succeeding simply because they didn’t know how to integrate new supply chain software into their everyday operations. Curt knew he could fill the gap, and offer companies better, more comprehensive support.

“Companies invest in software systems every day, but they don’t have a solid understanding of the capabilities and features to utilize them,” he said. “I love helping customers not only install new supply chain software, but also gain the knowledge to use it as a catalyst for change. Companies that embrace this process perform better and get incredible results.”

Innovation and Expertise

Open Sky Group launched as a supply chain consulting partner on Valentine’s Day of 2006 and won their first contract the very next day. The company sells and implements software solutions that make warehouse and distribution operations work more efficiently. From managing inventory to labor and product fulfillment, the software helps companies manage everything that happens once an order is placed. Today, Open Sky Group is a gold implementation partner and reseller for JDA Warehouse Management (WMS) and JDA Warehouse Labor Management (WLM).

As an early adopter of the newest versions of JDA WMS and WLM, the company implemented the first North American instance of JDA Warehouse Management 9.1.x in 2016 and completed 44 implementations in 2017, 17 of which are for the newest versions of JDA WMS (2017.x). While that’s a lot of statistics, those numbers are important because the company has made a commitment to be on the leading edge of the software it resells so that clients get the most from their upgrades and implementations. Curt explained:

“We partner with companies to help them determine their software needs and then assist them in the implementation and integration process. We support our clients throughout the whole journey, assisting with upgrades as their operations grow and the technology changes. We take something that’s a major challenge and show businesses how to overcome it. And we aim to do it better than anyone else.”

Curt’s high standards for customer service and employee relations have shaped the company’s overall culture. “One of Curt’s founding principles and beliefs was that if you make your employees happy, you’ll make your clients happy,” said Darcy Reeves, Vice President of Marketing and employee of Open Sky Group for six years. “It’s still a guiding theme today; we’re always striving to provide the best possible service to our clients, maintain a great culture and provide relevant, desirable benefits to employees.”

Global Growth Starts at Home

Near Open Sky Group’s tenth anniversary, Curt began looking at ways to expand into a global company. After consulting with his partners and vendors, he recognized a major growth opportunity in Australia, New Zealand and much of Asia. “I had started companies abroad in the past, so I knew doing it alone would be difficult,” he said. “That’s why we decided to partner with a local firm with a similar vision and values to make the process more efficient. We never lost sight of our customers or our people. We sought sound advice and we followed it.”

Curt said he was also intentional about enlisting the expertise of a savvy legal counselor from day one, and he advises other entrepreneurs to do the same. “It’s really important to take contract negotiations seriously from the beginning, because your company’s value will be very tied to the terms you put in place,” he cautioned. “You can really hurt your company and expose it to litigation risk if you don’t do your due diligence with legal protection from the onset.”

Open Sky Group looks to Fourscore Business Law for its contracts and agreements. The Fourscore lawyers also attend the company’s leadership meetings to keep Curt and the rest of the executive team updated on the always-changing legal landscape and what they need to know to navigate it. “Other law firms just aren’t taking this hands-on approach with their clients,” said Curt.  “Fourscore is so intentional about creating an intimate environment and making sure we get to enjoy all the benefits of in-house counsel.”

Part 2

Since Fourscore sat down with Curt Sardeson in 2018, his company Open Sky Group has more than doubled its number of employees and experienced a 160% increase in revenue. Currently, Open Sky Group employs over 110 people and operates in five countries globally.

“We’re really hitting our stride after 10 years and a lot of trial and error,” Curt says. He attributes much of the growth to a goal he set a decade ago.

“I wanted to make this a great place to work. That meant making culture and clients our number one priorities,” he explains. Open Sky Group executes on this goal the moment a new employee walks in the door. Their thorough onboarding process covering each department includes a 90-minute meeting with Curt, where he shares the company’s values and vision and enjoys face-to-face time with each person who works there.

Curt says being strategic and intentional about who is promoted to management is also essential to keeping Open Sky Group a great place to work.

“It’s key to make sure the folks that manage other people are doing it in a way that’s consistent and follows our core values,” he says. Curt coaches the managers, placing a high priority on listening. He encourages leaders in the company to make adjustments based on what they hear and not to get stuck in ruts. Curt says this willingness to evolve based on feedback has been crucial to the employee experience and, ultimately, the company’s success.

He also encourages candor in communication at all levels of the company, wanting employees to have just as much freedom to be honest with their supervisors as their peers. Curt tries to lead by example with his personal communications, including issuing a company-wide email every Friday praising specific employees for accomplishments and wins that week. These weekly shoutouts emphasize the “culture of helpfulness” he’s developed at Open Sky Group.

“It takes a community. It doesn’t matter what your job is here – there’s an unspoken rule that if you can help, you help, regardless of if you’ve worked here five years or five weeks.”

He is grateful for the help he’s received from Fourscore each step of the way.

“As we’ve had this incredible growth and taken more risks with bigger contracts and more global work, Fourscore has always delivered the expertise we needed,” Curt says. He also appreciates the personal approach Jesse takes with clients.

“We didn’t want a transactional relationship with a law firm. We really wanted a partnership, and we’ve been able to maintain that with Jesse and his team,” he explains.

Looking ahead, Curt hopes to venture deeper into robotics and artificial intelligence for his customers, increasing the amount of output per human by automating tedious tasks. Curt’s confidence in the future was bolstered by the obstacles he witnessed his company – and others – overcome through the pandemic.

“Starting in early 2020, we had to make decisions we’d never had to make before, which really pushed all of us. I think we are going to be much better because of it. I have nothing but tremendous optimism due to what the human spirit has accomplished.”

To learn more, visit OpenSkyGroup.com.