Hernon Manufacturing, FSBDC, Business Consulting

Hernon Manufacturing

imageExporting has been part of the business plan at Hernon Manufacturing, a custom formulator of adhesives, sealants, and precision dispensing and curing systems, since 1999. The company’s president, Harry Arnon, believed there was unrealized potential in international markets, however, and recently decided to refocus company efforts and make exporting a top priority for Hernon’s growth strategy.

To find and effectively enter the right foreign markets, Mr. Arnon turned to the Small Business Development Center at UCF for assistance with an aggressive international growth strategy, and was matched with an opportunity to participate in the Export Marketing Plan Services, which had launched in September 2011, due in large part to the State Trade and Export Promotion (STEP) grant that was awarded to Enterprise Florida, Inc. by the U.S. Small Business Administration.  Enterprise Florida partnered with the SBDC at UCF to offer customized export marketing plans to Florida manufacturers and professional service providers.

 

After meeting with SBDC at UCF’s International Trade Specialist, Nerine Elattar, planning commenced immediately, and soon after the export marketing plan was delivered to Mr. Arnon.  The plan provided the full gamut of necessary information for successful international market entry: a thorough export readiness assessment, an industry analysis, a market analysis with target market recommendations for Hernon’s products, a review of overseas trade opportunities, and an action plan.“FSBDC export marketing plan has been instrumental in the success of Hernon Manufacturing. Small business has neither the budget nor the experience that the Export Marketing Plan and SBDC can offer. For Hernon Manufacturing the export marketing plan laid out the road map translating in best return on investment concentrating where more business potential is available for our products,” commented Mr. Arnon.

Along with the plan, the company was eligible to receive a grant for a single standalone Gold Key with the U.S. Commercial Service.  The company decided to utilize the Gold Key in Italy and also added France, two recommended markets from the plan, and in early 2013 traveled to those countries for one-on-one meetings with pre-screened, qualified buyers.  The company reported $1.37 million in export sales worldwide as a result of the Gold Key Matching Service.  “The Gold Key offered us opportunities that would not otherwise materialize for Hernon Manufacturing Inc.  We would not have participated without the grant.  We met with 2 companies in France and 6 companies in Italy.  The consulates were immensely helpful in selecting suitable companies that match up well with us and with setting up appointments and simple translation services.  Sales in these 2 countries can increase our production staff significantly,” commented Mr. Arnon.  Hernon anticipates total export sales through the next 24 months to be $3.226 million.  Hernon’s products are now found in over 27 countries worldwide and the company has been recognized for its exporting efforts, most recently winning the 2013 SBA Small Business Exporter of the Year Award and the 2012 Exporter of the Year award by ThinkGlobal, Inc.  Mr. Arnon looks forward to continuing to work with the SBDC at UCF to further expand internationally.

For more information on the SBDC at UCF’s Export Marketing Plan Services, visit www.sbdcorlando.com/exportmarketing.

Kings Service Solutions, FSBDC

A Clean Sweep: Kings Service Solutions

In late 2009 Arnaldo and Yanet Herrero of Kings Service Solutions first approached the Small Business Development Center at UCF (SBDC at UCF) Advisory Board Council Program Manager JillKaufman about their interest in becoming a client of the program. Arnaldo had explained, “We want to begin taking the proper steps to become your next success story.”

It took them just three years to achieve this milestone. In that time their janitorial and commercial maintenance company has made a dramatic transformation and experienced extraordinary growth. According to Yanet, “I felt the SBDC at UCF was the right organization to pair up with to set our company’s vision on the right course. I wanted to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the company and have access to experts’ knowledge and ideas to develop our organization.”

imageIn 2010, Kings Service Solutions (KSS) was accepted into the SBDC at UCF’s Advisory Board Council (ABC) program and an advisory board was formed to address the company’s needs. Experts in human resources, accounting, strategic marketing, business development and law comprised their board. “We had the best of the best on our advisory board team,” remarked Yanet.

