Robert Hessel, CEO and Chairman of Source 1 Solutions, Speaks Exclusively to The Silicon Review: ‘We Obsess About Work Ethics Because Our Brand Name Has to Have Integrity and Command Respect’

“We pride ourselves on being large enough to handle global projects; yet, we are nimble enough to be able to react and change direction for our clients very quickly.”

Source 1 Solutions, a global managed IT solutions provider, specializes in monitoring, managing, and maintaining enterprise infrastructure for enterprise and mid-market organizations. It serves across 118 countries.

To highlight and further understand what Source 1 Solutions stands for and seeks to explore in this segment, I sat down with Robert Hessel (chairman), who serves as the company’s Chief Executive Officer.

Below is an excerpt.

When was Source 1 Solutions incorporated? Brief us about the journey so far.

Source 1 Solutions, Inc. was established in 2011, modestly bootstrapped on around $6000 in the backseat of a Toyota Camry. Fast forward 10 years, we now have offices in three countries and provide services and support in 118 countries. In the early days, we were best recognized as a local commercial security company. As Source 1 evolved over time, we migrated out of being that start-up into what we are today, a channel-based managed services provider.

Q. You work with your clients, shoulder-to-shoulder, focused on helping them reach their true potential by taking a custom approach to their specific requirements. This speaks volumes about you as a company. My question to you is, how critical is work ethics to the success of a business? And do business and ethics go hand in hand?

Work ethics are incredibly important to the success of a business; this is why we hire for talent — not for position. In the early days, some of the major hires that we made, we weren’t really in a position to bring on. Due to hiring employees with such great work ethics, those people (in a short period of time) not only paid for themselves but made the company money. At the time, it may not have been intentional; however, we learned very quickly that hiring talent and work ethic has massive payoff in the long run. Hiring this profile might be a little more expensive upfront but their expertise and dedication are well worth it. Work ethics are simply part of a company and its work culture. High-performing individuals carry themselves with pride and high standards, and it shows. We obsess about work ethics because our brand name has to have integrity and command respect.

Q. Your company offers a broad range of services to ensure that your clients’ business is fully covered in all aspects of IT, along with specialized support, 24 hours a day, so that they’re assisted at all times and in every aspect. How do you interpret this further?

Our 24/7/365 ITIL-based Global Technical Services (GTS) Center is the heart of our operations. The GTS is adjacent to our corporate headquarters in Clearwater, FL. Locally staffed, we provide network operations support in over 118 countries. Our help desk is manned by live-answer, US-based Tier 1/Tier 2 technicians, ready to provide tech support when an issue arises. Tier 3 Engineers and Solutions Architects are always on standby for complex troubleshooting that requires escalation. In addition to this, we have both generalists and specialists under our employment; these support technicians are all encouraged to continue their learning in the IT field, expanding their knowledge about how different systems work together. This creates a wider breadth of understanding about the processes and systems within other specialties, creating a support team that can truly work together, rather than being dissonant, separate pieces of a complex IT puzzle.

Delineate a short overview of the services your company offers.

Because we are a managed services company, we offer a vast range of transformation solutions. Our projects could start in the data center, where we conduct large server migration projects. Or, they could be on the enterprise’s infrastructure, where we are transforming a wireless network, wide area network (WAN), or local area network (LAN). We might even be transforming all the way down to the desktop level, where we will conduct a Windows migration project.

From “solutioning” to global installations and proactive audits, we help companies with their entire digital transformation. If the project touches enterprise infrastructure, we can manage, monitor, and maintain it.

Q. Briefly describe your advantage over your competition. And what are you doing to stay ahead of the curve?

As a channel service provider, we have become the go-to partner for some of the greatest organizations in the world. The value that other organizations recognize is this: we have a unique ability to make decisions very quickly. Where larger organizations may take six months to switch gears on a project, we can accomplish the same thing on a dime. We pride ourselves on being large enough to handle global projects; yet, nimble enough to be able to react very quickly. This is one of the main reasons our clients really enjoy working with us so much.

To be honest, we don’t place much emphasis on staying ahead of the competition. Our hyper-focus lies in our company culture. We believe that if we can create an environment in which people thrive, we will naturally attract and recruit the most talented people in the world. These individuals are what will keep us miles ahead of our competition; the best part is that we see results without having to make it a priority.

Q. Where do you see your company a couple of years from now?

Source 1 has been on an incredible five-year ride, and we don’t see it slowing down anytime soon. As our growth continues, our vision does as well. We look forward to expanding our physical offices into other regions; for example, at the end of 2019, we opened our EMEA headquarters in Ireland.

Unfortunately, physical expansion plans had to be placed on hold through the pandemic. We do believe we are coming out of that tunnel very soon and will continue to consider expanding our offices into other countries. This expansion is, as always, to better serve our clients.

Robert Hessel | CEO & Chairman

Robert Hessel has expanded Source 1 Solutions globally to employ full-time resources in 17 countries that serve businesses in 118 countries. With 25 years of experience in business management, he empowers channel partners by delivering world-class services in unified communications, data networking, WiFi, data centers, electronic security, and network security solutions.

Robert is the author of Safe City: From Law Enforcement to Neighborhood Watches, which debuted as the #1 New Release in Privacy & Surveillance in Society on Amazon. He is also a 4th generation military veteran who served in the US Navy. A state champion student-athlete in high school, Robert is featured in ‘Beyond the Game’, a 2020 full-feature documentary film that follows the journey of celebrated athletes as they transition to second careers in business, entertainment, and entrepreneurship.

As one of the top CEOs of 2020 named by Industry Era and this publication, Robert’s goal is to empower and help others advance, and with his entrepreneurial spirit, passion for technology, understanding of global markets, and a willingness to give back to his local communities, he is doing just that.

Securing and serving our neighborhoods is essential to fulfilling community responsibilities. Empowering and helping others is non-negotiable.