News
  • April 2009 Abator celebrates its 25th year of continuous operations.
  • February 2009  Joanne visited her alma mater, Chatham University, to speak about Career Planning. Here's the speech and presentation.
  • February 2009   Abator was been selected as one of the "Top 500 Emerging Business in the U.S." by DiversityBusiness.com. Over 650,000 businesses in the United Sates had the opportunity to participate in the 9th annual business survey. The awards are based on annual gross revenue and the business profile the businesses have on file with DiversityBusiness.com. The list is the most comprehensive look at the most important segment of the United States economy -  America's privately held companies.  The is Abator's 8th annual recognition by DiversityBusiness.com and we appreciate it!!
  • December 2008   Abator announces its new services DiversityBusinessVault.com and GetDiversityCertified.com scheduled for launch in Summer 2010. The new services are powered by Lolopop's Business Intelligence tools.  Our goal - to ease minority, women, veteran and other disadvantaged business owners through the diversity certification process.
  • November 2008 While attending a PowerLink Connect the Dots Business Reception Joanne won a door prize (a gift certificate and popcorn) from A Door to Memories.
  • August 2008 Abator enters into a teaming agreement with Better Minds Consulting to enhance customer support.
  • April 2008 Abator reaches 24!
  • March 2008 Apache Foundation renamed its reporting component iBator for iBatis to avoid infringing on Abator's trade/service marks.
  • January 2008 Top Diversity, again!   Abator was named a Top Small U. S. Business by DiversityBusiness.com for the fifth consecutive year.
  • December 2007 While the Abator staff continues to unpack boxes and settle into our new space, we want to take time to wish all customers, consultants and web site visitors a very Merry Christmas (and Happy Chanukah, or whichever holiday greeting appeals) and a very happy, prosperous and potentially peaceful 2008.
  • November 2007 Abator moved during the last moments of the election season. Despite a strong grass roots effort, Joanne lost the Woodland Hills School Board race. She is grateful for all the assistance from friends and new acquaintenances and wishes Ms. Messina well in her continued service to our school disctrict.
  • October 2007 Information Week has an interesting article about the IT resource shortage. Abator announces its move effective 1 November. And, the Woodland Hills School Board race heats up. The Progress reports on Joanne's run.
  • September 2007 Abator announces its intention to increase its supplier base.
  • August 2007 A recent survey indicates that corporate supplier WBE diversity spending -- and advertising those purchases -- may attract more female customers. You can read the results here.
  • August 2007 Allegheny County, home of Abator's corporate offices, was hit by high winds and a tornado. You can read the reports.
  • August 2007 Abator disassociated itself from Albet Enterprises due to what it believes were inappropriate business practices.
  • July 2007 Abator received its WBE certification from the State of Indiana. And, Wayne Mowers, one of our valued friends and most senior associates finally got married. You can see Wayne and his lovely bride Deb here.
  • June 2007 Abator was awarded a contract with the US Navy.
  • May 2007 Joanne stays in local politics - winning her primary run for school board. The final election will be held in November. More information can be found here.
  • April 2007 Abator turned 23 and Joanne made the leap into local politics - running for school board. The first article appeared in the Pittsburgh Tribune Review.
  • February 2007 Abator became a preferred teaming partner with ALBET Enterprises, Inc., a Native American woman owned company, chartered by a federally recognized Tribe. Our teamed status and certifications include: Tribal 8(a); 8(a); Small Disadvantaged Business; Women Owned Business; Native American Women Owned Business and, HubZone.
  • February 2007 The east coast was challenged by an ice storm whose remains took days to melt.
  • December 2006 Top Diversity, again!   Abator was named a Top Small U. S. Business by DiversityBusiness.com for the fourth consecutive year.
  • July 2006 Joanne made the injured reserve list through an inability to walk in the rain.
  • June 2006Teaming to Win 2006 Andrew and Joanne presented Abator capabilities at this annual Small Business Administration event held in West Virginia 5/31 - 6/1. Information about the annual conference can be found on the web here. Abator's presentation is here.
