Dallas-based Exa Capital LLC has acquired Spokane-based Maplewood Software Inc. and its spin-off, StaffReady, which is a trade name for NW Software Solutions Inc.

The acquisition was completed on Feb. 2. Nancy Janzen, co-founder of Maplewood Software and StaffReady, declines to disclose the financial terms of the transaction.

Founded in 1996 by John and Nancy Janzen, Maplewood Software specializes in developing cloud-based clinical workforce management, scheduling, and compliance tools for health care systems. Its spin-off company, StaffReady, was founded in 2002 and is focused on selling and delivering all Maplewood-developed solutions for the health care market. Some of StaffReady's clients include Indianapolis-based pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly & Co., Chicago-based health technology company Tempus AI Inc., Canada-based medical diagnostic company Alberta Precision Laboratories., and Sutter Health, a California-based nonprofit health system, among others. 

Both companies were purchased in the agreement, Nancy Janzen says. StaffReady has operated as the public-facing brand for over a decade. Following the acquisition, the two companies will operate as StaffReady under Exa Capital's decentralized model, which allows them to maintain their identities, brands, and operational autonomy.

According to a press release, the StaffReady platform supports hospital ancillary departments such as laboratories, pharmacies, physical therapy, rehabilitation, and support services, as well as standalone bioscience, pharmaceutical, and commercial lab test design corporations.

Most recently, the company launched ScheduleReady, a constant compliance hub for the medical community, Nancy Janzen adds.

The Janzens and their staff of 20 will continue operations at StaffReady's downtown Spokane headquarters, located at 421 W. Main. John Janzen is retaining his title of chief technology officer, while Nancy Janzen's title has shifted from CEO to co-founder.

After 30 years, Nancy Janzen says she and her husband felt they had reached all their goals as a company and look forward to Exa Capital taking StaffReady to the next level.

“We are partnering with a great group of leaders,” Nancy Janzen says. “It’s a great fit.”

Exa Capital is a holding company that acquires enterprise software companies with the intention of keeping them “forever,” focusing on sustainable growth and long-term stewardship over short-term flipping. The permanent hold model aligns with founders’ vision of legacy and the long-term sustainable growth of their businesses, the company says in a press release.

In the release, Mike Knebel, portfolio manager for Exa Capital, describes StaffReady as a platform that sits at the “core of clinical workforce operations.”

“Their deep understanding of compliance, scheduling, and inspection readiness reflects years of thoughtful execution,” Knebel says. “We’re looking forward to working closely with the team to strengthen operations, support product innovation, and help scale the business responsibly over the long term.”

As previously reported by the Journal, Maplewood Software pivoted its focus to scheduling solutions in the early 2000s after the dot-com bust dried up its client base. One of the company’s employees at the time worked at a local restaurant and discussed the scheduling challenges the industry faced. Within a year, the company designed a scheduling software and rolled it out in the Spokane restaurant scene. 

A story in The Spokesman-Review about the launch prompted the assistant director of pharmacy at Sacred Heart Medical Center to call Nancy Janzen and ask if the company could customize the scheduling software to work in pharmacies.

“That’s really where it started,” she told the Journal. “Sacred Heart was an incredible partner in Spokane.”

In the decades since, scheduling within health care systems has remained a complicated hurdle, she says. Continued staff shortages and other challenges have enabled the company to focus on software solutions to meet the needs of health care systems.