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Data Dimensions plans to add 120 jobs

JANESVILLE — A growing Janesville business that specializes in document conversion and management has landed a government contract that will require 120 new employees.

In as little as 30 days, Data Dimensions will start processing and automating medical records for the Veterans' Administration in a contract that will add significantly to the company's bottom line.

The majority of new employees would be production workers who under government requirements will be paid between $12.50 and $15.50 per hour, said Data Dimensions Chairman Mark Bush.

Some of the new jobs will be administrative, he said.

Founded in 1982, Data Dimensions is a second-generation, privately held company. It serves a variety of industries with digital conversion; data capture, imaging and indexing; electronic and physical storage and retrieval; medical records retrieval; transcription; and digital voice recording and retrieval.

It is considered an industry leader in business process automation, a strategy that businesses use to replace or supplement manual efforts to lower their costs.

The VA has come under criticism for a growing backlog of claims created by mountains of paper records that adjusters must wade through to make decisions and payments.

The return of Iraq and Afghanistan soldiers and the department's decision to make it much easier for Vietnam-era vets to demonstrate that they were disabled by Agent Orange is adding to the mountains of paperwork.

Thus the move to the private sector and the digitization and automation offered by companies such as Data Dimensions.

Bush said the Data Dimensions' selection is a reflection of the company's credibility and capability.

"We are proud to have been selected to be a part of a solution that will add efficiency in the manner in which the Department of Veteran Affairs provides health care and benefit services to our veterans," he said. "This is one of the most important and rewarding projects in our 30-year history.

"Our entire team is honored to provide these automation services to the military and their families for the continuous sacrifices they make protecting the liberties we all enjoy, and keeping us safe."

Data Dimensions has been on a growth spurt in recent years. The contract is expected to move its local worker numbers from 350 to 470.

The company's Janesville operation now includes its corporate offices, a records management center, a new processing facility and a Tier III data center that opened in 2010.

"I believe that the proven and dedicated workforce in our community, as well as our state-of-the-art processing facilities played a large role in this latest win," Bush said. "We look forward to continuing to build on our latest success."

Jon Boumstein, the company's president and chief executive officer, said technology and security are playing a growing role in the demands of the federal government.

"This new award continues to build on our reputation as a world-class BPA (business process automation) provider," he said. "We are excited at the economic impact this will have, as we are committed to supporting the communities where we currently operate.

"We have many exciting things in the pipeline and are very excited about future growth."

The most recent growth helps Bush and his wife, Kathy, get closer to a prediction made in 2009, when the company started construction on its new facility on Midland Court.

At the time, Bush predicted the new building would reach capacity and employ up to 250 people in five years.

Recent growth has put the Janesville couple within about 30 positions of accomplishing that goal two years earlier than anticipated.

"Having been a part of this great community for the past 26 years, it is a good feeling knowing that we are contributing to job creation and making a positive impact in Rock County," Kathy Bush said.