Steve Olyha | CEO, Finlay Extracts and Ingredients USA Inc.
With locations around the world, why did you also choose Rhode Island? Rhode Island has been an integral part of the heritage of our coffee business, and the future development of Finlays global tea and natural beverage business will continue to be supported by the state.
Is Rhode Island a good place to grow jobs? Yes, Rhode Island has always been supportive and collaborative of small business and continues to be an integral part of our growing global brand. The collaboration of the various development organizations and government leaders, as well as the allotted tax incentives by the state, allows us to better focus on the development and growth of our company and our people.
JOBS
2016: 89
2017: 105*
*As reported in PBN survey
If government could do one thing to help businesses grow jobs, what would it be? One is helping to encourage the relationships between businesses and the Rhode Island universities, specifically around aligning the graduating skill sets of various programs with the needs of the businesses for new talent. Finlays has taken advantage of the financial help offered by government in utilizing the student population for internships, for example. Another area is around the ease of doing business locally. When businesses expand, help and encouragement for the permitting and approval processes, all necessary and supported, would be valuable. There are times those processes feel more like difficult challenges than adherence to health and safety regs, for example.
What’s the most important attribute a business leader needs to grow their business and add jobs? Being considered as an employer of choice is very important in today’s society. With ever-present access to information and consumers exhibiting more and more the power of choice, companies need to establish [themselves] as places in which people want to come to work and environments in which they are committed to helping grow. As leaders, we must strive to push this principle throughout our business.
In which industry do you see the greatest potential for job growth in Rhode Island? The natural-beverage market in which Finlays operates is showing signs of tremendous growth potential. Consumers today are increasingly aware of and demanding better for your products made with traceable and recognizable natural ingredients.
