Finalist
Energy
When Kemal Farid wrote Merrick Systems Inc.’s first software in 1989, he envisioned a company headed down a path of helping oil and gas companies with their tax management needs. Since then, the company has reinvented itself several times over.
Today, Merrick is a software development and professional services company that caters to the upstream and midstream oil and gas industries’ production operations. Much of the company’s success and change has come from the fact that it serves as an incubator, listens to the oil industry’s needs and runs a lean operation.
As president and CEO of Merrick, Farid has led the company through several transitions, introducing new product development and adapting to marketplace changes. That’s not easy, but Farid has developed relationships with driven entrepreneurs to produce ideas and instilled a customer-oriented culture that allows Merrick to stay close to client needs and market trends.
That closeness to the industry helped Farid realize several years ago that Merrick’s portfolio of products and services was ready to compete for international business. Under his leadership, the software company has found multiple international partners and grown its business globally by 30 percent in the last three years.
But he doesn’t plan to stop there. Farid has developed a vision for high revenue growth in the next five to seven years. The plan calls for organic growth, acquisitions and developing products that may help further advancements in additional energy solutions, including the potential for a “green” division.
While Farid’s vision may lead Merrick to more inventing and reinventing, he is currently focused on enhancing the company’s core products to reach short-term growth goals.
How to reach: Merrick Systems Inc., (800) 842-8389 or www.merricksystems.com
