Aeolus Consultants Secures a Contract with Siemens Mobility, Inc through the CalAsian Chamber

“Your business is your relationships,” said Dan Welch, Principal Engineer at Aeolus Consultants. Find out how we helped foster those relationships to become business opportunities.

CASE STUDY:

The Business:

Dan Welch founded Aeolus Consultants – an air quality permitting and compliance consulting company – when he decided to leave his former job and take the plunge on his own.

Welch has been in the environmental field for his entire career and was focusing on his business development efforts when he was first introduced to the Chamber.

The Challenge:

As a small proprietor and a self-described introvert, Welch was looking for structure that would help get his small business off the ground. He needed strategic introductions that could help him build the necessary connections for successful business development.

CalAsian’s Support:

Welch attended a California Department of General Services’ procurement event where he met staff from CalAsian who personally connected with Welch and encouraged his involvement in the Chamber’s Business Development Program (BDP), which was designed to help small businesses market themselves to state, federal, and private entities.

Welch said, “Instead of just exchanging brochures or contact information, he took the extra step of inviting me to join that program.”

Welch ended up attending the last nine sessions of the 10-week program after that, learning and networking alongside fellow small business owners. He continued to participate in events and eventually connected with someone at Siemens Mobility, a leader in transport solutions for more than 160 years, with whom he originally met at one of the BDP sessions. That connection resulted in an introduction to the plant Director of Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS), which subsequently blossomed into site visits to the plant, proposals for three separate EHS projects, and now an essential partnership between Siemens Mobility and Aeolus Consultants.

Value Derived:

Due to the connections CalAsian’s Business Development Program helped him foster, Welch’s work with Siemens Mobility led to an introduction to staff at a second Siemens’ facility and additional project work. He now has six clients, including PG&E and the California Department of Justice. Welch said, “As a small proprietor, it’s just me. So having earned purchase orders totaling $280,000 in a little under two years is amazing.”

“As a small business owner, I don’t have the overhead that a large firm does. I got involved with the Chamber at a time where I was focusing my efforts on my business development, and the Business Development Program was helpful in providing structure and connections for me. Siemens Mobility has come to really value me as an essential part of their EHS team. I am grateful for the help the Chamber provided me – some of the structure, and more of the motivation than anything else, as well as the networking opportunities. It’s been really beneficial for me.” – Dan Welch, Owner/Principal Engineer at Aeolus Consultants.

Connect with Aeolus Consultants:
Email: dan@aeolus-aq.com
Phone: (916) 204-7133