  • May 18th, 2006Thanks Bob, for your note to Andrew ... "Feel free to use any of my comments about Abator and your very professional staff. Throughout my nearly 15 years as an independent consultant I have come in contact with very many "middle man" companies. Some of them I would not be associated with even though the work could have been mine. There were others that were eager to take their cut but provided little in the way of consultant service and support. In my opinion Abator is head and shoulders above ALL the rest. -- Bob Hood
  • May 5th, 2006 Joanne received a Shining Star award for her volunteer activities with the Womens Business  Enterprise National Council. Geri Swift from WBENC's Philadelphia affiliate and Kerry Stith of PNC Financial Services presented the award at the Pittsburgh Renaissance.
  • April 2006 Happy Birthday again ... we're 22 on April Fool's Day.
  • November 2005 Abator receives its WBE certification from Washington State.  And, DiversityBusiness.com selects Abator as one of the Top 500 Women Owned Businesses in the United States again, and the Top 50 in Pennsylvania.
  • October 2005 On the 28th, Joanne spoke about WBE Certification and the educational opportunities for members of the Women Business Enterprise National Council. The event was held at the Engineers Club in Pittsburgh, sponsored by First Energy and WOW Corporation. Geri Swift, President of the Women's Business Development Center/Women's Business Enterprise Council PA/NJ/DE led the panel consisting of: Tabitha Stanislaw, First Energy; Sarita Khatri, WOW Global Corporation;  Carol Phillip, CPI Creative; and Joanne Peterson,  Abator. Joanne's comments can be found here.
  • June 2005 Abator introduces Lolopop© at its first booth at Women In Business 2005: Contacts to Contracts Conference. Delightfully tacky vases of Lolopop's were won by representatives from ConAgra Foods, Eisenman Associates and Halliburton. We thank them, WBENC, the Sponsors, the WBEs and the literally hundreds of attendees who stopped by our booth in Vegas. It was a fantastic conference ... too bad we didn't have any time to play! Check out the photos here.
  • April 2005 Happy Birthday ... we're 21 on April Fool's Day!
  • March 2005 Abator promotes Melissa Sosanko to Project Staffing Manager and Andrew Neilson to AVP, Customer Support.
  • February 2005 DiversityBusiness.com selects Abator as one of the Top 500 Women Owned Businesses in the United States.
  • December 2004 Loyd Kintz wrote to Melissa, "After I realized how much work you have put into my skills matrix, I went to bed ... Your work is more helpful than any I have ever received from other recruiters. My most sincere thanks."
  • October 2004 Abator was again selected as a Top Diversity-Owned Business in Pennsylvania by DiversityBusiness.com ... three years running.
  • September 2004 We received a WBE certificate from Massachusetts' State Office of Minority and Women Business Assistance (SOMWBA), giving Abator a baker's dozen certifications.
  • August 2004 Don Neeley and Wayne Mowers took Abator's show on the road at the National Child Support conference. More information here.
  • July 2004 We received a WBE certificate from Delaware's Department of Administration, giving Abator an even dozen certifications.
  • May 2004 Women-owned Business Certifications ... Abator received two more certifications from New York State  and Maryland's Department of Transportation.
  • April Fool's 2004 Abator celebrates its 20th anniversary as a corporation.
  • March 2004 Abator received notification of its federal General Services Administration Contract Award. Contract details are posted at the GSA's site. Look for FCIS-JB-980001B, Group 70 contract number GS-35F-0388P.
  • January 2004 Abator hosts its fifth Kauffman Entrepreneur Intern this month. Grants for this program are co-funded by the Kauffman Foundation and the host business. Abator, in conjunction with Chatham University, has hosted interns from information technology, economics, English and business disciplines in the last three years.
  • November 2003 Abator was selected as a Top Diversity-Owned Business in Pennsylvania by DiversityBusiness.com. This is Abator's second consecutive award.
