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No. 17
Revenue growth FY 2021 to 2023: 100.8%
2023 revenue: $12 million
Nate Holmes and Chris Hawkins once were in the iPad repair business. They didn’t know how to repair iPads. That didn’t matter. Because they will tell you that they were and still are in the relationship business. So when a former customer approached them about repairing iPads even though their business was selling protective cases, they hired a team of people who could repair iPads. Secured Tech Solutions now sells, protects, supports and recycles computer hardware such as iPads, Macbooks and Chromebooks for K-12 districts. The company also provides software solutions through third-party partners. When a K-12 partner has a pain point, Secured Tech Solutions looks to fix it. “We don’t commit to fixing something until we know we can do a good job,” says Chris Hawkins, co-founder and chief revenue officer. “And I think that’s afforded us a lot of credibility.”
Targeting the decision-makers: The company’s North Star as to what products or services to offer is determined by who is doing the asking. The Secured Tech Solution team has close relationships with key decision-makers in specific fields inside K-12 schools. Mission creep could occur if the company veers outside that boundary. “One thing we run into when we are creating or thinking through new product offerings is, is the decision-maker that we’re talking to the same decision-maker that’s going to be needing this product or service?” co-founder and CEO Nate Holmes says. “And if the answer’s no, then we usually steer away from creating that offering.”
A regret: Although measured growth has helped the company avoid the kinds of layoffs that have occurred elsewhere in the educational technology sector, Holmes and Hawkins do point to a regret: not taking advantage of low-interest rates to even further expedite their growth.
Kindly introductions: Secured Tech Solutions has clients in Indiana but also in the Carolinas, Virginia, Texas and Oklahoma. A goal for 2025 is to open a satellite location in the mid-Atlantic. One hurdle to landing a client in another state is that Secured Tech Solutions is not local there. So, Hawkins says, the company sends those prospective clients Hoosier hospitality baskets. “That’s basically saying, ‘You may not have any idea, you may have zero preconceived notions about Indiana, but this is what it’s going to be like working with a company from Indiana’” he says. “And we really frame that narrative.”•
Check out more of IBJ’s ranking of Indy’s fastest-growing companies.
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