Kings Service Solutions acted immediately on what they had learned. The board helped them put in place an organizational structure, systems and processes to better manage the company and facilitate their growth. “We learned how to make the organization’s mission and vision come alive and become part of the company culture,” explained Yanet. Among the biggest benefits coming out of the board’s recommendations included improved financial management, HR policies, quality control and risk management. “I started with an idea for what my business could be and by the end of the term in the ABC program it was so much more than I expected,” said Yanet. “The Advisory Board Council program gave me the tools to attain what I wanted for our company.”

Beginning with the simple idea of providing high quality and reliable commercial cleaning and facility maintenance services, KSS has grown to serve industry leading companies throughout the state of Florida such as Trustco Bank, Florida’s Blood Centers, and Lamm and Company Partners. KSS has instituted innovative business processes and the latest janitorial management software to increase their organization’s efficiency and quality control. In fact, KSS was recently chosen to be featured by MSNBC in a television segment on how technology is helping small companies.

When KSS became a client of the Advisory Board Council in early 2010, the firm had a staff of 6 full time and 37 part time employees and leased a 1,700 sq. ft. office. Just three years later KSS has grown to be a company of 87 full time and 162 part time employees. Annual revenue jumped 270% from 2010 to 2012 and the company now owns its 3,500 sq. ft. office and warehouse suite. Importantly, Arnaldo and Yanet also strongly believe in giving back to the community and KSS is a devoted supporter of a number of worthy organizations such as Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Florida.

On the strength of its founders’ determination and the external assistance they were savvy enough to bring in, including from SBDC at UCF’s Advisory Board Council program, Kings Service Solutions is now that “next success story” that they wanted to be. “I would recommend the Advisory Board Council to any entrepreneur that is ready to realize their vision,” remarked Yanet. “The process will transform your business culture and inevitably your business success.”

CEO XChange, SBDC, Consulting, UCF

SBDC at UCF’s CEO XChange Program Connects Executives, Cultivates Leaders, Improves Results

Being a small business owner or leader can have many rewards — professional independence, individual accomplishment, financial success to name a few. But it also has many challenges, including limited opportunities for skill development, a circumstantially-narrowed business perspective and the isolation that comes from being alone at the top — all of which can negatively affect the business results and success of the small business entrepreneur.

Building on a growing body of research that has shown the value that peer group coaching brings to developing the skills and effectiveness of entrepreneur business leaders, in 2010 the Small Business Development Center at the University of Central Florida (SBDC at UCF) launched the CEO XChange program, a monthly executive roundtable serving progressive chief executives and business owners that offers a confidential setting for top executives to discuss vital business issues, opportunities and trends with a group of peers. Designed for those at established, second stage companies, CEO XChange brings together successful entrepreneurs eager to increase their effectiveness as leaders and grow their companies. It offers top executives the opportunity to broaden their perspective and gain new knowledge by engaging in collaborative thinking and problem-solving – giving them the ability to more effective lead their companies.

The monthly CEO XChange meeting is organized and run by L. Harrison ‘Hal’ Thayer, a professional facilitator with extensive business and small business consulting experience. With a BA from Amherst, an MBA from Columbia Business School and facilitation training at General Electric’s Crotonville, NY executive training center, Thayer is a marketing professional who has held corporate positions at Time Warner, GE and Liberty Mutual. More recently, he has worked as a general manager for and consulted to small business. Beyond strong facilitation skills, he has a breadth and depth of business experience and knowledge that enables him to add value in many ways to the CEO XChange conversation and process.

Collective Problem Solving and Knowledge Expansion

The CEO XChange process is straight forward, and is strengthened by its simplicity. A group of CEO XChange’s chief executives come together for a presentation of an issue, challenge or opportunity facing one of their peers. Over the course of the meeting, all of the attendees contribute by brainstorming and problem solving together, all with a goal of solution identification. Over the course of the meeting, and as a result of the diverse points of view around the table, there is an inevitable expansion of member’s knowledge and understanding. Everyone benefits from leveraging the experiences of other CEO XChange members and having a multi-talented sounding board to bounce ideas off of. Freed of their own day-to-day concerns, the leaders avail themselves of the opportunity to think outside their box and engage in an often rewarding creative thought and analysis process.

As one CEO XChange member, the president of a hi-tech, multi-million dollar security firm commented recently about the knowledge gained in the meetings, “The CEO XChange aggregates decades of professional experience into a single, dynamic resource. The safe environment promotes both relationship and rather candid discussion, so the movement from issue to solution is catalyzed dramatically. The healthy group setting is cathartic for peers and, regardless of our respective ability to teach around an issue, we always learn”.

