Prominent Business Leaders 2021 profiles

American Battery Solutions, An Endeavour by Subhash Dhar to Deliver Advanced Battery Solutions

Founded in 2019, led by an experienced business leader with about four decades of accumulated wisdom, Subhash Dhar, American Battery Solutions is engaged in developing, designing, and manufacturing complete Li-Ion battery systems for the electrification of vehicles and industrial equipment including stationary storage applications.

Since its inception, Mr Dhar has been spearheading the firm as the Chairman & CEO. Under his thoughtful and innovative leadership, the firm has emerged as a prominent leader in manufacturing advanced battery systems. Earlier, he was the Founder, Chairman & CEO of Energy Power Systems from January 2011 to April 2017 and CEO of XALT Energy, a leading manufacturer of Li-Ion batteries from January 2014 to April 2017.

Previously, Mr Dhar served as the Chairman & CEO of Envia Systems, a Bay Area company engaged in developing advanced Li-Ion battery technology. Prior to that, he was the founding President of ECD-Ovonic Battery Company during 1982 through 2003, where he developed and commercialized Nickel Metal hydride
battery which today’s hybrid electric vehicles on a global basis & which became the backbone of the Prius hybrid cars in the late ’90s. He set up business alliances and manufacturing operations in Japan, China, Europe, and the US. He also served as the President of Ovonic Fuel Cell Company where he developed a novel regenerative low-cost fuel cell.

Mr Dhar has also served as Vice-Chairman of EnerDel and President of its parent Ener1 Inc; CEO of Eletra Hybrid Bus; a company based in Brazil. He also served as the CEO of PlasmaDrive, a company engaged in the development of novel combustion technology.

He has also been involved in many aspects of alternative and advanced technology including hydrogen generation, hydrogen storage, and Fuel Cells. Subhash Dhar is a co-inventor of over 40 US patents and has
co-authored more than 45 technical papers and delivered dozens of invited keynote addresses at numerous global energy and automotive conferences. He also served as a member of the Board of Directors of Curtis Instruments for 15 years.

He has a master’s in engineering management and Chemical Engineering from the University of Detroit and Institute of Technology, India.

A GLIMPSE OF AMERICAN BATTERY SOLUTIONS

As a leading industrial and commercial electric vehicle battery manufacturer in the USA, ABS produces high-quality lithium-ion batteries with automotive quality DNA and with the power of experience.

Their customers are part of the electrification industry primarily in the industrial, commercial, and other related markets including bus and commercial vehicle manufacturers. The team at ABS has collectively, helped launch some of the industry’s most well-known programs with OEM’s like General Motors, Fiat
Chrysler, BMW, Daimler-Mercedes, and others. Their mission is to create a cleaner future by leading the
transition from fossil fuel based propulsion to electric power trains as well as grid connected energy storage
systems.

“Building a team from scratch was one of the biggest challenges. We continue to build a world-class team; people are the most critical and valuable assets that we have as a company” shared Subash Dhar while talking about the hurdles of early days.

storage solutions provider. Mr Dhar is working every day with ABS’s highly skilled and talented team members. He looks forward to continuing to build a culture of camaraderie and balancing good work/life for everyone in the company.

FROM THE CEO’S DESK

The Inspiration behind the Initiation
Mr Dhar apprised, “I have always been interested in clean energy, electrification of vehicles and have worked in clean-tech since 1981. My philosophy is to leave this world in better condition than we inherited it from our predecessors which can be achieved through science, technology, and human partnerships.”

The “Secret Sauce”

Having the conviction in making the world a better place and working with an extremely talented group of people and staying focused on the mission to improve the quality of life through science and technology.

Suggestions to Create a More Balanced and Equal Industry
Define your mission and goals and identify critical paths to achieve them. Develop and nurture teams and provide them with the necessary tools, guidance, and encouragement to help them achieve those goals. Also, being a good listener is important.

