Probing the exec race resumes

The North Side was full of good vibes yesterday, except for county drink tax opponents politicking against Rich Fitzgerald. Opponents carried signs like that above and had taped anti-Fitzgerald posters to light poles.

The Sunday front page had this story from Bill Toland on the business experience both executive candidates bring to the table. First on Fitzgerald, who is the sole full time employee of his water treatment consulting company:

Last year, Aquanef did between $1 million and $2 million in sales, Mr. Fitzgerald said, and he has about 700 clients, from industrial clients to hotels to cafeteria vendors to Pittsburgh International Airport. Some of the maintenance work is outsourced to contractors, but some of it Mr. Fitzgerald handles himself.

A few weeks ago, said friend and business colleague Al Belejchak, president of Chemway Inc., Mr. Fitzgerald could be found standing on top of a newly installed charcoal filtration system at the airport, a system designed to provide potable water to the control tower.

And on tech company owner D. Raja:

His company, he says, specializes in adding functionality to software suites, writing business-to-business software and Web interface portals. CEI does that by using its in-house recruiters to farm out work to other IT workers or contractors, based on the client's specific technical requirements. CEI then manages the project with in-house support, accountants and finance team members.

For example, when pharmaceutical giant Mylan Inc. needed a variety of technicians for specific systems applications jobs -- such as a program that would route Mylan employees' 401(k) deductions from the paycheck to the investor -- it contacted CEI to provide employees with software-writing expertise. In this case, the expertise cost Mylan anywhere from $75 to $160 per hour, per consultant, of which CEI keeps a share.