Another CEO XChange member, the president of a multi-million dollar educational services company who has been recognized by the Small Business Administration as the Regional (8-state southern region) Winner of the 2012 Entrepreneurial Success Award, focused on the problem solving assistance he gains from the CEO XChange program when he said, “Many times I’ve been able to share challenges faced by my companies with the CEO XChange, and I’ve always received real world peer feedback from members that has revealed the solutions needed for my companies to grow so quickly.”

Camaraderie and Decision-making Confidence

Beyond the benefits of collaborative problem solving and knowledge expansion, members of the CEO XChange also profit from the camaraderie and mutual support that comes from the relationships and network that evolve over time in the meetings. They learn that they are not alone in the challenges they face. This in turn has contributed to building the executives’ confidence in their decision making and validation of their strategies. As one member, president of training company has said about the CEO XChange, “It’s given me a wider perspective about the issues facing not just me, but the small business community in general. It’s also given me confidence and some new business connections.” Or, as another member, the owner of a product assembly and manufacturing company, has said of the CEO XChange, “When I first started out a few years back I was very apprehensive that the decisions I was making were really going to get our business somewhere. To know that you’re on the right track really is a load off your back”.

Better Business Results

By helping small business owners and leaders solve problems, broaden their perspectives and build confidence in their decision making, the CEO XChange program has helped its members better manage their companies and optimize their business results. For FY 2011, the 16 member companies in the CEO XChange saw their revenues increase by more than $10.5 million, created and/or retained 24 jobs, raised almost $3.4 million in capital and won more than $6.8 million in government contracts. For FY 2012, member companies saw their revenues increase by more than $8.9 million, created and/or retained 1121 jobs, raised almost $4.9 million in capital and won more than $9.7 million in government contracts.

The SBDC at UCF’s CEO XChange program does indeed connect executives, cultivate leaders and help its members improve business results. A further, significant indication of the value its members place in the CEO XChange is the almost 90% of members who renew with the program year-over-year.

The CEO XChange program currently has memberships available and welcomes applications. For information about qualifications for the program and administrative details, please visit our website at www.sbdcorlando.com/CEOXchange. For questions, please feel free to contact Hal Thayer, CEO XChange program manager, at 407.420.4850 or email at hthayer@bus.ucf.edu.

Dignitas Technologies, Advisory Board Council, FSBDC, Business Consulting, Elizabeth Burch

Dignitas Technologies: Technology-Driven Success

With Assistance from SBDC at UCF’s Advisory Board Council,
Woman-Owned Modeling & Simulation Company Recognized Statewide for Outstanding Growth and Leadership

With almost ten years in the Orlando modeling and simulation industry, Dignitas Technologies LLC has established itself as a leader in the development of military training systems.  Dignitas’ efforts are focused in the Live, Virtual, Constructive and Gaming domains across a diverse customer set.  At its essence, Dignitas conducts cutting-edge research and develops innovative technology to build systems to train soldiers before they’re deployed.  These risk-free simulations save government resources and better prepare soldiers to face combat situations through synthetic training environments.

imageAt its start in 2004, Dignitas was founded by Jon Watkins as a single person consultant platform to provide engineering support to the simulation industry.  In July 2009, Elizabeth Burch joined Dignitas as Vice President to run and grow the business.  In 2010, Burch legally purchased 51% of the business, converted it to a Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB), and assumed the role of President and CEO.

Right away, Burch took steps to develop the company and accelerate its growth.  According to Burch, “Our business was in the early stages of development and we needed guidance in the critical areas that support the business infrastructure.”  Burch had heard positive feedback from others that were part of the Small Business Development Center at UCF’s (SBDC at UCF) Advisory Board Council (ABC) program and she sought to utilize this resource to help her better manage and develop her organization.   According to Burch, “Since we did not have the funds to hire consultants or employees to perform these roles, we needed support from an Advisory Board to guide us in the right direction.”

