YOU
CAN CALL netNumina's CEO Al, but you may need to add on
the Jr. suffix to distinguish Al Lucchese from his well-known
father Al Lucchese Sr., the Chairman of Westford, MA based
Davox. Running technology companies apparently runs in the
family blood. Al Jr. joined netNumina as CEO in March of
2000 after having co-founded a technology solutions company
in 1992, which he sold in 1998 to Whitman-Hart.
netNumina,
located in West Cambridge at the old Star Market headquarters,
is one of the many local players in the Internet Professional
Services space. A hybrid consulting company and design
firm, netNumina builds web sites, and components of sites,
for large companies.
While
this segment of the industry has suffered some deep setbacks,
with former local star Zefer recently shutting its doors,
netNumina appears to be bucking the trend. The company
expects to generate greater sales in 2001 than 2000, as
its competitors are posting steep year-over-year declines.
netNumina
focuses on the financial services vertical: banking, brokerage
and insurance companies, which Lucchese believes has helped
it weather the storm. "We feel that by making a decision
early on to not be cross-industry [oriented] and not focus
on emerging dot com businesses, we positioned [ourselves]
to be a high-value proposition company," he says.
Lucchese
believes in putting the customer first. Gone are the days
of Internet arrogance where consulting firms thumbed their
noses at potential clients who they thought "didn't
get it."
"No
professional services company is anything without terrific
people that really know how to work as a team, and leverage
one another and respect one another, and truly, truly
respect how to work with a client," Lucchese articulates.
Though
revenue gains are solid, Lucchese is quick to admit that
netNumina has a difficult issue with its real estate.
The company has signed for 60,000 square feet at its current
Cambridge digs, but is only utilizing half of it, and
is looking to sublease.
"I
have a wildcard in the [profitability] scenario,"
Lucchese states. "netNumina, not unlike a lot of
companies, committed to real estate in anticipation of
growth. If we did not have the real estate burden, we
would be close to profitable right now." 