FAVOURITE BOOK

Churchill Walking with Destiny biography by Andrew Roberts. Churchill inspires with his leadership qualities and how he manages through tough and adverse challenges. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson about science, culture, and how the modern-day science world has evolved.

FEATHERS IN THE CAP

30 most influential companies of the year – CIO Bulletin 2020
Top 10 EV solutions providers – Autotech Outlook
The World’s Fastest-Growing Companies in 2021 – American Registry
Several recognitions by industry trade organizations and academic institutions.
Inventor of over 45 US Patents
Authored over 45 technical papers

WORDS OF WISDOM

Don’t take no for an answer, fight every step of the way, treat everyone fairly and encourage team building, education, equality, and fairness. There have been many successful women leaders, and there is a need to continue to cultivate and support that growth.

Stuart Noland: Offering Knowledge-Driven Innovative Finance Solutions with Nolands Capital

Stuart Noland, a specialist financial professional and an alumnus of Oxford University are the Founder and CEO of Nolands Capital a full-service Deal Advisory, Transactional Services, and Advisory firm.

A Charted Accountant with over 10 years of experience, Stuart Noland has earned expertise in various areas of finance and business. Over the years, he has contributed to different fields of Business Management, Finance, Audit, and Consulting.

He has worked at KPMG, an audit & advisory firm, and Bain & Co, the management consulting company. Stuart became a Chartered Accountant CA(SA) in 2014; he completed a Finance Master’s Degree at the University of Cape Town in 2015 and did MBA at the University of Oxford the next year.

MORE ABOUT THE COMPANY & SERVICE PORTFOLIO

As a corporate finance house, Nolands Capital specialises in helping clients and their business achieve their goals across short, medium, and long-term horizons. There are 3 areas of specialisation:

Mergers & Acquisitions
Transaction Services
Management Consulting

On both buy and sell-side transactions, clients are fully supported, end-to-end. They provide auxiliary services such as business valuations, financial modelling/forecasting, and due diligence.

In addition, they also provide related consulting services around post-merger integration, business reorganisation/optimisation, and incentives development.

Because of its excellent services and expert team, Nolands Capital has been honoured with the Acquisition International Leading Corporate Finance & Management Consultant of the Year 2021.

THE INSPIRATION BEHIND THE INITIATION

Stuart always wanted to work in an industry that was dynamic and ever-changing and that provided a good variety of projects and opportunities across a broad range of industries and geographies. An occupation that was exciting, challenging, and fast-paced.

The finance industry allows him to work closely with clients, learning more about their business, and thinking out the box to come up with innovative solutions to address challenges. Each day looks and feels slightly different from the previous one, regardless of how many years you have under your belt.

According to him, a finance career also equips you with the ability to transition into many different roles over time either operational/financial/ or strategic. It provides flexibility and helps you develop very transferable and monetizable skills. It also allows you to travel the world and work in many different locations.

CRAFTING LOYAL BUSINESS RELATIONSHIPS

The clientele includes medium to large SMEs situated in and around sub-Saharan Africa, predominantly South Africa. The Nolands slogan has always been around Relationships and Solutions. They develop close relationships with clients and get to know them on a personal level in order to better understand their priorities, needs, and objectives. They also let the quality of our work speak for itself in developing innovative, and fit-for-purpose solutions that are designed with the future in mind.

“We offer holistic solutions to our clients, that not only accommodate our skill sets, but also the skills and expertise of the entire broader Nolands firm across all three key service pillars: Audit, Advisory, and Law. We don’t work FOR or AT our clients, but rather work closely WITH them in a mutual partnership to develop and execute solutions. Our existing clients consistently ask us: “where can you help us”, rather than “I need help with this” and that is a critical distinction” says Stuart.

GETTING OVER THE ENTREPRENEURIAL HUMPS

The business was started in March 2019, and it was hit by COVID and lockdowns barely a year after launch. This unprecedented disruption encouraged, or even demanded, a high degree of agility and responsiveness in the way it operates.