In 2011, Burch met with the SBDC at UCF’s ABC Program Manager Jill Kaufman, who accepted Dignitas Technologies into the program and formed an advisory board to address the company’s needs.  “Some of the key aspects

When Dignitas became a client of the Advisory Board Council in 2011, the firm had a staff of 30 employees and annual revenue of $4.5 million.  By the end of 2012, Dignitas had grown to 35 employees and increased its revenue nearly 42% to $6.4 million.  In honor of her accomplishments at Dignitas Technologies, Elizabeth Burch was named SBA State of Florida Woman Owned Small Business Person of the Year in 2013.    Among the biggest benefits coming out of the board’s recommendations were:  improved financial management, risk management, legal protections, and organizational development.  Burch reflected on the progress her company has made.  “The Advisory Board Council represents knowledgeable business resources that provided us with invaluable experience and guidance for our business. This has greatly helped our business because the Advisory Board was able to help us formalize our goals and assist us in developing plans to achieve those goals.   Their assistance and guidance has helped mature our business and make it more resilient in our tough budget environment.”of what we sought in our board were sound business finance advice for our type of government business and strong legal advice relative to how we executed contracts and established our intellectual property,” remarked Burch. “The board that we worked with provided us with excellent guidance and support.”

“We learned many lessons from our experience with the ABC process,” Burch shared.  “We would highly recommend any small business to work with the Advisory Board Council program. Given the limited budgets available to small businesses, this level of professional and credible assistance can’t be measured.”

Employment Technologies Corporation, Advisory Board Council

Employment Technologies Corporation

Ask almost any business executive: “what’s the toughest part of your job?” Nine out of ten will tell you that it’s finding, hiring and keeping good people. It’s an age old problem that Joseph and Eugenia Sefcik, the co-founders of Employment Technologies Corporation (ETC), saw as an opportunity. With Joe’s background in employee sourcing and human resources, and Eugenia’s hands-on experience building branch banking teams, they had enough business experience to know that offering easy and effective employee testing and development tools would be the solution to a major challenge faced by the business community. They were both passionate about the potential they saw in their solution and about the opportunity it represented for them and for their future customers.

And so off they charged. Joe had watched employee training evolve from live role playing to computer-based automation and onto static video interactivity. And in the back of his mind he knew that he had had a yearning since his childhood to own his own business. Then an opportune change in management at Joe’s employer gave him and Eugenia the opening they had hoped for. In 1988, through a spin-off from Joe’s previous employer, together with four colleagues they launched ETC.

Since then, Employment Technologies Corporation has established itself as a pioneer and world’s #1 developer of employment simulations. ETC’s signature line of EASy Simulations® improves hiring, accelerates employee performance, and inspires success.

Joe and Eugenia have engaged in an ongoing continuous improvement effort to get there. And their products demonstrate the value they have created for their customers. ETC has evolved employment testing into the realm of simulation and, in so doing, has produced a solution that is more robust, accurate and fair than anything that came before. The company’s products, including its signature line of EASy Simulations ®, delivers proven, bottom line results including substantial reductions in interview time, absenteeism and job-related errors, as well as increases in sales referrals and shorter training sessions.

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Over the years, Joe and Eugenia have availed themselves of a variety of resources available to Central Florida entrepreneurs as they worked to grow ETC. One of the important and valuable programs they have participated in to great advantage is the Florida SBDC at UCF’s Advisory Board Council (ABC), an economic development program that operates within the Florida Small Business Development Center at UCF and is funded by Orange County Government. The program is a no-cost professional advisory service for local companies. By acting as a matchmaker between businesses and volunteer advisors, all of whom are professionals in our community, the Advisory Board Council program acts to positively impact Orange County businesses through revenue growth and job creation. Businesses also benefit by improved operations, marketing, financial management, reduced costs, leadership development and succession planning.

In the case of Employment Technologies Corporation, their Advisory Board contributes regularly to their financial management expertise, sales activities and marketing. The Board, which includes SBDC at UCF’s certified business consultant Roger Greenwald and ABC program manager Jill Kaufman along with four additional outside advisors, meets quarterly to assist ETC.

“Our Advisory Board from the SBDC at UCF has been invaluable,” said Joe Sefcik. “Their input, consulting and coaching has helped us make important decisions and chart the direction of the company. Having these objective, external experts put 100% of their focus on our business allows us to better benchmark our performance and guide our thinking. We are grateful for the support we have received from our Advisory Board.”

