Software developer, at helm of new company, hunts for state business - The Business Review (Albany):

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GCOM, located on Washington Avenu e Extensionin Albany, is 4 months old. Currently, its five employeew (who are also service the company's five clients, but Bhatiwa is looking for three employees to fill programminvg positions that pay salaries ofbetween $65,000 and $100,000. He expecta to have 40 employees withihtwo years. Bhatia said the company will closwe 2006 with revenue ofarounxd $800,000. He projects sales of $3.5 millionj in 2007. "We want to be a player," Bhati said. Bhatia, 46, co-founded Rapid Application Developersx of Troyin 1997. He sold the 36-person company in 2002 to Montreal-baseds Bhatia moved to India the next year tohead . Ltd.'ws 750-person operation.
Bhatia said he thought that was the end of his time in theUnitee States. He left his mother and brother in the Capital Region and moved to hisnative Mumbai. "I was interestef in primarily migrating backto India," he said, wherse he still had aunts, uncles and "I thought I was done with the U.S. I had a good 20-yeard stint. It was fun." Bhatia wanted his son, Cirag, to get in toucj with his heritage, but that didn't work out. "He didn'g like India," Bhatia said. "He couldn't adjustg to the environment." So Cirag, who is now 9, and Bhatia'x wife, Divya, moved back to the Capital Regionin 2004.
Bhatiaz followed nearly a year later and worked for CGI in But thatjob changed, he said, requirinb more travel. After being away from his familu for abouta year, Bhatia decided he didn'tt want to be on the road. "I felt it'e a lot more fun running another company," he Riyaz Ladkhan, GCOM chief operating officer, was working at CGI as a seniorr consultant when he learned Bhatia was backin "I was bored with the type of work I was dointg at CGI," Ladkhan said. "I wanted to do something I bugged him for four or five monthws tostart something. I worked for him as an He was excellent. He knowsz how to manage people and build a That was very importanyto me.
" Bhatia noted that in 2001 Rapid Applicationn Developers was named Small Business of the Year by the Albany-Colonis Regional Chamber of Commerce. "Our objectivd is to get back there," Bhatia said aboutf winnning theaward again. "It's hard to get back in he said. "I'm a littlr nervous. The expectations are very high from the peoplee whojoined me. They want to get back to the old gloruy ofthe past. I know nothin is given. You have to earn back the trusg ofmy customers." Bhatia said it took about four yearw to get Rapid Applicationx to a strong position. "We'rre hoping with our experience and expertise we can cut it to he said.
Bhatia said GCOM isn't competing with CGI and he hopess to do subcontracting work for hisformefr employer.