2014 February PASO Magazine

By Millie Drum
Once the employees of IQMS learned that they
could sign the letter nominating their employers
and owners of the company, Randy and Nancy
Flamm, for the Chamber of Commerce Roblan
of the Year, the line from the lobby’s front desk
went out the door! With the recent announcement,
the Flamms were overwhelmed with the
honor especially since it came from the extraordinary
support from their employees. Randy says,
“We were very humbled by the announcement. It’s
amazing. We’ve been very blessed with the huge
success of our company and our people. We’re in a
very large industry. We’re big for around here, but
comparatively, we are very small. We love what we
do and we have literally hundreds of people trying
to purchase IQMS every year. We want to see how
big we can become and part of that is giving back.
We’re very profitable which makes it easy to give
back to the community.
“Our main focus is education and giving our local
kids the ability to be productive in their lives. Nancy
and I believe that what our country needs for the future
starts with the kids. That’s why we are so happy
to support the youth in FFA, 4-H and Skills USA.
We love to hire them as they come off the farm or
ranch because they understand the work ethic.”
IQMS began like many other large high-tech
companies. “Nancy and I met in the Bay Area
while working for the same company in the late
70s when micro computers were just coming out.
We built the software to make our jobs easier in the
manufacturing realm.
“In 1978, I belonged to the Homebrew Computer
Club where Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak
got their start. Obviously, they did quite a bit better
than I did! Back then, I was using micro computers
to monitor industrial equipment.”
While working for General Electric, a conversation
over dinner with clients who were dealing with
similar problems in their manufacturing company
prompted the eventual creation of IQMS. Randy
recalls telling them, “I wrote the software that was
so great that we’d take long lunches while the software
did the work! They said, “Why don’t you write
that software for us? I was very happy at GE and
politely declined, but they kept after me. I agreed
ooh-la-la!
valentine’s day is friday, february 14
to write software for
them, but sell it too.
Nancy and I began
that project parttime
in August 1988
while we were still working. The word got around so
we quit our jobs in 1989, got a second mortgage on
the house and started IQMS in our living room.
“We struggled for a while but quickly figured
out that we could live anywhere. Nancy didn’t care
for the Los Angeles area and didn’t want to move
back to the Bay Area, so we picked somewhere in
between.” In the early 80s, a business trip brought
Randy to Paso. He adds, “We had breakfast at Vic’s
Café and I said ‘This is a wonderful place! We were
in suits and ties!’ Larry Eastwood is a great guy! We
settled here in 1993 and bought a small ranch near
Lake Nacimiento. Our first office was off Vendels
Circle with only a handful of us. Now we have 120
employees here, so we’ve grown up in Paso.
“Since 2009 we’ve enjoyed a high growth rate;
in fact we’ve over doubled in size.” IQMS provides
Enterprise Resource Planning or ERP for manufacturing
companies with software for every function
from quality control, inventory, time clocks,
scheduling, payroll and general ledger. Flamm
adds, “Our main clientele is automotive parts and
medical device companies. The majority of our customers
are in the United States. We have offices
in China, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Canada,
Mexico City, the Chicago area and expanding to
the Charlotte, North Carolina area.”
Randy and Nancy enjoy their success and personal
endeavors with such a genuine spirit and a wonderful
sense of humor! To further support FFA and
4-H, the Flamms participate in the Mid-State Fair
livestock auction and invite their employees to bring
their coolers to work and load up their freezers with
Sweep her off her
feet this
Valentine’s Day!
805-239-3032
Von’s Shopping Center
1191 Creston Rd.
www.countryfloristandgift.com
fresh meat. Randy smiles and
says, “It stimulates freezer sales
too! We also allow the employees
who don’t have an agricultural
background to feed our
bulls!” Since the Flamms also
run a cattle operation with
their ranches near the lake and
Cambria, the bulls spend their
off time on acreage adjacent to
IQMS. The employees enjoy an outdoor break in the
pasture and the bulls appreciate the special attention...especially
a carrot now and then! Randy adds,
“The cow and calf operation has been my hobby for
the last 20 years. Nancy’s latest hobby is the Cambria
Pub and Steakhouse. She’s doing very well.” Naturally,
Nancy uses all IQMS software for the back end
operation of the restaurant.
When the call for service arises, the employees
of IQMS also eagerly pitch in with volunteer
hours or donations to local charities and nonprofit
organizations to include AYSO, North
County Women’s Shelter, Food Bank of SLO,
Woods Humane Society, United Way and Toys
for Tots. Fundraising events for walkers, runners
and cyclists are popular; fostering the IQMS
team spirit. Several employees serve on the
Board of Directors of Skills USA and Softec.
Marketing Director Daniele Fresca proposed the
Adopt-a-Park program to Randy. She adds, “Of
course, Randy said ‘Go Big or Go Home! Let’s do
the Downtown City Park!’ With between 5 to 15
employee volunteers every other week, we pick up
trash and report any repairs.” Randy adds, “We get
paid back too. It’s such a feel good thing.”
Through their kindness and generosity, Randy
and Nancy Flamm are setting the example for our
youth, the IQMS employees and the community
at large by embracing a very simple, yet profound
belief. In Randy’s own words, “Instead of what can
I take; it should be what can I give?”
Thank you, Randy and Nancy for such a remarkable
commitment to our community!
ODYSSEY World Café
Friday Night Specials
Prepared by Chef Carmelo
February 7th
Seafood Paella
February 21st
Beef Stroganoff
February 14th
Valentine’s Day
NY Steak & Prawns,
Shrimp Scampi, or NY Steak
February 28th • Shepherd’s Pie
Check our WebCam for Daily Soups and Specials
www.odysseyworldcafe.com
Open Everyday - All Day From 11am Until 8:30pm Until 9 on Friday & Saturday
1214 Pine Street Paso Robles 237-7516
16 Paso Robles Magazine, February 2014