The story Kelly Hollatz tells about founding her five-year-old company,
First Star Safety, LLC,
combines hard work, perseverance, timing and a string of unlikely
circumstances that put the now-business owner in the right place at the
right time.
First Star Safety provides safety equipment and
services for construction and roadway projects. Think of the orange
cones dotting interstates, or the flashing signs and OSHA yellow vests
on construction sites - those are the five-year-old company's stock in
trade.
But Hollatz doesn't come from a construction background.
In fact, she was working as a server at a local restaurant when a patron
first suggested she look into the safety products business. After the
second time he mentioned it, she started doing some research.
"There
was only one other company doing this in the region," she says. "I
realized this is something that could be extremely viable."
The
combination of low competition and growing need - the construction
season's many projects and increasing regulation by state and Federal
safety agencies - motivated Hollatz to act. But it wasn't enough to
convince banks to loan her startup funds.
"I went to 12 different
banks. They said, 'Cones? I just don't get it,' " she says. Hollatz
eventually took out a second mortgage on her Deer Park home to finance
the business.
"I sat down with a phone book and a cell phone and started calling people," she says. "I tried selling to anyone and everyone."
Her
plan worked. Hollatz says contractors welcomed new competition in what
had been a one-source market, and that her policy of measured growth and
ensuring quality over quantity kept customer satisfaction high.
"As
much as you want to think you can do anything, one of the most
important things is to truly and honestly acknowledge your
capabilities," she says.
Over the course of five construction
seasons, that strategy has paid off. First Star Safety boasts a list of
high-profile clients, including Kentucky Speedway. In fact, Hollatz
plyed a role in untangling the traffic snarls that clouded the
speedway's NASCAR Sprint Cup debut July 9 as her team jumped in to help a
parking contractor that became overwhelmed by the unexpected crowds.
Hollatz
says her team felt the frustration of race-goers as traffic patterns
collapsed under the load of an estimated 320,000 people who attended the
race in addition to 140,000 ticket holders. But the
server-turned-construction subcontractor says her team's grace under
pressure turned the ordeal into a successful trial-by-fire that boosted
the company's reputation in the eyes of speedway officials.
"My
team really rose to the occasion," she says. "I got message after
message from people who saw my people. For us, we've gotten nothing but
an extensive amount of praise from Kentucky Speedway officials."
Story: Matt Cunningham
Follow Matt on Twitter @cunningcontent
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