OmniSystems, a Vienna, Virginia, based information technology firm, has taken an unconventional route to success: paradise. “We’re winning work in places that, for most people, epitomize vacation,” said Web designer David Poole, who has made two trips recently to St. Thomas. “It’s just beautiful. A lot of guys only get to see cement and asphalt—or worse—on business trips. I got a balcony with a palm tree and an ocean view. You’ve seen that ad with the guy sitting on the beach with his laptop? That was me.”

The unusual focus on the Caribbean was the brainstorm of native sons Ian Tomlinson and Reggie Vigilant, OmniSystems’ President and Vice President. “Reggie and I grew up together on St. Croix,” said Tomlinson. “We came to Virginia shortly after graduating from college. After building OmniSystems and hiring all this Northern Virginia computer talent, it seemed only natural that we would want to take some of it back home.”

“It’s a win-win for both our clients and our employees,” said Vigilant. “Our clients get the advantages of talent developed in the birth place of the Internet, and the employees get an exotic trip.” He adds, with a hearty Caribbean laugh, “And you wouldn’t believe our employee retention since we started sending them down there.”

“We love it down there,” said Joe Farrington, Omni’s network engineering manager. “The people are so laid back. It’s a nice change from the pace of Washington. Some of our employees are from there, so a business trip for them is really a trip home.”

Since beginning the Virgin Islands push a couple of years ago, OmniSystems has made significant inroads into the business environment there. “The first thing we did was to establish an office there,” said Tomlinson. “That’s on St. Croix. Since then we’ve done work for the Water and Power Authority, the Economic Development Authority, the Police Department, the Office of Highway Safety, and a memorial website for the former governor.” Work has also included the Finance Department, Department of Education, Internal Revenue, Casino Commission, and Law Enforcement Planning Commission.

So what does the future hold now that OmniSystems is established in the Virgin Islands? “We have plans,” said Tomlinson. “There are a lot of islands out there.”