“We were determined that the challenges presented by the pandemic could not be seen in any way by the team as some sort of reigning in of our ambition. Instead, the systems we put in place have become an in-built strength that has improved efficiencies as well as the speed of decision making, response, and delivery. Ultimately, we are a business that was specifically designed to operate in a pandemic, rather than one that adjusted to it”, said Stuart while talking about the major challenges he has had to face.

“As a relatively young division offering a completely different skill set to the rest of the Nolands Firm, our primary challenge was threefold:
• Educate both the existing firm personnel and potential clients as to the types of services and value we can offer our clients
• Convince new clients to trust a relatively new outfit with a mandate of such a personal nature regarding the acquisition/disposal of their life’s work (their business).
• Lastly, we had to find the right mix of individuals with the same cultures, values, mindset, and ability to build a high performing and cohesive team in order to service the ever-increasing workload from clients”, he further added.

THE “SECRET SAUCE”

Stuart Noland got to where he is today by focusing on his goals, putting in the hard yards, and not taking any shortcuts along the way. He spent a long time (over 10 years) focusing on his tertiary studies and building a
solid foundation from which to build a career. He initially took jobs that would provide him with the best exposure and learning opportunities, rather than the best short-term remuneration. Stuart worked in a
number of cities around the world in order to gain exposure to different cultures and ways of working. Besides, he was fortunate enough to have a family that gave him great guidance in terms of thinking of how to structure and build a career from an early age.

NOLANDS CAPITAL, THEN AND NOW

The firm has consistently outperformed expectations during the first 3 years of operations thanks to the incredible effort from the team and support from the loyal clients.

“We are looking forward to continuing to identify and work with fantastic clients and form long-term relationships that facilitate mutual success and enable us to grow alongside the clients we currently serve. We are very excited to continue to grow the team, both nationally in SA and abroad, and continue to advance our capabilities in key areas that are of importance to our clients. We are planning to provide the infrastructure and auxiliary services to assist the overall Nolands firm to grow in other areas of business by delivering holistic solutions to our clients across all key service pillars: Audit, Advisory & Law”, says Stuart.

Words of Wisdom

There are no shortcuts to success. Start with the end in mind and be willing to put in the hard yards to build the right foundation for long-term future success.

Dr Wolf Vierich & The Vitala Group : Delivering Tailor Made Finance Solution

The journey for the Vitala Group of Companies started in 1983 as the brainchild of Dr. Wolfgang Vierich, the Founder & Group Chairman. He is equipped with years of experience from his successful career since the year 1967. In his German air force military career in the USA he passed out as the highest ranked “Foreign Outgoing Officer” of any US Military Academy, USA.

He was legal and economic advisor to six Heads of State, and he led economic nationalization programmes in Tanzania, Iran, Jordan, and Qatar during the 1970s – 1980s. He was also Regional General Manager of the UK Inchcape Group’s Middle East operations, and Holiday Inn International Hotels’ Director of Projects Europe, Middle East, and Africa.

A graduate from two West German Hotel Management Schools, his educational curriculum was complemented at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, and the University of Austin, Texas, majoring in International Trade Law and Contract Law, obtaining his JD and Ph.D., followed by studies in International Project Management at the European Centre of Management in Brussels, and in Executive Management at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. Afterwards, he obtained an MBA from the University of Munich, Germany.

Dr. Vierich also lectures, speaks, and has published worldwide on subjects covering Law, Management and global tourism industry trends, and project finance. He has worked and consulted on numerous Government programmes and campaigns in Japan and the USA. He was chosen by President Reagan as the Chair of the Commission on the American Outdoors. He was also Chair of the State of Florida Crime Prevention Program and, as a result, he was appointed as a Distinguished Visitor of the City of Miami.

For his global achievements in the international tourism industry, he was Knighted by the German Government in 2010.