Another Florida SBDC at UCF program that ETC has taken advantage of is the SBDC’s award winning Small Business Institute® (SBI®) program. SBI® connects local small businesses like ETC to the resources and management expertise of UCF’s College of Business Administration (UCF CBA) and the SBDC at UCF by providing confidential and professional management assistance through consulting projects performed by UCF CBA students. In the case of ETC, the Small Business Institute® team assisted in producing and evaluating valuable market research that helped the company make new product decisions.

Thanks to the Sefcik’s leadership, the dedication and hard work of their team and support from resources like the SBDC at UCF, the results at ETC have been outstanding. Their products have won myriad awards, including being a five-time winner of the prestigious Human Resources Executive, “Top HR Product of the Year” award. More recently, the company received the highly-regarded William C. Schwartz Innovation Award for their innovative practices and exceptional impact on Central Florida. The company has grown to more than XX employees. And revenues have increased steadily, with but a few slowdowns during periods of high unemployment and minimal hiring. In fact, over the past three years they have worked with their SBDC at UCF Advisory Board, ETC has seen revenues increase 40%.

Importantly for Joe and Eugenia and their team at ETC, they have been able to use their success to help their community. They are an active supporter of the University of Central Florida, having donated a psychology laboratory to the school and employed interns and students from the school. Fully one-third of current ETC employees are UCF graduates, many of whom came into the company through this route. Eugenia has taken a leadership role in supporting Kids Across America; in recent years her work has enabled more than 40 inner city children to attend a summer camp designed to encourage, equip and empower urban youth and their mentors through camping and education.

The combination of providing pioneering employment simulation solutions for its customers, being a growing Central Florida business for its employees and staying a meaningful contributor for its community makes Employment Technologies Corporation a success story indeed. The FSBDC at UCF is proud to have made a small contribution to that success.

 

Jacquelyn Daquin, Haitian Quality Services, FSBDC, Business Consulting

Haitian Quality Services

Meeting the needs of your community and building a successful business can sometimes be accomplished simultaneously, especially with assistance from the Florida Small Business Development Center at UCF.

Mr. Jacquelyn Daquin came to the FSBDC at UCF seeking assistance with refinancing the mortgage on his business property.  Mr. Daquin, the owner of Haitian Quality Services, provides a range of fee-based services for residents in the West Orlando community.  Services are provided in French, Creole, and Spanish, and include immigration, bail bond, divorce, document translation, language interpreting, tax preparation, business assistance, college and employment applications etc.

imageThe business began because Mr. Daquin saw a need in the community: residents wanted to better their lives and take advantage of economic opportunities but were struggling with the language barrier and limited education.  Mr. Daquin, who obtained his Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Central Florida and is also a Certified Respiratory Therapist, started offering services in a limited capacity.  The business grew as the company’s reputation soared and his services were sought after.

With this in mind, Mr. Daquin decided to purchase a property to house the business, and use the revenue from the business to renovate and expand the facility.  Unfortunately, before the renovation was completed, he ran out of funds and was forced to accept a very high interest rate mortgage to complete the project.  He paid this mortgage for several years before deciding that, if he could substantially reduce the monthly payments, he could grow the business and possibly hire more people, hence the desire to refinance the mortgage.

Mr. Daquin applied to several banks and was denied. It was then that he was referred to Pauline Davis, a certified business consultant at the FSBDC at UCF.  She reviewed his information and assisted him with preparing a business plan, cash flow projections and accompanying financial documents to complete a revised loan package.  He was once again referred to the bank and was once again denied the loan.

At that juncture, the FSBDC at UCF’s Davis contacted the banker for an explanation of the denial, and was told Mr. Daquin had credit issues.  A further review of his credit records showed that there were errors and unexplained items on the report, and that he had a better credit history than represented by the report.  With that understood, he was referred to the Black Business Investment Fund (BBIF) for their specialized loan program.  The SFBDC and BBIF worked with the client to address his credit issues and business needs, and BBIF finally refinance the property.

