Jun 16, 2000 12:21 PM ET
By James Heckman, dbusiness.com

HIGHLAND PARK, Ill., June 16 (dbusiness.com) -- SurePayroll held its official launch today. For the past two months, the company has been beta testing its online payroll system.

The company has created considerable buzz, in part because Scott Wald, the sole founder of the highly successful ASAP Software Express, is SurePayroll's chief executive officer.

"Everything about what we do is geared to small business so everything is simple," Michael Alter, vice president of business development and marketing, told dbusiness.com. "When you think about payroll for a small business versus a large one, payroll is usually not done by someone whose job is working in the payroll system all the time. That person, typically the owner, wants to spend as little time on payroll as possible."

The company claims that its online system can cut a company's payroll costs in half. Customers pay $24.95 per pay period for the service, plus 99 cents for each employee. When clients signs up for the SurePayroll system, they send all their relevant payroll information, such as pay rates and social security numbers to SurePayroll. A few days before each pay period, SurePayroll sends an e-mail to the company asking for any changes to that week's payroll.

The company makes any changes online, such as an employee's unpaid leave or pay raise, and submits them. SurePayroll completes the payroll through direct deposit, and sends an e-mail to each employee with a link to view the online pay stub.

The savings mainly come from printing and delivery costs. Traditionally, even employees who receive direct deposit receive a printed pay stub that must be sent to the company in time for payroll. SurePayroll also has patent pending technology that allows employers to print checks locally, generally in the owner's office, for those employees not comfortable with direct deposit.

Last month the company appointed to its board Chicago business leaders Michael Krasny, founder and chief executive officer of CDW Computers; George Garrick, formerly chairman and CEO of the Internet advertising company, Flycast Communications Corp.; Steve Kaplan, faculty director of the University of Chicago's Graduate School of Business Entrepreneurial Program; and Howard Draft, founder and CEO of the marketing company, Draft Worldwide.

The company was founded in December last year, and currently employs 17 people.

James Heckman is a staff writer for dbusiness.com.

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