He has been honoured as “CEO of the Year 2021” by CEO Today Magazine, and his Vitala Group of Companies was appointed as the “Most Outstanding Leisure & Tourism Group 2021 UK”

He is a:

FELLOW

IH Institute of Hospitality
IM Institute of Management
CIM Chartered Institute of Marketing
TS Tourism Society, UK

VISITING FELLOW:

Bournemouth University, UK, (1990-96)

MEMBER:

WWA World Waterpark Association
RoSPA Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (1988-2004)
IAAPA International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions
MCB Editorial Board, Contemporary Journal of Hospitality Management, MCB University Press
JWA Honorary Member, Japan Waterpark Association
ALAPA Founder & Honorary Member, Asociación Latino Americana de Parques Acuáticos
LATAG Latin American Trade Advisory Group, (1992-1998)
TEA Themed Entertainment Association, USA
ULI International Council, Urban Land Institute, USA
IALEI International Association for the Leisure & Entertainment Industry, USA
Editorial Board, Aquatics International, USA,
World Safety Council, USA, (1993-95)
Russian Association of Joint Ventures, International Consortia & Organisations, (1986-90)
ALES Associate Member, Association of Leisure & Equipment Suppliers, UK
IRETO Board of Experts

KNIGHTHOOD: Knight of Gastronomy, Germany
LIFE MEMBER: WLRA World Leisure & Recreation Association
CHAIRMAN: World Waterpark Association International Advisory Board (1988-2000)
GUARDIAN: Hospitality Action Benevolent Association, UK
COUNCIL MEMBER: The Gerson Lehrman Group

ADVISOR:

International Advisor, Asociación Latino Americana de Parques Acuáticos (ALAPA) 1982
UK Department of Trade & Industry “Opportunity Japan” Campaign, (1990- 1994)
AIIS, American International Immigration Services
International Advisor, Russian Association of Amusement Parks & Attractions, (RAAPA)

COMMISSION CHAIRMAN

US President Reagan’s Commission to Report on the American Outdoors (1986-87)
Florida State Government’s Tourist Crime Prevention Program, (1992-1995)

The VITALA Group of Companies

The VITALA Group of Companies is now operating in its 38th year and has been active in over 153 countries since its inception.
The Group is best known as global Project Finance providers, developers, managers, and consultants to the leisure, tourism, and themed entertainment industry. It provides additional related services for many other industries.
They also specialise in global project financing and the formation of financing syndicates covering start-up and ongoing projects, the provision of Private Placement Memorandum and related documentation for project verification, as well as Merger and Acquisition services.
The Group’s commercial activities cover investment, consultancy, and management services for all types of industries worldwide.

INTERNATIONAL PROJECT FINANCE SERVICES OFFERED:

Equity / debt funding
Project start-ups
Partnerships
Project loans
Project Management
Investigation
Private placement memorandum
Feasibility study assignments
Loan syndication
Operational audits
Project acquisitions
Project mergers
Project buy-outs/ buy-ins

There are no up-front fees or any other hidden fees for Project Financing. The company only charges a success fee.

“Since 1983, The Vitala Group has been raising project finance. We receive numerous applications for all types of project financing and, as we do not act as finance brokers, we recommend the most appropriate source for a project’s evaluation. Project financing is based on the merits and risk aspects of the project rather than on security and corporate considerations. With global development projects completed in over 153 countries since 1983, we specialise in financing projects from inception right through to operation. This includes project finance, acquisitions, mergers, buy-outs, and joint ventures”, Dr Vierich further shared.

Favourite Book : “The Long Walk to Freedom” by Nelson Mandela.

Challenges on the Way & Plans for Reaching the Next Milestones

The demand for international project finance over US$ 10.0 million per project was steady in 2020 and the Covid-19 pandemic had no measurable effect on that. Dr Wolf Vierich commenced real estate project finance in the Republic of Korea, Kazakhstan, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, and Mongolia. All the 10
global offices functioned throughout the Covid-19 crisis, because of the vast number of ongoing international
projects we deal with. There have been project delays caused by the various restrictions and quarantine measures imposed globally. This has affected mainly operators but not developers since, in most cases, project development requires some years to complete.