Mr. Daquin is so grateful for the assistance and states, “There was no way I could have gotten the loan without Pauline Davis at the FSBDC.  I could not understand why I was being denied; she patiently assisted me with the business plan and through the process.  She is truly a “STAR” and my business and the community will be eternally grateful.”  To show his gratitude Mr. Daquin gave her a plaque on behalf of his business and the community.  He is very optimistic about his future and growing the business.

Cesar Bermudez, Sterling Building Services, FSBDC, Business Consulting

Sterling Building Services, Inc.

The American Dream in Progress

 

Achieving the dream demands, in equal measures: hard work, passion, subject matter expertise, patience and caring leadership; characteristics that accurately describe Cesar and Yazmin Bermudez, founders and co-owners of Sterling Building Services, Inc.

imageFollowing immigration to the United States in 1989 with a professional background in financial management, Cesar earned his stripes as a part time employee of ABM Building Services where he rose from building supervisor to Assistant Branch Manager to Branch Manager of Central Florida. Cesar then joined D&A Building Services as Vice President Operations transforming an emerging company with $2.5 million in sales and 200 employees to a mature entity with sales exceeding $20 million and 1,100 employees.

Motivated by the goal of sustainable financial independence, Cesar and Yazmin leveraged their experience and industry relationships to open Sterling Building Services, Inc. in 2007. The firm provides interior and exterior cleaning and maintenance services to property managers, owners and commercial clients. As a Minority Owned Enterprise the company achieved 8(a) certification in 2008.

The business gained serious traction in 2011 followed by an impressive 34% growth rate in 2012. The company is on track to double in size in 2013 with sales projected to increase 113%.

Cesar and Yazmin have responded to the dynamics of rapid growth with three key management assignments. Andrea Vargas was promoted to General Manager, Janitorial and Window Cleaning Divisions. Industry veteran Jerry Garner was named General Manager of the company’s new Facilities Services Division and Sonny Acevedo was hired as Director of Business Development.

This management structure synergy and the new business development initiatives in all three divisions have created a pipeline that will ensure continuation of dramatic growth in 2014 and beyond.

In Cesar’s words, “We are fortunate to have a growing business, but the challenges that come with growth are sometimes enormous. The advice and counsel we received from the Small Business Development Center at UCF’s Growth Acceleration consultant, Roger Greenwald, has been very helpful enabling us to adjust to growth, keeping our cash flow in check, aligning our management structure with strategic goals and assisting in defining our need for and obtaining working capital.”

Cesar and Yazmin take pride in their journey to achieve the American Dream, not only for themselves and their family, but for their employees as well. Cesar and Yazmin’s dedication to their employees’ success by providing meaningful employment and career opportunities is a central tenet of their business model.

Lesly Miranda, Furry Tails Pet Grooming, FSBDC, Business Consulting

Furry Tails Pet Grooming, LLC

Established in 2008, Furry Tails Pet Grooming, LLC., is successfully owned and operated by Carlos Hernandez and Lesly Miranda. Furry Tails Pet Grooming, located in the heart of Poinciana, Florida, is an independent, full-service grooming salon that caters to all breeds of dogs and cats and emphasizes convenience for the dog owner.0 004Lesly and Carlos started the business after being professionally trained at the Florida Institute of Animal Arts in Winter Park. They complement their business background with a strong retail, customer service experience, and with membership in the National Dog Groomers Association. However, as they reflect back in their journey they confessed “it all started with a deep sense of passion towards animals…dogs in particular! We love animals and thought pet grooming would be an ideal business venture to go into. It was that simple for us…and family support was key.” But how do you turn a passion for animals into a sustainable business? There is not an easy answer especially when their unique story is filled with challenges from raising enough capital for running operations, limited square footage space, and gaining pet owner’s trust.

Earlier this year, they decided assistance was needed to expand their pet grooming business in Osceola County. Fortunately they had heard of the FSBDC at UCF thru a local newspaper. They met with FSBDC at UCF and started to proactively work with the trials of surviving and thriving in a tough economic climate. The FSBDC’s Certified Business Consultant Rafael Pratts assisted and guided them to refocus on marketing; redefine their target market, look for complimentary product/services to offer, invest marketing dollars wisely, and helped identify effective ways to keep in touch with current and past customers. Equally important, he provided insights into how to properly secure additional working capital for our business operations! “The key to their success will likely be in continuing to offer exceptional high quality service, paying attention to the overall retail image and in being proactive business owners,” commented Rafael Pratts of the FSBDC at UCF.

