8 Years of Visible Intellect: From a Garage to a Team That Wins Together

April 19, 2018.

That is the official start date. But the story of Visible Intellect began long before that.

Chad and I met years earlier working together. He was leading sales for an organization, and I was hired to run the operations. We developed a great partnership and had a great run there for a few years.  We then took a risk to start a new business division and not long after, we found ourselves in a situation that did not go as planned. That business fell apart and what was left was a small set of contracts and a decision to make.

We took the work, bet on ourselves and started Visible Intellect.

No office. No credit. No safety net.

Just a folding table in my garage.

I still remember placing our first order. Motorola gave us a $15,000 line. The order was over $40,000. I had to overnight a check just to get the equipment. It showed up at my house. We programmed everything in the garage, packed it into my Jeep and drove it to Las Vegas to meet a subcontractor for install.

That was day one.

As we started to grow, nothing really changed. Equipment was still going to garages. Mine. Anthony’s. We built out spaces wherever we could just to keep up with the work.

We always thought we would stay remote. No need for overhead. No need for an office.

Then COVID hit.

Supply chains tightened. Projects got bigger. Equipment started stacking up. Garages were no longer enough.

So we did something most companies were not doing at the time. We opened an office.

What started as a place to receive deliveries quickly turned into something more. Two suites became three. Then four. We went from about 3,500 square feet to over 8,000.

At the same time, the business kept scaling.

Year one was about $1.2 million. Then it climbed. Three. Four. Eight. Ten.

Today, we are a $ 14 million organization.

But none of that is what I consider the real milestones.

The milestones have always been the people.

Some of the relationships we have today go back nearly two decades. Teammates who started as subcontractors are now leaders inside the organization. People who believed in what we were building when it was still just an idea have helped shape what it is today.

We have always focused on building the team first. The business follows.

That is why we say we all bleed VI Green.

It is more than a color. It is a shared identity. You see it in the office, in the gear, in the way people show up for each other. From dog bandanas to team apparel, it has become part of who we are.

But culture is not just about what we wear.

It is about how people work together.

There are no silos here. No “this is my department” mentality. We succeed together or we fail together. There is no room for ego. Talent matters, but mindset matters more.

We are not trying to be everything to everyone. In this industry, it is easy to chase the next opportunity or the next trend. The shiny new thing shows up and pulls your attention away from what you do best.

We have stayed disciplined.

We focus on operational process. We focus on execution. We do what we do at an exceptionally high level.

That is where our value comes from.

Looking ahead, growth is still part of the plan. But not for the sake of growth.

We grow to create opportunity.

We grow to build careers.

We grow to strengthen the community we have built.

Because at the end of the day, this has never just been about business.

It is about creating a place where people want to be.

We have built an environment where people are proud to come to work. A space that feels modern, comfortable and energizing. From the office to the warehouse, there are places to collaborate, unwind and connect.

One of the most important things we do happens every single day.

We sit down for lunch together.

No distractions. No phones at the table. Just time to talk, to connect and to understand what is going on in each other’s lives.

It sounds simple, but it matters.

Every six months, we bring everyone together. Employees, families, teammates from across the country. We host events that bring the entire VI community into one place.

Those are the moments that hit me the hardest, looking at how far we’ve come.

Standing in front of the team, looking out at how much this has grown, it is impossible not to think back to the garage.

This is so much bigger than where it started.

Recognizing employees in front of their families. Watching their spouses and kids hear how much they mean to this organization. That is what stays with you.

People see me as a tough New Yorker. And I am. But when it comes to this team, I would do anything for them.

I say it all the time and I mean it.

I will take our team against any team in the world.

That belief comes from how we operate.

Sports taught me a lot about that. You are only as strong as how your team works together. It is not about an org chart. It is about how people complement each other, challenge each other and ultimately win together.

That is how we have built Visible Intellect.

Eight years in, the numbers tell one story.

But the people tell the real one.

And we are just getting started.

– Nate