“The provision of competent and ethical management is as important to us as our responsibility to achieve
financial profit targets for our shareholders and investors. We must operate profitably to meet our ongoing obligations to employees and sponsors alike. To hire, train and motivate the best employees available in the market; to promote them first before engaging outside personnel; to treat staff respectfully and award them fairly and develop our personnel to act as good citizens of the community – remains our constant mission. Preferably to deal with projects which will positively impact communities, with real measurable results. We
seek to advance those who endeavour to contribute to our business and society, regardless of their background, origin, religion, race, political beliefs, or aspirations. To provide excellence and to succeed through satisfied customers and clients is to meet our highest goal”, said Dr Vierich while talking about his
future plans.

Christiana Kouppi : Unleashing Unparalleled Legal Expertise in the Law Industry with Vrikis & Kouppi LLC

An experienced high calibre seasoned lawyer, an eternal optimist, and a cheerful persona, Christiana Kouppi joined Vrikis & Kouppi LLC in 2017. She has over 10 years of experience in top-tier firms in both Australia and Cyprus, acting for a wide range of clients over the years and working with entrepreneurs helping them set up and manage successful businesses, and offering elite guidance in Corporate Finance, Intellectual Property, Property Acquisition, Restructuring to name a few.

Christiana ventured out on her legal educational journey at La Trobe in Melbourne Australia and after 5 fantastic years, she combined her two passions and graduated with a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of
Business, majoring in Finance and Management. She then continued and became a Member of the Society of
Estate and Trust Practitioners and qualified with the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission. Whilst still in Australia, Christiana always enjoyed an active role with the Victorian Women Lawyers Association and contributed articles for their in-house magazine Portia.

“I suppose that growing up and working in Australia and Cyprus has given me a fondness for the outdoors and the beach and I am a firm believer in maintaining a healthy work-life balance while also giving back to the community one is part of and enjoys. Giving back to others is an ethic that I hold dear and have always sought to apply throughout my life and legal career, endeavouring to pass this on to newcomers to our profession, and to encourage them to also do the same”, Christiana further apprised.

STANDING OUT FROM THE CLUTTER

Established in 2015, Vrikis & Kouppi LLC (‘the Firm’) today provides legal services to people from Cyprus and across the world. They have two offices, one in Limassol and one in Nicosia and with over 30 years of collective experience, they offer the sharpest legal minds providing confident and incisive legal advice with a real desire to change the legal landscape in Cyprus. Their priority is to provide the highest possible standard of legal service and to maintain the best quality at every point of client and service provider interaction.

The Firm practices in all fields of Cyprus law, with a strong focus in the areas of:
Company and Commercial Law
Family and Trust Law, Taxation Law
Banking and Finance
Immigration
Mergers and Acquisitions
Litigation
Property Law & Tenancy Matters
Administrative Law
Secretarial services and company incorporations
Employment law

“We are happy to assist on any matter and we always make ourselves available to our clients to offer them support and advice where needed. We serve some of the world’s preeminent corporations with a full bureau law service and we are recognised for our industry focus in key sectors” Christiana shared while talking about her clients.

“We are committed to demonstrating support to our clients and we understand this intuitively, many firms would tend to believe that focusing on the practice areas seems to make sense, however ultimately, you are offering a service to a client and behind that service is a person. Maintaining personal relationships with our clients is key to us understanding their needs. This personal development is imperative to us and yields the best results possible”, she further added.

OVERCOMING CHALLENGES AS A LEADER

Christiana Kouppi and the Firm share the same challenges as the majority of companies. The present times are in constant flux and the world is in constant change, obviously, COVID has affected everyone to some degree and the evolving needs of the clients keeps Vrikis & Kouppi LLC on their toes, but the team delight in this and have always prided themselves in their ability to respond to change in an instant.

The trends that the VK team has recognised recently however have centred around the need for faster turnaround times in all deliverables and more challenging working structures, and seeing this early on they have been at the forefront of developments that are effectively allowing them to stay ahead to meet the demands of a more complex, faster changing, inter-connected world.

