Name: Relā
Executive Director: Shannon Lee
Good/Service: Talent development services
Company Overview:
Relā provides talent development services to for-profit and non-profit businesses. As a nonprofit, they provide fee for service as well as services on a free and sliding scale to nonprofits, social enterprises and very small businesses. Relā was founded on the concept of servant leadership where focusing on the needs of others can be balanced with their own needs, creating opportunities for everyone. This principle has also led them to form partnerships with otherwise competitors and in turn enables them to serve more people. Their success is taking form, and they were able to hire someone this year to handle their community outreach activities. Within the next two years, they plan to grow so that their fees for service can cover all operating expenses, and 100 percent of all donations will go to individuals who qualify for services on a free and sliding scale. In 2019, they are launching a service leadership focused sales training and also are working towards a comprehensive assessment and coaching component. These two products will drive them towards their goals this year.
Entrepreneurial Story:
Relā’s roots date back over 30 years to an organization called The Gathering USA whose primary mission was to equip Christian business men. Five years ago, Relā decided to expand that mission beyond Christian business men to all people and formed a new non-profit. This new non-profit retains the same values as their former parent organization buts aims to deliver talent development opportunities founded in servant leadership to all.
DEC/Dublin Advantage:
The DEC has been a perfect fit for Relā with the dedicated training space and economical office rates. “When starting a new non-profit, every penny counts,” says executive director Shannon Lee. They have been able to make significant progress in transitioning the old chapter of the non-profit to the new model. If they were paying for separate training space, affording office space would have been difficult and limited their start-up growth rate. It has been a tremendous asset to find affordable rates that also included dependable training areas.
Reason they chose the DEC: It was economical, and it had reliable training space. Every dime counts when starting a new non-profit, and the rent made the DEC extremely attractive. Coupled with the fact that it included training space that could be utilized regularly, the DEC was a win, win for Relā.
DEC’s Best Asset or Benefit to Business: For them it’s the training space and the economic feasibility, but for all businesses, the community that is created with all of the events is a huge benefit. Being an entrepreneur can be lonely, and the positive environment at the DEC is a fantastic asset.
This interview and article was prepared by Marie Adams of Dot The i Creative.
