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Rightlinx moves office, cuts costs to battle downturn

By Brian Carroll -- Furniture Today, November 4, 2001

HIGH POINT — Software provider Rightlinx has cut overhead and moved to smaller facilities here in order to outlast the economic downturn and emerge a survivor in the punishing tech sector.

Last week, the company gave up its 4,500-square-foot office next to J. Basul Noble's Restaurant on Main Street for a 1,200-square-foot office a few blocks away. Staff cuts included Tom Lowenthal, who as vice president of sales led Rightlinx's sales effort after moving from Norwalk this year, and Todd Erickson, who first developed the Knowit sales automation software.

"We're going through some belt-tightening," said Bill Millis, a majority owner and financial backer of the company. "We've got the staff to support (Knowit) and the programmers to enhance it. We had excess staff, and had we continued to hold on to all of that, we would have put it at risk."

Despite the cuts and consolidation, Rightlinx is forging ahead with the next generation of Knowit, which is expected out in first quarter next year. That is also when Millis expects Rightlinx to become profitable.

"We're trying to cut expenses to coincide with revenues," Millis said. "Quite frankly, there is not a lot of room for technology companies in this industry."

Rightlinx also is working on projects with the American Furniture Manufacturers Assn. and a few major retailers, Millis said. And "six or eight" major manufacturers are giving Rightlinx's suite of Internet-enabled software applications a hard look. The software modules include those for e-commerce management, import logistics, order management and order fulfillment.

Heading up the sales effort is Paul Risen, who joined the company as chief operating officer in May.

Millis said Rightlinx also is interested in establishing strategic alliances with other technology companies in order to package compatible solutions.

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