Broadsword expands client base by 50 percent

Nearly 10 years ago, the co-founders of Broadsword started their tech-consulting firm with the idea of staying closer to home after careers of jet-setting around the world working for multi-national firms. "We started the company with the idea that we would stay in Detroit mostly," says Jeff Dalton, president of Broadsword. That was 2005, not long before the auto industry crashed and the bottom fell out of the national economy. That prompted Broadsword to expand its client base. It took on customers across the U.S. in a number of different sectors, ranging from government contractors to automotive firms. It now services a wide variety of customers, including Chrysler, American Axle, Johnson Controls and SAIC. It has gone from 20 active clients last year to 30 this year. That has prompted Broadsword to grow its staff, adding a new employee each year on average. The firm currently employs eight people after hiring one person in 2013. It is currently looking to hire an experienced tech consultant as it take on more software-development consulting work "We're really growing that side of the business," Dalton says. The Waterford-based firm is also looking to expand its client base to include smaller firms. It is launching an online/virtual consulting arm of its business aimed at helping small companies, like tier-three automotive suppliers. Source: Jeff Dalton, president of Broadsword Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.