LLamasoft expands staff by 50 in downtown Ann Arbor

The co-founders of LLamasoft built the logistics company to scale, and that's just what the downtown Ann Arbor-based company is doing these days. The 10-year-old firm has really hit its stride in the last year, hiring 50 people thanks to 80 percent growth in its revenue. The company now employs 110 people and plans to bring to bring on two new interns this summer. Toby Brzoznowksi, executive vice president and co-founder of LLamasoft, says a lot of big customers have flocked to LLamasoft over the last year thanks its "technical superiority." Often those companies are looking for logistics software and expertise that allows the react and respond fast to both problems and opportunities, a valuable tool in an industry that has become accustomed to change in recent years. "The more things change, the better for us," Brzoznowski says. Brzoznowski and his partner, Don Hicks, built LLamasoft through sweat equity and their own revenue for its first decade. Last year they started to explore options to fuel its rapid growth, such as venture capital investment. What they discovered is that there are a plethora of opportunities to find capital through strategic partnerships. Brzoznowski expects LLamasoft to announce a significant strategic partnership or two with its multi-national corporation customers next month. "Those companies are going to get access and a seat at the table with us," Brzoznowski says. Source: Toby Brzoznowksi, executive vice president and co-founder of LLamasoft Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.