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Come to America, start a company, sell it for a billion Kenan Sahin is living every immigrant's fantasy: start a high-tech company, turn it into a successful multi-million company, and then watch an even bigger company buy it for $1.4 billion. With $1000 in 1982, Sahin founded his Kenan Systems to develop software systems to handle the billing and customer care needs of global companies. In January 1999, the telecom hardware firm Lucent bought Kenan Systems, eager to cash in on the rapidly growing communications software market. Kenan Systems has remained an independant subsidiary. In May 2000 the company announced an acquisition of its own, of DataPath Systems Inc., for $420 million. An impressive client list The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company boasts an impressive client list, including industry giants like AT&T, MFS, BellSouth International, MCI WorldCom, and British Telecom. Kenan Systems services leaders in communications and utility industries across the globe, in myriad areas including gas, water, and broadband. In its early years, the firm beat out larger competitors by focusing on delivering cost-effective systems quickly. More recently, 750-employee Kenan Systems targeted the burgeoning market for software systems that enable organizations to invent, bring to market, and then analyze marketing and sales strategies. Going international, big time Kenan Systems is rapidly gaining customers in markets around the world, thanks to capabilities such as character support for Asian languages so customers in Korea can view account information in Korean or English. Kenan also enables the processing of bills in regional currencies as well as the euro and adeptly handles currency conversions and takes care of round-off errors as conversions are made back and forth. For international companies, Kenan offers the ability to set prices in one currency at the central office, then send out invoices in local languages and currencies. Kenan's Arbor/BP also supports country-specific billing and rating regulations, as well as country-specific tax requirements. Four new offices were added to service Kenan's customers in 10 Latin American and Caribbean countries. In 2000 Kenan's Arbor/BP was selected as the platform for Global Crossing's fiber optic network, which will span 24 countries on 5 continents over 97,200 miles. Making friends Kenan has made alliances with Deloitte Consulting and Whisper Communications to offer improved services to customers across the globe. The partnership with Deloitte follows the end of deregulation of the telecoms market, in the midst of agreements between other internet, broadband, and mobile technology companies. Deloitte and Kenan will provide customers with a full range of customer care and global billing systems. Whisper and Kenan together will improve on the services already offered by the companies to make collection and processing of customer data quicker, more accurate, and reliable.
Kenan looks for bright, motivated people with excellent educational backgrounds and industry experience. Visit the "Employment Opportunities" section of Kenan's Web site for details on positions ranging from Product Applications Developer to Sales Consultant. Send or fax resumes to your department of interest at the Kenan headquarters, or e-mail them at resume@kenan.com.
Right at home in Cambridge Located minutes from Harvard Yard, Kenan fits in well with its Cambridge surroundings. One employee described the growing company as "casual, academic, and intellectually challenging - what you'd expect from Cambridge." With a laid-back dress code and friendly coworkers, employees turn in top ratings for Kenan. "It's a great place to work," one insider comments. "The company is very successful and the people are treated with a great deal of respect." Another source described her four-year run at Kenan: "It's been a really fun ride and I expect it to remain that way for awhile to come." Employees say they average 8.5-hour days, though they can put in long hours at peak times. One employee reported, "We work hard, and things can be intense at times. But it's the 'stress of success,' which is a good thing." Less gender bullshit Pay and benefits "are commensurate with other software/consulting companies," and perks include the opportunity to exchange offices with other coworkers for six months to a year. One employee noted, "we've got some really awesome offices." With the exception of client meetings, the dress code is strictly jeans and T-shirts. Though white males comprise half of the Kenan work force, employees say women and minorities are treated well. "It doesn't matter what a person looks like, so long as responsibilities are carried out," one employee said. Another reported, "There's much less gender bullshit then at other places."
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