Robert Hessel joined the military after his first year in college, where he was stationed in Jacksonville. He fell in love with Florida and ended up moving to Tampa and selling telecommunications equipment. Over time, he advanced to vice president of sales, and then became a partner in the company.
In 2011, Hessel came to the realization that he didn’t want to work for someone anymore. He felt that the industry was missing a level of customer service that could be done better. He knew with the right core values in place, a culture and environment could be created to attract the industry’s top talent, which would result in the delivery of world-class customer service.
So, with just $5,000 out of the back of a Toyota Camry, Source 1 Solutions launched. Source 1 Solutions is an IT-managed service provider whose mission is to partner with truly great companies to expand their technical capabilities and extend their geographic reach.
Source 1 Solutions’ vision as an organization is “If you keep a city safe, the people in it will thrive.” The firm does this for customers by implementing cutting-edge technology solutions and providing a workplace safe to grow through learning from making mistakes.
“Obviously we don’t want to make the same mistakes twice, but our team is encouraged to make data-driven decisions independently, for optimal results,” said Hessel. “The success of this practice has not just retained our elite team but given us the environment to successfully integrate our most recent European acquisitions, which has vastly expanded our capabilities.”
As a result, the firm has won many notable awards, including multi-year recognition for MSP501, the Tampa Bay Business Journal fast 50, and Inc. 5000. Hessel has been honored as one of Industry Era’s top 10 chief executive officers and has been the cover feature for Tampa Bay Business & Wealth and Business Leaders Top 100. Hessel is also very proud to have started the Hessel Family Foundation, whose purpose is to support and provide resources to the Autism community.
According to Hessel, great leaders practice emotional intelligence and collaboration. “I firmly believe that great leaders encourage their team to invest in themselves, especially when the chips are down,” he said. “The goal is always for the team to work together harmoniously and achieve world-class results.”