A DAY IN CHRISTIANA KOUPPI’S LIFE

Christiana shared, “Every morning before I get out of bed, I map out a plan of my day in my head. In the office, I have a coffee meeting with the teams to discuss their plan and priorities for the day and then begin. After work, my favourite part of my evening is hitting a Zumba class. With a day job that is so much dependent on articulation, I find a great release from dancing, I truly believe it is the language for the soul when a person can just completely switch off the left side brain and engage one’s more creative artistic right side, with also the added benefit of being able to squeeze in a workout! As I spend most of my week on the phone or in meetings or in front of a computer, my personal time is spent away from all that, weekends are for the outdoors, preferably with a nice glass of wine and enjoying anything that doesn’t need a plug!”

FUTURE ROADMAP

Vrikis & Kouppi LLC has a determined vision of becoming the leading indigenous law firm in Cyprus by conducting its business in a way that is consistent with their values, where they have something of value to offer, and where their endeavour can make a difference.

Here, people are at the core of what they do and they are committed to recruiting, developing, and retaining the most talented professionals, while at the same time offering continued legal education, defending equality, and encouraging enterprise focused activities that will allow them to make a positive difference in the local communities in which they operate.

AWARDS AND MILESTONES

Vrikis & Kouppi LLC has been honoured with many awards, like:

Corporate Tax Law Firm of the year in Cyprus 2017 – Corporate International
2018 Leading Commercial Law adviser of the Year, Cyprus – Acquisition International
2018 Corporate & Commercial Law Firm of the Year in Cyprus – Acquisition International
Recommended Law Firm 2019 – Corporate Tax Law Firm of the Year in Cyprus – Global Law Experts
Recommended Attorney 2019 George Vrikis – Global Law Experts
Global Excellence Award for Christiana Kouppi – Most Influential Women in Business Transactions Law 2019 – by Acquisition International
Listed on Legal500

A PIECE OF ADVICE FOR FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS

“Feto Forte – Nasaun Forte” “Strong Women, Strong Nation”. When women find a voice and assume leadership roles in the community, the entire community, and by extension the nation, benefits”. Christiana shared.

It is certainly challenging for female entrepreneurs to follow their dreams and aspirations and put their dreams onto an action plan as they are faced with so many difficulties however I am a firm believer that if you always work with honesty and passion, whilst having the common sense and aspiration to move forward, you will surely excel.

Matthew Kolinski : Entrepreneur and Strategic Partner, Helping Entrepreneurs in Staffing and Recruiting via Comprehensive Solutions for Back-office Management

After running a traditional staffing and recruiting firm for 4 years, Matthew Kolinski realized that there is an operational advantage of large staffing firms compared to start-up staffing firms and he wanted to level the
playing field. He took his experience of running the back-office operations for his own firm and used it as the foundational stone of USA Staffing Services in the year 2010 as a Back Office Partner for entrepreneurs in the staffing and recruiting space. Since its inception, the firm has been helping entrepreneurs with the back-office operation of their staffing firms and allows them to focus on nurturing customer relationships and increasing sales to drive revenue. Matthew Reports that “I wanted to level the playing field for my friends who were offering better recruiting services by giving them the same services of a “corporate” back office but at a reasonable price”.

The man behind this brand, Matthew Kolinski an entrepreneur, physician, and thought leader. He started his first business at the age of 16 and throughout the last 20 years has had most of his impact in the Human Capital Management arena. Specifically, he has been in Staffing and Recruiting for over 15 years and he has invested in HR technology platforms to improve employee satisfaction within certain industries.

Mr Kolinski recently released his book in May 2020 called “Work-Passion-Live Balance: Finding Fulfilment Through Zones of Efficiency” because he wanted to take his experience of improving his life satisfaction and share it with the world.

“I have wanted to write about my experiences for several years because I want to bring hope and enlightenment to those who are going through struggles. Life satisfaction is more than a feeling, it is a method of approaching life that brings more happiness and satisfaction. The philosophy that I created called Work-Passion-Life Balance is an approach to utilizing relationships in your life to maximize your own life. The most important relationship is the relationship with yourself which I focus on throughout the book”, Matthew further shared.

