How we began

In 1969, Jo-Ann and Bob Sickinger, after leaving the Manhattan Theatre Club, (he as artistic director, she as rental manager), began a company called

1-800 We Answer messaging services out of the back of their apartment, working around the clock, 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week. Basically, it was an anything-for-a-buck operation called Everything for Living Space. If you needed a plumber, a bike, an apartment, a companion for a long trip, or if you needed your phones answered, one call would get the job done. They were determined to make the business a success through hard work, innovative solutions to their clients' needs and, most importantly, excellent customer service. They spoke to their clients, listened to them, became friends with them, and services developed out of those relationships. 1-800 We Answer messaging services grew and became successful, as did many of their clients.

A few years later, the company became an Call Center, in order to focus on one core business. In 1992, Bob's son, Robert Porter, joined the Call Center and a new vision for the company arose. Finding a tremendous void in high quality health care and business communications, Robert sought to get the word out about the great work his family had been providing to the New York community for over twenty years. About that time, Jo-Ann and Robert partnered, while Bob retired to pursue his dream of becoming a great theater playwright.

Robert realized that the finest product to sell is the solution your clients want to buy. He immediately found that the company was more nurturing and more ethical than many of its mega-merger competitors and watched as these larger organizations began to fold. Robert received offers to buy the businesses of many of his competitors -- people he had forged a mentoring relationship with during the 90's.

Soon, Jo-Ann's finest friend, Judy Last, joined the firm as the controller after successfully owning and operating a large New York travel agency. Robert's sisters, Denise Stabenau and Robin Sickinger, often work in the business on a part-time basis. Denise has been instrumental in the transition of many of the purchased businesses. Many of the employees of 1-800 We Answer messaging services have worked there for over 20 years: office manager, Donald Murk, and operator supervisor, Inez Burgess, to name a few. The IT director, Robert Howe, a COMPtia a+ and Microsoft certified systems engineer, has added great depth to the organization. Jim Zanata, a 20-year veteran of call center service sales, joined the team in 1999 as the sales manager. Peter Azouz, qualified by the ACCA association of chartered certified accountants, joined the company as member of its management team in 2002.

The 1-800 We Answer Call Center network has become a hugely successful nationwide organization that processes millions of calls for thousands of satisfied clients and has grown by 1000% in the last 12 years. Our mission is simple. We want to do whatever it takes to become the greatest communications company on the planet.

Thank you for adding to our continued success by joining our family.