When William Wallace started a new job for a traditional chemical distributor in Chicago that would ultimately lead him down the path to his current role as president of Interra Global Corporation, he was handed a plane ticket to China and told to travel the country to understand the supply side of the desiccant business. “This turned out to be an incredible opportunity and an adventure that continues to this day,” said Wallace.
Fiver years later, after negotiations to buy an equity stake in his former employer, Wallace was let go. He lost his house and his job. “Simply put, I started over and told myself if the only thing separating me from my goals was hard work, then nothing could stop me,” said Wallace.
He spent six months building a business plan and developing what he knew was a winning formula. Wallace invited a lifelong friend to join him as a business partner and launched Interra Global Corporation.
Interra Global Corporation is a supply chain solutions H2S removal solution for clean energy with a mission to build lasting relationships and provide valuable services that bring people and companies together.
“Early on, I decided that this market could be divided into three tiers of quality and I was only interested in working with the top 1/3,” said Wallace. “I focused my attention on these high-quality vendors and then set out to build mutually beneficial relationships.”
Under Wallace’s leadership, the company has grown annual revenue to $33 million and has been recognized with the Inc. 5000 award twice and named as Crain’s Fast 50 in Chicago.
Looking to the future, Wallace said the company will continue to build on its incredible team of dedicated professionals. “Our team in China is executing all critical logistics and quality functions and we are committed to providing financial stability and personal fulfillment to all of our employees and their families,” he said. “We have the next generation of leadership in place and ready to build on our momentum for another decade of success.”
While Wallace spent the last 20 years traveling throughout China more than 120 times to build relationships at the highest levels of the best companies in the industry, his travels now have shifted from factory floor tours and quality audits to attending weddings, birthdays, holidays and family events of his staff, customers and mentors.
“I have had the good fortune to have many mentors through different life stages that have helped shape who I am,” said Wallace. “Never underestimate what you can do when you put your mind to it.”
For his leadership, global impact and success in the industry, Wallace has been named a titan.
