AdvertisementAdvertisementInside Business | Jun 18, 2010at12:00 AM
Paul J. Rodriguez
President | NSC Technologies Inc. | Portsmouth
AdvertisementNSC Technologies Inc. is an 8(a) certified, professional staffing contractor that specializes in providing skilled trades support to the industrial, commercial construction and ship repair industries.
When did you start the business and what gave you the idea for it?
AdvertisementAdvertisementI started the business about 10 years ago in my parents' garage. I had previously been a salesman for a staffing company. I decided that I could do a better job and provide better customer service by going on my own.
What was the hardest part of launching your company?
I had no money. I had always been an employee. I did not know how to suddenly become an employer. As a 24-year old Puerto Rican, it was difficult to convince customers and bankers that I was serious about the business. My mom and dad loaned me $17,000, a car and allowed me to work from their garage.
What lesson did you learn that you wish you'd known back before you started?
AdvertisementMy success has been based upon hard work and building a solid team. If I had known how very difficult it is to start and stay in business I may have never started NSC. There is a great deal of comfort in getting a paycheck every week as opposed to meeting a payroll every week. There is, however, a great deal of pride that results from building a company.
What risks did you take?
I left a very secure job where I was the number-one salesman making six figures at age 24. I just knew, however, I could do better and had no choice but to go on my own.
What was the biggest obstacle you overcame?
Competition that had deep resources that I didn't have. They had deep bank credit lines, workman's comp insurance, human resource departments, large recruiting centers, and long-standing relationships that I did not have. I had no money, no credit and no office and no name recognition.
What or who has helped you the most in establishing your business?
First, my mom and dad loaned me the money to start, then there have been many loyal team members who have really helped build the business to this point. Within the past two years we have morphed our company into a well-oiled machine. We have developed systems and financial relationships that have put us into the big leagues. My vice president and fiancée, Lisa Conde, and my chairman, Lowell Morse, have led this effort.
What do you consider your greatest innovation?
When I started the company I realized that I need an edge. I decided that there were two things that I could do differently. First, I could offer the very best customer service in the industry. Secondly, I decided that I needed to provide an employee to the customer that was different from the competitor's people. Therefore I started a welding certification program and a safety training program and I required every single employee to go through the certification program and safety program before I sent them to a customer. The customer benefits significantly by having trained and certified people brought to them. It saves them from paying for the employee to receive this training. That has become our "distinctive."
How has the company grown, both in terms of employees and revenues?
In 10 years we have grown from one employee to 20 employees on our staff that now provides jobs for up to 1,000 temporary employees working from one of our four offices. Our revenues have grown to $15 million in 2009 and expectations are for that number to increase by 25 percent per year.
Has the company earned a profit? If so, how long did it take to get there?
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Our company has been profitable from the very first year.
Discuss future plans for the company.
NSC will expand by diversifying into other staffing areas. We are currently moving into the IT area and have recently signed a large contract to provide workforce for energy services. We intend to expand our vendor management services into other areas. VMS is a service whereby NSC becomes the single source to meet a customer company's temporary workforce needs.
What is your biggest challenge for the future and how do you plan to handle it?
Our challenge is always to be the best we can be and to know and understand customer needs. We will do that by attracting world-class people to serve our world-class customers.
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