As part of Matthew’s passion of being an entrepreneur himself, he is actively involved as the President of the Local Tampa chapter of the global organization called Entrepreneur’s Organization which has 16,000 members worldwide.

About the Company & Service Portfolio

USA Staffing Services, LLC created the Authorized Dealer Program which is a back-office platform other staffing firms. It is an operational partner that runs the back-office operations that focuses on staffing firms who are doing less than $5MM in payroll per year. The owners of the staffing firms are typically entrepreneurs who are growing the business and need operational assistance to grow. They provide the payroll processing, workers compensation, payroll funding, AR management, and all responsibilities regarding compliance for payroll taxes.

Clientele

For USA Staffing Services, the main clientele includes those entrepreneurs who are starting up recruiting and staffing firms. Typically, the operational workforce overhead associated with starting up a staffing firm is significant and costs more than the profit they make, however with the Authorized Dealer Program via USA Staffing, it becomes reasonable for staffing firms to grow quickly to $5MM in payroll before needing to bring on a team of operational support. At the level of about $5MM in payroll, it is reasonable to add internal staff to continue the growth or they can stick with the company’s service as they continue to grow.

From the CEO’s Desk

“Our challenges with growth have been similar to other businesses in the industry including brand management and meeting client needs. For all staffing firms, Cash flow and Workers Compensation are the two vital components for sustainability and it is challenging for new businesses to develop stable solutions early in their business. Volume in terms of increased payroll processing and invoicing solves both of these issues and now that we are larger, we take measures to ensure our Authorized Dealer Partners have the same leverage we have when it comes to pricing and solutions”, said Matthew while talking about the challenges he suffered in the early days of business.

“I have been an entrepreneur and businessman from an early age, but it wasn’t until 2015 that I identified myself as an entrepreneur. This help came from members of the Entrepreneurs Organization that I met while I attended the INC 500 conference in 2015. When I was a child, my parents pushed me to be better in terms of grades, athletics, and focus on achieving goals and I am thankful for their impact on my work ethic”, he shared when asked about the inspiration behind his entrepreneurial journey.

Suggestion for Companies to Create a more Balanced and Equal Industry

Matthew recommends that all staffing firms take these two pieces of advice:

Pick an industry to specialize in and diversify your clients (not diversify your speciality)
Obtain 50% of your take-home revenue from Direct Hire Placements (Perm recruiting) and 50% from Temporary Staffing Placements.

Daily Routine

“I wake up typically around 6:45 am because my daughter wakes up. I have 2 kids (1 and 3 years old). I spend the first hour of the day with my family and I enjoy playing and cooking breakfast. I drop off my daughter at school and head to the office at 9 AM for our team’s daily huddle and check-in. Mornings are typically reserved for follow-up and working on pricing/projects/situational solutions. The afternoons are typically reserved for meetings and follow-ups. I try to be home by 5 PM daily for dinner with the family and then the kids are in bed between 7-7:30. I spend time with my wife for the rest of the evening”, asserted Mr Kolinski.

Favourite Books
• No Rules Rules by Reed Hastings
• How To Lead by David Rubenstein
• Great by Choice by Jim Collins
• Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins

Road Ahead

Over the past 11 years, USA Staffing has worked with over 400 entrepreneurs in the staffing industry and provided opportunities and solutions to grow their business. Their products and services are improving on a weekly basis and they believe they are the best back-office solution for staffing firms in the market today. Now, Matthew and his team look forward to continuing to talk with entrepreneurs and business owners who want to grow their businesses.

A Piece of Advice for Female Entrepreneurs

The world needs more female entrepreneurs because of the innovation and solutions that they can bring to the economy. The approach to business takes confidence in yourself to know that you have a solution that others need and secondly it is important to build a team who will support you as you grow. In my experience
the Business world significantly benefits every time we increase diversity in the board room and leadership teams.