The History of CQuest
For this, we point you to the “About Us” page of our current web site, which we are in the process of revising.  But the page will give you a good idea of how CQuest America came to be, and where we focused our work in the past.

The History of Starling
Established in 1982, Starling Systems earned their reputation as a leading provider of information technology services specializing in the design, development, and implementation of information systems, transferable systems, and other support services.

Starling Systems developed a leading WIC application that is in operation in Kansas, New Hampshire, Washington State, the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, and Puerto Rico, and provides application maintenance and operational support to its current customers.  Starling also developed web systems for many public health programs in multiple states including AIDS, drug abuse, tobacco prevention, and diabetes prevention.

Why the acquisition?
CQuest, like all companies, has a desire to succeed and grow.  In order to map out our path to success, we went through the process of developing a formal strategic growth plan.  This plan identified a primary focus of partnering with an existing entity that could provide CQuest with a web-based transfer system for WIC.  This goal was based on the premise that while CQuest offers complete WIC solutions, our real strength and expertise has been in WIC operations. 

Based upon the criteria outlined in our growth plan, CQuest approached Starling Systems.  After working closely with Starling, CQuest recognized the value of both their products and their staff, and the ‘marriage’ of the two seemed natural.  Both organizations bring complementary strengths to the table, and the integration of the two will be beneficial to the customers and employees of both companies.

What does this mean for current CQuest and Starling customers?
In the near future, customers can expect the same staff to continue providing the same excellent level of support.  We are taking the first few months to really get to know each other, to understand everything from corporate culture to operational procedures.  During this time, we will be evaluating how we can incorporate the best practices each company has to offer, then extend that to all our customers.

In the near distant future, we will integrate our infrastructure, including our help desk call tracking tool, phone system, and other support mechanisms.  As a result, the look of reports you receive may be different, hopefully we can offer new reports you will find useful. Finally, titles and contact information for Starling staff will also change. 

In the future, we will be focusing on integrating the Starling staff into the CQuest organizational structure to achieve efficiencies.  For example, providing help desk support to WIC programs in multiple time zones will be more easily scheduled. Furthermore, all customers will benefit from a broader and deeper pool of resources and knowledge.  Shared services, such as documentation and testing, may also benefit from the integrated staff. CQuest will certainly involve our customers as we consider integration strategies to best serve all their needs.

What does this mean for the WIC community?
Following this strategic addition, CQuest becomes one of the largest WIC development, management and operations companies in the country, offering a complete WIC system solution and experienced operational support.  

What next?
Good question!  New name?  New logo?  Perhaps.  But our commitment to superior service to our customers will not change, nor will our mission or our commitment to providing comprehensive WIC IT solutions. 

We are facing the future with much optimism and enthusiasm, taking strides to not rush into changes or decisions. We will be meticulous with our analysis so that we can truly achieve the powerful synergy we know is possible!

For more information about CQuest, Starling, or the acquisition, please contact Stephanie Sapetti, Vice President of Marketing and Communication, at (217) 541-7415 or via e-mail at busdev@cquest.us.