Our Story
In 1994, Fry began with a very simple premise: figure out what clients need and provide it. We quickly discovered that what they needed didn’t really exist yet. eCommerce sites. Branding sites. B2B portals. And Intranets. So we built them. Long before anybody really knew what to call them.
Technology and trends never got in the way of our mission. Nor did sleep.
In the next few years, Fry added staff, clients, and capabilities. We built a groundbreaking branding site for Ragú, a franchisee intranet for Domino’s Pizza, and eCommerce sites for 1-800-FLOWERS, Godiva, Eddie Bauer, and others. In 1996, company revenues topped $4 million.
That was only the prelude.
Over the next three years, Fry spun off from its parent company, Fry Communications, and opened offices in Chicago and New York. Revenues doubled, doubled again, then doubled a third time. New clients included Spiegel, Crate and Barrel, Discover Card, Coach, Nestlé, OnStar, Hickory Farms, and the New York Mercantile Exchange. Fry was named one of the country’s Top 30 interactive agencies, Top 20 Web developers, and Top 20 eCommerce Integrators.
Then the market changed.
Fry survived the tumult for one reason: good business sense. The company had grown organically and independently, without extending or encumbering itself. Also, we did not chase dot-com dollars. Instead, Fry aligned with established, viable businesses that were successful offline before venturing online. Considered an eCommerce pioneer, we have kept pace with change - in the industry, the economy, the technology. In 2006, we opened a new office in San Francisco and in March of 2007, we acquired Pinnacle Rock Associates (PRA). Now a division of Fry, PRA’s strategic consulting expertise helps our customers optimize their direct retail channels.
In August of 2008, Fry was acquired by MICROS Systems, a leading provider of information technology solutions for the hospitality and retail industries. MICROS and Fry together will provide a complete set of strategic offerings to provide services and technology to help clients optimize their online channel as part of a rich multi-channel operation. This partnership will also increase Fry’s visibility in the international market, allowing Fry to accelerate growth internationally and into other vertical markets.
For 15 years we have delivered solutions, systems, and insights that provide bottom-line value to our clients.
That’s why most of our long-time clients are still with us and we continue to sign new ones. In recent years, we’ve added such major new partners as Ann Taylor, Whirlpool, Meijer, Express, and The Swiss Colony. In 2009 , online operations built and managed by Fry will generate more than $2 billion for our roster of clients.
We can’t wait to see what’s going to happen next.