Managing Just Fine
Knowledge Services Closes in on 30 Years as a Successful Hoosier Business
Writer / Renee Larr
Photographer / Amy Payne
When Julie Bielawski co-founded her company, Knowledge Services, in 1994 with her husband, Joe Bielawski, she couldnt have known that 28 years later it would be the largest woman-owned business in Indiana. Knowledge Services started as a computer training facility, but quickly pivoted when Bielawski recognized the need for temporary information-technology staffing. Today, Knowledge Services is a technology and professional-services firm, focusing on government entities and serving their needs in the contingent labor and cybersecurity markets.
The business is located in a building near 96th Street and Interstate 69 previously used as a Marsh headquarters. Bielawski purchased the building in March of 2020, before the pandemic-related shutdowns. The building had long since been vacant and needed more than just a minor renovation.
The building itself was beautifully built, but it needed a lot of work, Bielawski says. It needed more than cosmetic changes. We were fortunate because people were available to do the work. It took about nine or 10 months, and we brought everyone back.
Bielawski says shes happy to see the building restored to its full glory. Knowledge Services employs around 2,200 people, with the number constantly fluctuating. Its vital to Bielawski that her employees have a positive work-life balance. While theyre back to being in the office, employees are allowed to work from home one or two days per week.
Its so much fun for me to see our employees back in the building, Bielawski says. Its great to see them being productive here again in their professions and other peoples lives. Im a Fishers resident, so I love seeing great things happening in this area.
Company culture is a hot topic now, in a competitive job market. Bielawski believes company culture starts with hiring the right people. She says its an enormous undertaking once you realize youre not only responsible for your own familys well-being, but also for others.
I think sometimes company culture is misinterpreted as having a swing set inside or a ping-pong table, and we do have a ping-pong table, but I think its more about how people are treated, Bielawski says. Its about providing opportunities for people to promote themselves and therefore contribute to the organization in a meaningful way.
She says she has a fantastic team of hard-working people at Knowledge Services who want to make a difference. She says theyre very particular about who they hire. The Indianapolis Star has included Knowledge Services in its Central Indiana Top Workplaces list for five consecutive years.
Its important to us to hire people who are kind, want to make a difference and have a strong work ethic, Bielawski says. I think thats been a key component to our success.
Knowledge Services is located at 9800 Crosspoint Boulevard in Indianapolis. For more information, call 317-578-1700 or visit knowledgeservices.com.
