By Mark Ginocchio, Staff Writer
March 6, 2008

The Lloyd Group is still so new to Stamford, its West Park Place office hasn't even received all of its furniture yet.

But that doesn't mean the information technology support and services firm is not trying to make an immediate impression on its new home.

"Stamford represents a tremendous opportunity for us," said Adam Eiseman, chief executive officer of the firm, which was started in New York City in 1995. "We need to be a part of the community and by doing that, we add value to our own business."

The Lloyd Group targets small and midsized businesses to function as their chief technology officer - offering around-the-clock network monitoring, virus protection management and other information technology services that small firms in the financial services, legal and real estate sectors may not be able to afford to have on-site.

Soon after setting up its six-person satellite office in Stamford in November, the firm joined the Stamford Chamber of Commerce and next Thursday plans to hold its first business roundtable in lower Fairfield County in Greenwich, Eiseman said.

"After 131Ú2 years, it's our first real heavy-duty financial commitment outside of New York City," Eiseman said.

Lloyd's roundtables have gone on informally at its New York City offices for years, Eiseman said.

The group had been meeting with clients to discuss IT and financial service industry concerns for some time before launching a more formal roundtable series about a year ago, Eiseman said.

Roundtable topics have included the vitality of the commercial real estate market featuring a speaker from Coldwell Banker Real Estate market, and the volatility of the hedge fund market with a manager from a fund of funds, Eiseman said.

The goal of these roundtables is to "foster the communication" between participating companies and Lloyd Group, Eiseman said.

"They're useful because you get to go and meet with peers in the industry and learn about the industry," said Andrew White, former roundtable participant and a partner at 717 Partners, a principle investment firm based in New York City.

One of the roundtables White attended was on the compliance and the use of technology in the financial services industry, looking at issues such as e-mail retention for hedge fund and money managers.

"I met some people that I wouldn't hesitate to reach out and call," White said.

As a new member of the Stamford business community, the Lloyd Group is making all the right moves to enhance its visibility, said Jack Condlin, president and chief executive officer of the Stamford Chamber of Commerce.

"They're trying to get into the business community and understand the business community," Condlin said. Roundtables "are definitely a way for new businesses to better understand what's going on."

With clients in other parts of the country, such as New Jersey and Pennsylvania, Eiseman said the firm's primary focus is still to expand its presence in Stamford first and look elsewhere later.

"Once we feel that Stamford office is as sufficient as New York, we'll look towards New Jersey and the Pennsylvania-Philadelphia area," Eiseman said. "But we're not looking for (Stamford) to be an overnight success."