On a snowy day 16 years ago, Convergint Technologies was formed by Dan Moceri and Greg Lernihan in a basement. Sixteen years later, Convergint has grown into the second largest independent integrator in the world. In particular, the last year and a half have been historic for Convergint, with 11 acquisitions in 18 months. SDM Associate Editor Tim Scally spoke with Dan Moceri, Convergint’s Co-founder and Executive Chairman, about the company’s growth strategy and what has driven Convergint’s continued acquisitions. 

“We started Convergint 16 years ago with nothing, so we built from scratch; this year we’ll be upwards of $750 million.”

~ Dan Moceri, Convergint Co-founder and Executive Chairman

“SDM: What do you look for in a potential acquisition, and what services or offerings has Convergint added with these acquisitions?

Moceri: There are three things that we really look for with regard to acquisitions; first of all, when we start an acquisition, we look at a company that is culturally similar to ours. We grew from a geographic perspective so we can do local service because our whole model has been based on service.

The second thing that we always look for is leadership. Today and for the last few years we hire one or two people somewhere in the world every day. We grow as much internal leadership as we can, but with that type of growth it still becomes a challenge to get the leadership that we need, so we always look for leadership with these acquisitions as well. We actually won’t acquire a company unless the leadership plans to stick around.”