With that said, Furry Tails Pet Grooming expects to reach 20% projected sales growth by end of 2014. They are more excited than ever about their efforts with the assistance of the FSBDC at UCF to increase overall retail space by 300% and at the same time lowering total retail square footage cost by 30% with new services like washing stations, day care services, and boarding. “We are very grateful to the FSBDC at UCF because they are helping with the expansion of the business”, said Lesly. Best of all, they will strive to expand their commitment to the local charities in Poinciana in more than one way like providing prizes, gift certificates, and dog food for a wide range of different non-profits. Together with this, they even help animals find a new home! Furry Tails Pet Grooming, “where belly rubs are always free.”

American Backflow Testing

American Backflow Testing, Inc.

Like many business owners, Gary Gamache, the president and CEO of American Backflow Testing, Inc., was looking for ways to grow his business. He understood that growth costs money and sought out the Florida SBDC at UCF (FSBDC) in Lake County for assistance in securing bank financing. His goal was to obtain a $50,000 line of credit to better manage the cash flow in his business and have funds to expand the business into additional business opportunities.

Gary first came to FSBDC in January 2013 when he attended the Business Plan Writing Made Easy class taught by Stan Austin, a certified business consultant at the FSBDC in Lake County. Shortly after the seminar, Stan started working with Gary to put together the business plan he would need to win approval of his bank loan application.

image (1)Through the summer Stan and Gary revised multiple iterations of his business plan. By early fall, Gary was ready for a final printing. The plan was printed for him in the FSBDC in Lake County’s office and bound with a comb binder. Gary then approached several banks seeking a line of credit for his business. Gary obtained a $50,000 line of credit with a bank in December 2013.

At the same time Gary was preparing his business plan, he began looking for new customers. One of the areas Gary has had business success is with local cities that need backflow testing done on a scheduled basis. Stan introduced Gary to Derek Hudson, a CBA and member of the FSBDC’s Government Contracting unit [formerly its Procurement Technical Assistance Center – (PTAC)]. Gary attended all the Government Contracting classes available to better understand the “ins and outs” of working with government entities. He immediately put to use what he had learned by winning business at another city by “piggy backing” on an already in place municipal contract he had with a city in the same area.

So it was that, once Gary had his credit line in hand, he was in a position to finance servicing new customers and better manage his cash flow. In Gary’s business, managing the payroll can put a strain on cash flow. He must pay his employees for the tests they perform immediately, even though there is a lag in time before Gary is paid by his clients. In addition, if Gary is to capitalize on the growth opportunities his national account clients are offering him, he needed operating capital to set up a larger support organization to manage the additional backflow testing calls. The additional workload also would require him to add personnel in the office to manage the necessary paperwork for billing the clients, paying the subcontractors and recording the information regarding the backflow tests with the correct water authorities in each local municipality.

With the credit line in place, Gary was able to grow his business with a few major accounts and with local municipalities. Gary has transitioned his personnel from using 3 subcontractors in 2013 to adding permanent employees in 2014. He now has two permanent office administrators and three employees conducting backflow tests. In May, he projects hiring one more field employee.

Two of his major accounts are now asking Gary to expand his testing operations to states other than Florida. In addition, now that he has a solid working model for managing major accounts, he is actively pursuing additional major accounts with multiple locations.

Over the past year, Gary and Stan have enjoyed building a professional and personal relationship. Gary counts on him and Derek Hudson personally to help him as he continues to grow his business. He is also relying on Stan to continue to direct him to other resources within Florida SBDC when need be. “The FSBDC in Lake County has been an invaluable resource to me and my business,’ says Gary. “They have mentored and coached me on how to better manage and grow my business. Companies in Lake County are making a mistake not to take advantage of their amazing, no-cost consulting, training and support.”

