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 Company: American Unit Inc, Schaumburg, IL
Company Description: A leading management and technology services organization specializing in CRM, SCM, Custom Application Development, EAI, ERP, Business/Data Warehousing, software modernization, eBusiness, technology, staffing and outsourcing.
Nomination Category: Management Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Best Executive - Computer Services
Nomination Title: Devender Aerrabolu, CEO and President
- Tell the story about what this nominee achieved since January 1 2007 (up to 500 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:
In 2003, Mr. Devender Aerrabolu started American Unit with $500. He was the
only employee then. Today American Unit is a highly successful IT solutions
firm, with over $30 million in sales in 2007. American Unit now employs over
300 people and competes against the some of the Big players in this industry.
Success is a measure of your accomplishments and Devender already has many
achievements under his belt. Over time, he has proved to be an entrepreneurial
leader capable of assessing risks and making swift business decisions. With his
acute foresight and astounding business sense, he has earned recognition for
American Unit as one of the fastest growing companies in the Midwest.
To me the one quality that set Devender apart from the other CEOs I have
worked with, is his ability to forsee market trends and make decisions. Within
a year of starting American Unit, Devender opened up training facilities in 4
different states which not only provided hands on training of the latest
technology to the employees but also ensured acquirement of very talented
individuals in a wide variety of technologies, providing stability and more
growth opportunities for the company. This was a new approach that he
implemented which later became a market trend which today a lot of companies
follow. Representing an implausible ingenuity and a strong perseverance, Mr.
Aerrabolu has moved up in the business very swiftly.
Our recent success has resulted in many awards and recognitions. In 2007
American Unit Inc was voted 11th Fastest Growing Company in North America and
Number 1 Fastest Growing Company in the Midwest region by Deloitte’s 2007 North
America Technology Fast 500 Rising Star program and as one of the Top
Businesses by DiversityBusiness.com, among 600,000 businesses in the United
Sates. We ranked 25th Top Diversity Owned Businesses in Illinois, 23rd Top
Small Business in Illinois, 285thTop Diversity Owned Businesses in America.
I feel Mr. Aerrabolu is more than a deserving candidate for this award and I
have listed below the following key points referring to his abilities both as a
exemplary leader and a visionary.
1. Vision and Innovation:
Business is all about new ideas and enhancement of existing ones. Mr. Aerrabolu
has strived for continuous innovation to help American Unit reach farther
height of success. He has an insatiable appetite for new ideas and the
commitment to implement them. After a year of starting American Unit, he
realized a need for a product which was an all-in-one, on-demand hiring and
talent-management proprietary tech solution; a single package to meet specific
needs of IT, accounting, and engineering sectors. At this point in time, most
companies with similar focuses as American Unit, were buying 2-3 products, a
peace-meal resulting in suboptimal solutions. Because of Mr. Aerrabolu's
foresight, commitment and high level of persistence, American Unit launched a
product in 2007. Conceptualizing and developing such a product was not without
hindrances and troubles. Today this product is being used by customers in
different industry verticals like Telecom, Insurance, Health care, etc; with
project sales of $400K in its first year and a prospective revenue growth of
200% in the next two years.
2. Personal Character:
Mr. Aerrabolu has been part of and initiated many welfare programs both in USA
and his home town Hyderabad, India. He doesn’t just believe in donating money
towards charity, he also helps people by way of providing for a constant source
of income, educational facilities (for example, he set up a scholarship with an
IT Institute where the top performers are not only aided financially but they
get a chance to work on American Unit's in-house projects. This helps them to
get hands-on experience which helps them secure high paying jobs).
For a person who was born and brought up in rural India, with limited exposure
to latest technology and ever changin work culture, Mr.Aerrabolu has come far
and accomplished much more than what is generally expected.
- List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. IMPORTANT: Begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.youraddress.com]:
http://www.deloitte.com/dtt/article/0%2C1002%2Ccid%25253D176408%2C00.html
http://www.deloitte.com/dtt/cda/doc/content/us_tmt_Technology%20Fast%20500%
20Article_102307.pdf
- Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the nominee:
Devender Aerrabolu is the founder and CEO of American Unit, Inc., a Chicago-
area IT solutions firm. American Unit, specializes in business process
outsourcing and business system integration, with additional capabilities in
areas including global operations development,process and system improvements,
and supply chain management. Key American Unit client accounts include W.W.
Grainger, Walgreens, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Payless, Toshiba, Bank of America,
Lexmark, Alltel, Microsoft, Pfizer, GE, Verizon, Waukesha County, Mercury
Marine, AIG, Allstate, and Coopers. Mr. Aerrabolu is currently undertaking
several initiatives to expand American Unit, including doubling the firm’s
workforce and opening a Europe-based office to serve current and potential
clients with overseas operations.
Prior to founding American Unit, Mr. Aerrabolu was the Executive Vice President
of Sales and Marketing for Frontier Solutions, Inc., where he increased sales
revenues by 340% over a 3-year period, securing over $16 million in IT project
implementations with new customers including IBM, KPMG, Citibank, Reuters,
AT&T, and Microsoft. In this role Mr. Aerrabolu also drove multiple operations
improvements and oversaw outsourcing to a product development center based in
India.
From 1995 to 1999 Mr. Aerrabolu held technology-focused positions including
Project Manager and Enterprise Architect for IT firms including Softcom Systems
and FCS in India, as well as Ace Technologies in San Jose, California. In these
roles he managed ERP and other teams on multimillion-dollar implementation
projects for clients in the insurance, utilities, health services, retail,
financial services, and other sectors; established, staffed and managed entire
IT departments from the ground up; led bid teams that won multimillion-dollar
contracts; and received multiple awards for outstanding service and leadership.
Mr. Aerrabolu. He is a member of professional organizations including BMA(
Business Marketing Association) and ITA
Mr. Aerrabolu holds a Bachelor’s in Computer Science and Engineering from
Amaravathi University in India.
Currently living with his family in the suburbs of Chicago, Mr. Aerrabolu is
originally from the state of Andhra Pradesh in India, where he continues to
invest in real estate development, including many projects initiated by his
extended family, and supports several orphanages and other children’s services.
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