Address: 6110A N. Flint Road, Milwaukee, WI 53209
Website: www.optimumvl.com
Year Founded: 2007
Product or Service offered: Optimum Vehicle Logistics is a stocking distributor of spare parts and accessories for military wheeled and tracked vehicles. OVL stocks parts for light, medium and heavy-duty class trucks, armored personnel carriers and battle tanks.
Projected 2013 Revenue: $24 million
Owners: Stephane Dermond, Eric Dermond, Max Dermond, Douglas Olson
Target Clientele: Foreign ministries, vehicle maintenance facilities, foreign vehicle manufacturers, U.S. prime contractors, and the U.S. government.
Business organization memberships: Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, Association of the United States Army Export, Compliance Automotive Group
What has fueled your company’s growth?: “The growth this year is attributed to new hires, diversification of vehicles supported and new products.”
What is the biggest obstacle to your company’s growth?: “Competition; many companies have redirected their sales efforts internationally to make up the loss of sales in the U.S. market.”
Do you plan any changes in your company in the upcoming months?: “We are creating a new department to capture and grow sales to the U.S. Government directly so we can be prepared to tackle that business when defense buying improves. Two new hires will be made to staff the department.”
Who are the business people, locally or nationally, whom you admire? And what traits do those people exhibit that make you admire them?: “Women in any industry who establish careers while maintaining a healthy balance with home life.”
What is the outlook for the business conditions of your industry over the next several months?: “Defense budget cuts globally have greatly impacted our industry over the last few years. Most countries have cut their budgets however Latin American countries have increased their budgets.”
What is your company’s most important growth strategy right now?: “We have to stay aggressive and pursue every possible opportunitity. Competition is fierce in our industry so we have to be consistent, relentless, and we must have strong foreign alliances representing our interests.