  • October 2003 Joanne was honored to attend the first ever Tuck WBENC Excutive Program sponsored by IBM. The classes took place at IBM Palisades, New York in a park-like setting. The staff, led by Len Greenhalgh, put fifty female entrepreneurs through a grueling educational experience. Check out the details here.
  • July 2003 George Gill read about Joanne's DC trip and wrote her on the 30th "I read the article on your website about addressing the 'Paperwork Reduction Act Hearing on the Business Paperwork Burden. I hope that it helps to get the government to change some of the enormous amounts of paperwork required to get anything done.  Good Job!" Thanks, George. It was a real learning experience!
  • April 21, 2003 As a member of USA Today's Small Business Advisory Panel, Joanne was pleased to see her name on the front page. The topic, extraordinary increases in healthcare premiums.
  • April 11, 2003 Congressional Hearing  Joanne was called to testify before the US House of Representatives, which she found to be an up close and personal look at our federal government in action. You can find her testimony here.
  • December 2002 Abator won a "green" Christmas wreath of recycled computer parts (how appropriate). You can find more here.
  • October 2002 DIV2000.com (now known as DiversityBusiness.com)  an organization tracking MWBE performance announced that Abator was selected as a finalist for the Div2000.com Top Business Award in Pennsylvania. 
  • September 2002 Carl Blake was pleased with Melissa's quick response.  Thanks so much for sending it to me. That was  very kind of you. You guys are the best at Abator. Every time I have a question, I get an answer quickly. I hope that I   can work with you very soon.
  • May 2002 Nice to know people pay attention.  Alexandra Bracho emailed Andrew  ... "just wanted to let you know that it was great to read Joanne's viewpoint." (in Computerworld May 13, 2002 article.)
  • February 2002 More than contracting:  Rick Fiutem wrote Joe ...  "It is always a pleasure discussing contracting/engineering trends and opportunities with you.  You are always so positive, but clear on the market conditions."
  • December 1999 Yet another reason Abator's web site remains simple. Don Wallace, a moderator at IT Small Business Discussion Board on Dealing With Brokers wrote: "Most of us working ICs don't pay any attention to them. After the fifteenth massively bloated corporate ego trip presented as HTML, our eyes glaze over. They all seem to say US US US US YOU NEED US US US WE ARE SO FRIGGIN WONDERFUL US US US.' ... I would
    recommend doing anything possible to get away from the Joe Slick image of consulting companies. Technical people like and trust low-key presentations. ;Also, most people like and will gravitate to *content*.  So, consider putting together a list of useful links to web resources and sources of info useful to contractor and technical types; and some personal 'zen' of your organization (keep it non-pompous, but I know you will so that goes w/o saying.)  Here's a web site that exemplifies a lot of what I am saying: abator.com." Thanks, Don. We'll keep on keepin' IT simple.
  • December 1998 Can't get much better than this!   Ismenio Sousa wrote ... "Dear 'Abators' (Joanne, Joe, Bob, Wendy, Lisa, Jeannie, Kevin, Ruth, Marian, Andrew and anyone else I may have missed!) ...I am still amazed with all the tremendous support and help you gave me. You trusted me and this relationship, as I see it, has gone beyond the strictly 'cold business relationship' between a Recruiter and a Consultant. This treatment really makes  the difference."  Thank you, Ismenio.  Like Jimmy Buffett, Abator wants to do business that makes us smile!
  • 1993 Always wanted to be famous. In 1993 ComputerMoney by Alan N. Canton was first published.  In this docu-manual,  Al explores the contract IT industry from the consultant's point of view.  He devoted eight pages to why brokers are  hated, but on page 273, he was kind enough to say  ...  "In the research for this book, I looked at the policies and  contracts of many brokers, some large and some small.  There are many that I would be pleased to work with.  However I came across one that I could endorse as a model that other agents could follow. This is Abator  Information Services, Inc. of Pittsburgh, PA." WOW! Thanks, to Al and the folks at Adams Blake Publishing!