CRI History  Formed in 1988 by two former HP employees, CRI initially grew rapidly. As technology became more of a necessity for business to excel, CRI recognized that modern businesses needed information systems that did far more than keep client lists or track inventory.  Clients needed and expected their systems to improve productivity and lower costs. Current President and CEO, Gary Brookshier, acquired CRI Advantage in 1995. Usage of the internet grew exponentially during this time, followed by the “Dot.com” boom of the late 1990s. Accordingly, CRI’s revenues and employment base blossomed. In 2000, CRI had grown to 130 employees and was named by Forbes as the second-fastest growing Boise firm in its May 29, 2000 edition.  CRI positioned itself as a company with diverse services, expertise in complex technology, and a philosophy of treating employees well. CRI assisted companies with keeping their IT shops smoothly operating so they could focus on core business operations and higher profits. Technology giant Hewlett Packard hired CRI to keep expert consultants at their Boise site to manage many disparate IT systems including e-mail, security, databases, applications, and websites.  CRI picked up these "managed services" contracts as a core business, and HP became a key client. CRI also diversified into different markets, including the education market. Through previous engagements with school districts, state education agencies, and higher education customers, CRI developed expertise in critical business applications such as student information systems, curriculum management and assessment systems as well as insight into the data analysis needs of education stakeholders. The result was the development of a spin-off software company, Academic Accelerator, LLC (AAc). AAc markets software which responds to educational reform in the United States driven by the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). One of the keys to education reform is the use of technology and tools that enable more effective data-driven decision-making.   Academic Accelerator has since been bought by School Innovations and Advocacy (SI&A) of Sacramento, CA.  While CRI has had a significant history of support to both large and small business, today the company has moved more heavily into the government arena, focusing highly on government technology support.  Significant new contracts with the State of Idaho, the State of Montana, and the US Department of Energy at the Idaho National Laboratory have resulted in many engagements related to security, programming, infrastructure, and enterprise architecture.   The future looks bright for CRI, having just opened a new office in Idaho Falls to support the Department of Energy, as well as supporting the State of Idaho as the only Idaho-based IT consulting firm on the master service contract.