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From an IT standpoint, Sartor says he expects the team to spend the next few years optimizing business processes involving project management and software delivery. And unlike some CEOs who don't understand why acquisition integration can take so long, Sartor has an appreciation of the difficulties his IT team faces. "IT has been really busy," Sartor says. "The pace and growth has really been a challenge. We still have a couple of acquisitions to integrate. We're going to need to replace our POS. And we have several other acquisitions we're eyeing that will make life difficult for our IT folks."
And eventually, the company will appoint a new CIO. "At some point in time, this wonderful experiment will come to an end," Sartor says. "That will be when I have a really focused group. I want to promote from within. I didn't know the players well enough. Given another year, I will."
His mandate for the new CIO? "My marching orders," he says, "are build bridges, know your customer intimately, and don't put up with any crap from the organization." Last December the CIO issue came up again at a board meeting. Sartor explained that he planned to continue as acting CIO for the next year.
"How's it going?" asked Al Bellstedt, lead director.
Before Sartor could answer, Franchise Division President Thomas G. Quinn offered his opinion.
"It's never worked better," he said.
Michael Ybarra is a contributing writer for SearchCIO-Midmarket.com. Write to him at editor@ciodecisions.com.
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