Sunil Tarneja, Architectural Aluminum Techniques

Architectural Aluminum Techniques

The Great Recession of the last decade took a severe toll on the construction industry in Florida. It forced many construction companies and those that supplied them out of business. It took courage and foresight, and a certain white-knuckle fearlessness, to weather the storm and come out whole on the other side. But for those that did survive, and were able to keep their core intact and maintain their reputation, there has been significant opportunity in recent years.

Architectural Aluminum Techniques (AAT) and its CEO and owner Sunil Tarneja weathered just such a storm and, with the help of his wife and CFO Sujata, key members of his management team and a group of CEOs brought together by the Florida SBDC at UCF in its CEO XChange program, he navigated the company through the Great Recession and on to a record year in 2013 when it recorded a 200% increase in revenues.

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AAT is a sub-contractor to construction companies. It supplies architectural aluminum and steel engineered glazing systems that are often integral to the architectural style of an office building. They also often produce the materials that make up the unique architectural elements that make a building distinctive and memorable, such as the a 10,000 square foot outdoor balcony structure that juts from the Amway Center toward I-4 in Orlando, Florida, the Center’s 20,000 square foot glass entrance atrium facing Church Street or the modern glass and aluminum of the iconic UCF College of Medicine building. Architectural Aluminum Techniques had a hand in the construction of each of those remarkable buildings.

Founded in 1992 when Sunil and Sujata moved to Orlando from Toronto, Canada, AAT was built from a standing start, competitive bid by competitive bid. The company achieved break even in 1996 and enjoyed positive growth and profitability in the following years. They grew to be a multi-million dollar business with upward to 90 employees by 2009.

AAT was a success story indeed. Until the Great Recession hit, that is. Commercial construction tends to lag residential construction and when Sunil saw the dramatic decline in residential building activity in 2009, he knew there was trouble around the corner. Having felt the pain of the 1990 recession in Canada, he was prepared to do what was needed to save his company. In 2010 he slowly began downsizing the company, releasing good people because there was no work. 2011 was no better for AAT and the downsizing continued.

By 2012, Architectural Aluminum Techniques was down to its core team of 20 employees. For many of them, there was no work. Revenues had fallen precipitously to the point where they did not cover payroll. The times were dark and the future looked bleak. Fortunately, Sunil had learned from his experience during the Canadian recession, and had always run AAT very conservatively, making sure that it was financially strong with adequate cash on hand at all times. During 2012 he had to use some of those cash resources to make payroll. And he led an “all hands on deck” sales effort during the down times, having all of his employees calling clients and bidding on almost any deal they found.

It was during these difficult times in mid-2012 that Sunil brought his challenges to the Florida SBDC at UCF’s CEO XChange program. An executive roundtable program serving progressive chief executives and business owners, CEO XChange offers a confidential setting to discuss vital business issues, opportunities and trends with a group of peers and benefit from their experience and counsel. At the CEO XChange meeting, Sunil laid out his issues; he had battened down the hatches, cut overhead, downsized to his core employees but was still bleeding money. His inclination was to hold on for as long as was necessary, but he wanted to hear from his peers about what they thought. An intense discussion ensued. Hard questions were asked. Painful experiences were shared. In the end, the group’s consensus was that Sunil should follow his instincts and experience, hold onto his core people and ride out the storm.

Buoyed by this vote of confidence, Sunil determined to stay the course. He retained his core team and continued to have everyone in the company pursue sales opportunities. Several months later, the construction market turned the corner. The Presidential elections seemed to be a turning point, as suddenly money for construction projects began to pour into the market. Architectural Aluminum Techniques began to win bids. They found that their strong reputation for quality products, the industry’s familiarity with AAT and its people and its financial staying power combined to help the company win business, even though theirs was not always the low bid. As a result, while the company endured a loss for 2012, it experienced a dramatic increase in revenues for 2013 which has turned into one of the company’s best years yet.

While Sunil recognizes that there were many factors that got him and Architectural Aluminum Techniques through the Great Recession, he acknowledges his CEO XChange experience as having made an important contribution. “The CEO XChange was of great value to me when I needed it. The other executives shared their experiences – good and bad, provided clear-eyed analysis of the problem and offered honest feedback and suggestions. They didn’t tell me what I wanted to hear the way an employee might and didn’t bring their self-interest to the problem. My company and I benefited greatly from the input of the CEO XChange members,” Sunil said.