Pacific Edge, Stephan Edwards

Stephan Edwards PRESIDENT The Systemcenter, Inc.and 1 Hot Garage

YOUNGprofessional

[ BY JO A RCHIBA L D | P HOTO BY DAV E MI YAMOTO ]

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BUSINESS • Stephan Edwards •

When you meet Stephan Edwards, you sense his energy—an undercurrent of excitement for solving people’s problems.

For most us, filing cabinets, office furniture and medical supply storage isn’t exactly sexy stuff. But as president of both The Systemcenter, Inc. and 1 Hot Garage, Stephan gets his clients feeling the same excitement about maximizing space and improving efficiency as he does.

Stephan’s parents started The Systemcenter in 1976 as an accounting and records management systems company. In 1989 Stephan joined the business with a mandate to expand their services to include high-density storage systems.

“When my dad hired me he said, ‘You’re our son and we love you, but at work we do what’s in the best interest of the business, for everybody,’” says Stephan.

“I understood that.”

With that in mind, expand the business he did. Under Stephan’s direction, The Systemcenter’s sales increased 600 percent, transforming their mom and pop business into an award-winning, nationally recognized company with clients as diverse as hospitals, schools, museums and the US government.

When his father retired in 2007, Stephan took the helm. Now 40, he’s been recognized for the impressive innovation and growth he’s spearheaded; in 2010, he earned Small Business Hawaii’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. But for Stephan, awards and honors aren’t the aim; they’re the result of persistence and passion. “Business is about independence, confidence and relationships,” he says. “If you work hard and you’re good and you care about what you’re doing, you’ll get ahead.”

The Systemcenter evaluates a client’s needs and customizes solutions for spaces as varied as classrooms, hospital recovery rooms and auditoriums. They’ve designed vertical storage carousels, highsecurity weapons storage systems and humidity-controlled museum archives. For the Bishop Museum in particular, they’ve installed special climate-controlled systems for insects, rocks and artifacts like spears, shields and garments. Basically, “anything you could imagine in a museum,” Stephan says. No matter how unusual the

need, he and his team thrive on the challenge of finding the right design and products to meet every client’s demands.

And if a solution for that demand doesn’t exist? Stephan invents one. “1 Hot Garage started when I was looking for a way to organize my own garage,” he explains. “I couldn’t find anything I liked, so I worked with our existing manufacturers to develop new products.”

For auto enthusiasts, craftsmen and active families with bikes, boards, kayaks and the usual mix of kid stuff, his tricked-out storage systems and high-quality floor coverings aren’t just functional, they’re the envy of the neighborhood. Stephan is also his own client, having installed Pro Series cabinets and flooring in his own “hot garage.”

“My parents always knew I’d be the entrepreneur of the family,” he says. At the age of ten, itching to earn his own money, Stephan collected, washed and sold golf balls and cold juice to golfers outside the Hawai‘i Kai golf course. When the course tried to stop him because he didn’t have a business license, he learned his first lesson in perseverance. Stephan credits his parents for teaching him to overcome obstacles by helping him get an excise license.

Under Stephan’s leadership the two companies have become a true family business.

Stephan’s brother Bryan is operations manager, and his sister Sandra is the market manager for the education, library and museum markets.

Stephan’s wife Sondra is sales manager for 1 Hot Garage.

“People comment on how we’ve been able to grow a family business and succeed so smoothly,” says Stephan. “We had a plan. We meet regularly. We respect everything our parents have done, and we appreciate them for giving us this opportunity.”

Stephan is a strong advocate of the axiom, “knowledge is power.” He graduated from Kaiser High School and he continues his learning as a member of the Chamber of Commerce, Business Banking Committee, National Fire Protection Association, and the Entrepreneurs’ Organization. He’s also participated in the executive programs of universities like Stanford Graduate School of Business. “You have a choice in how your time is invested,” he says. “Invest in what will give you the greatest return.” ◗

“Business is about independence, confidence and relationships. If you work hard and you care about what you’re doing, you’ll get ahead.”

The Systemcenter, Inc. • 1738 Silva Street. • 808.847.0911 • systemcenter.com • 1 Hot Garage • 808.843.8011 • 1hotgarage.com

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