LiveOps, a leader in the distributed-workforce movement, has been mentioned lately as a possible IPO candidate. If the company does go public, the surrounding media coverage would put telework on the national marquee, and probably kick the homeshoring movement (home-based customer service agents) into high gear as well.
What makes LiveOps a "Poster Company" for telework? Among other factors, it has 20,000+ independent home-based customer-contact agents, supplies a virtual contact-center platform to other companies, and recently launched LiveWork, a marketplace for companies to find on-demand virtual teams of experts.
LiveOps has already brought much-needed "Silicon Valley sizzle" to the telework model. It's venture-capital funded, brought in Maynard Webb as CEO (Webb had been COO at eBay), and has $100M-plus in annual revenues.
Of course, I'd love to see telework and homeshoring get the attention they deserve. Telework is one of the few comprehensive solutions to global warming, as it not only reduces commuting / cars / etc., but cements "local living," as well. (For the "Bible" on the benefits of local living, see Bill McKibben's book, Deep Economy.) The more interesting business question, however, is, What would LiveOps do with its public-company capital? (Stock is wonderful currency, too, especially in a muscular market, which we may have when this recession is over.)
If the IPO goes forward, and assuming it does well (no guarantees, of course, but the company doesn't lack for shrewd guidance), we advocates of telework and greener living will have plenty to report on and, I hope, celebrate, too.