By ELIZABETH HLOTYAK
ehlotyak@westfairinc.com

Women and minorities wanting to do business with Fortune 1000 companies, government agencies, associations, and others nationwide may find the partners they need by visiting "Diversity 2000" (DIV2000.com), a database of minority and women business enterprises and contact’s within Fortune 1000 companies.

"It’s a site for what we call ‘supplier-versity,’" said Kenton Clarke, founder of DIV2000, which is a component of Computer Consulting Associates International, Inc.(CCAii), of which he is also the founder and CEO. "It’s a site that enables diversity suppliers and minority and woman owned businesses to register their business profiles. It also allows, on the other side, for major corporations and buyers to register themselves. So it is really a meeting place for those two sides to come together."

Born, raised and educated in Connecticut, it may not seem surprising that Clarke decided to start his own business in Southport. He founded the company in 1980. And on the company’s 20th anniversary this year, CCAii enjoyed the national recognition of being named one of Black Enterprise Magazine’s top 100 black-owned businesses in the country.

"We are number 96 on the list," said Clarke "So we just snuck in there. We are right on the bottom, but it is still a big feather in our cap."

Black Enterprise is a leading monthly business service publication for African American professionals, entrepreneurs and corporation executives.

The Black Enterprise’s top 100s have to be at least 51 percent black-owned, must manufacture or own the product it sells or provide industrial or consumer services and it must also have been fully operational in the previous calendar year. Black Enterprise consults industry analysts and other sources to verify the information contained in the list.

Clarke, however, didn’t start at the top, or the bottom of a top 100 list. After attending college at the University of New Haven, he became a freelance computer consultant.

"I started out just selling my own personal services. I used myself as a door opener," said Clarke. "I decided that I can pick up the phone and knock on customers doors directly as well as anybody, and it was just that simple. I’ve always worked with just Fortune 500 and 1000 companies, so I really had a kind of Trojan horse approach early on. I’d go in, develop a relationship, and was able to add up additional people. That is really how I grew the company."

CCAii provides information technology professional services to Fortune 500 and 1000 companies such as website design, software development, technical support and network administration, an area in which many companies are in need.

"I should stop saying that we provide services just to Fortune 500 and 1000 companies because there are so many start-up companies now that are great customers," said Clarke. "However, 90 percent of our revenues are from Fortune 500 and 1000 companies."

The company has 225 employees and their revenues totaled a little bit over $25 million last year, making them eligible for BE’s Top 100. Clarke was also a nominee for this year’s Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Awards that were held this June, while DIV2000.com has been named one of Connecticut’s top 50 websites by Connecticut magazine.

"The dot-com is really where to be," said Clarke. "We have our legacy business and it makes a lot of money and it is a great margin business, but I can’t rely on the world keeping the same form, because it just keeps changing. I’m jumping on that bandwagon."

Clarke is now in the midst of brainstorming a new job website. He wants to create a localized career center that is more focused than the larger career sites. He said that many have become so flooded with requests and resumes that they have become "information-overloaded."

"We want to have people that are ready to work in Fairfield and Westchester County and to focus on people that are permanently in this area," said Clarke. "What companies don’t like to do is pay relocation fees anymore with no guarantee that the hire will stay. So we really think that there is an upside in having a very focused career center and you can make some money at it."

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