Return to BTJ Online

Development board envisions Space Coast as a 'learning culture'

by Kathy Hagood
Brevard Technical Journal

Kenneth Pinson, President/CEO of Genesis VII, Inc. launched the business after a corporate downsizing and management buyout. Photo by Craig Rubadoux, © 2004.

Kenneth Pinson took a management buyout from Sears during corporate downsizing in 1989 and used the capital to form a company, Genesis VII.

"I'd thought about starting my own company for years and the timing was right. Genesis is about beginning and has spiritual connotations, and seven's always been a lucky number for me," said Pinson, who serves as president and CEO of the company, which now employs about 80 workers.

Genesis VII is based in Titusville, but has expanded to include field offices in Fort Lauderdale, Gainesville, Miami, West Palm Beach. Dallas and Antigua, Ascension Island.

Pinson recently was awarded the Regional Small Business Person of the Year award by the Small Business Administration.

"I am extremely honored by this award because a number of leaders of very fine companies were under consideration," Pinson said.

Pinson received the honor because of his "achievements in the business community" and his role in furthering "the progression of minority business development," said Allegra McCullough, an associate deputy administrator with the SBA.

Pinson was tapped to submit an application for the award, he said, in part because his company had impressed the 45th Space Wing, which awarded Genesis VII the Small Business Contractor of the Year Award for 2003.

"We continue to have an excellent relationship with the Air Force because we're dedicated to exceeding our customer's expectations," Pinson said.

 

Ernie Walters, Vice President and Kenneth Pinson, President/CEO of Genesis VII, Inc. look over blueprints. Photo by Craig Rubadoux, © 2004.

Genesis VII recently went above and beyond again when they repaired the Air Force's Small Motor Assembly Building, which was damaged by a hurricane. The company had shifts working 24 hours a day to finish the job in five days.

A sign on the wall of Pinson's office says it all: "Always give people more than they expect to get."

Genesis VII has excellent relationships with its other customers, including NASA, United Space Alliance, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Computer Sciences Raytheon, the Department of State, United States Postal Service, Orlando Utilities and Walt Disney World.

Pinson's dedication to customer service and employee satisfaction has paid off. The company's projected revenues for 2004 are $16 million.

"I tell my people that customers remember quality long after they forget price," Pinson said.

Pinson started Genesis VII as an industrial supplier and expanded the business divisions to include service provision and general contracting for the government and industry.

"We have four divisions at this time, but we have had up to seven," Pinson said.

Pinson did have a division that supplied tire services to large fleets, for example. That business went downhill after 9-11 and Pinson closed the division. He then helped a fellow business leader start a business focusing on the work.

"It's great to be able to make decisions that make sense for your business and helps some one else in the process," Pinson said.

The company currently provides facilities management for 14 buildings with more than a total of 1.8 million square feet of space. Two of the facilities the company manages are the United States Federal Building and Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale and the United States Coast Guard Building in Miami.

Among the company's construction projects: A complete interior renovation of the Range Control Center at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and a complete renovation of the second floor interior of the Air Force Technical Applications Center at Patrick Air Force Base.

The company has come a long way since its start about 15 years ago. Pinson got his start in business after graduating with a degree in political science and economics from Morehouse College of Atlanta.

Of the 38 years Pinson worked for Sears, he served 19 years in executive positions, including his last seven years as store manager for the Sears store in Titusville, which employed 250.

The experience was excellent training for heading his own company, which has provided greater freedom for pursuing his own vision.

"As store manager I was limited by corporate policy by what I could do for employees and what changes I could make at the store," Pinson said.

For example, when two of his employees recently won 10 free lunches for their coworkers from a local radio show, Pinson saw the opportunity for a morale booster. He said the company would cover lunches for the rest of the employees at headquarters.

"It just made sense and it was something I could do, so I did it," Pinson said.

Pinson takes pride in the low turnover rate at his company. Several of his longtime employees originally came with him from Sears when Pinson started his company in 1989.

"When you give people the resources they need to do their job, they are much happier and tend to stick with you," Pinson said.

Pinson is a member of many civic organizations, serves as a member of the board of the Brevard County Workforce Development Board and is on the steering committee for the YMCA's capital improvement fund.

"I support children's groups like the YMCA because I believe it's important," Pinson said.

Pinson, a newlywed, is married to Tacey. He has two grown children, Krystal and Kenneth Pinson Jr.

For more information on Genesis VII, visit www.genesisvii.com