Description
Sykes Enterprises is an American multinational business process outsourcing provider headquartered in Tampa, Florida. The company provides business process outsourcing (BPO) services, IT consulting, and IT-enabled services, such as technical support and customer service.
History
Sykes was founded in 1977 by John H. Sykes in Charlotte, North Carolina to provide engineering and design services to large corporations. Companies such as IBM, AT&T, and Texas Instruments were among Sykes' first clients. By 1990, the company had 1,000 employees, 20 offices, and $55 million in annual revenue.
In 1992, the company moved into the customer service business by purchasing Jones Technologies, a call center company based in Sterling, Colorado.
In 1993, Sykes relocated its corporate headquarters from Charlotte to Tampa, Florida.
Sykes became a publicly traded company in 1996. The company was listed on NASDAQ under the stock symbol SYKE.
David Grimes, a former AT&T executive, was named president of Sykes in 1998.[6] John Sykes remained CEO and chairman. In 2000, Grimes became president and CEO. However, after 3 months, Grimes resigned and Sykes returned as president and CEO.
Charles Sykes, John Sykes' son, became president and CEO of the company in 2004. Charles had been with the company 17 years prior to assuming his father's position.
