| For the past 10 years, Gig Harbor has been home to a software development company that has carved a niche in the entertainment and retail industries. Splyce, located off State Route 16 and soon to move downtown, is known nationally and internationally for its family of programs that carries the same name. The software, widely used by cinemas, theaters and concessionaires, includes features that allow businesses to manage their consumer databases and offer purchase rewards programs, schedule employees, manage bookings and payments, sell tickets from multiple locations as well as online, manage seating, track inventory, and more.
The company, originally started in California, changed its name last year from EIMS Inc. to match the name of its product. It employs 18 people in Gig Harbor, where everything from software development to technical support is done.
“The software is very user-friendly,” said Chief Operating Officer Christine Von Ditter, who taught herself how to use the box office component 30 minutes before a trade show.
The company was founded by Michael Von Ditter, who brought Kevin Kendrick on board. Von Ditter started out with the focus on government projects and later discovered that cinemas had a unique challenge that required certain software products, so eventually the company changed its focus. The success of the company, according to Christine Von Ditter, is based on their clients’ successes.
“We view clients as partners,” she said. “The support is the same whether you have one site or 50 — you’ll get one of the technicians on the phone 24 hours a day.”
That kind of responsive customer service is one of the reasons the company’s growth is gradual. “We never want to grow so fast that we lose how we want to treat people,” she said. “We’re very methodical in how we grow... Yes, it would be great to have a huge explosion but you don’t want to outgrow your capabilities.”
One of the company’s goals is to expand into new industries, such as museums and coffee shops. And, while it already has hundreds of clients across the country and some abroad, Splyce is looking at making itself better known to its neighbors, and getting more involved in the local community. The new Gig Harbor Galaxy Cinema will use Splyce software when it opens; the South Kitsap Helpline’s Vintage To Vogue thrift store, which now has consignment merchants, will also use Splyce in the revamped store.
Von Ditter, who has a degree in nonprofit management and is on the board of the SK Helpline, said in the process of talking to nonprofits, they have discovered that small, community theaters could use Splyce for things like online ticket sales but couldn’t afford the software. So the company developed a technology grant. Port Orchard’s Western Washington Center for Arts was one of the recipients, and Splyce is actively spreading the word about the grant to other nonprofits.
“The heart of the company is Michael’s desire to give back, and now the opportunity is here,” she said. “We’d like to partner locally, and be more involved in the community.”. |
