Unison Industries Founder Rick Sontag shared insight on building a successful company at today’s CEO Nexus Forum. The event is hosted quarterly by the JAX Chamber’s GrowJAX department.

“If I had to point to one thing that led to my company’s success, it is people,” Sontag said. “Being able to evaluate people and to place a person in a position to be most effective is critical.”

At age 36, with the help of two venture capital companies, he purchased a small aviation components company, Unison Industries. During his 22 years as company president, Unison Industries grew from 65 employees to become a market leader in aviation engine components with nearly 1,500 employees. Sontag sold the company to General Electric in 2002.

“Rick is passionate about his experiences as an entrepreneur and clearly enjoys inspiring others to undertake similar efforts,” said Sandy Bartow, vice president of the Chamber’s Entrepreneurial Growth Division and president of the Chamber Foundation.

Sontag is currently president of Spring Bay Companies, a venture capital firm, and board president of The Sontag Foundation, a charitable foundation. His wife, Susan, is an 18-year cancer survivor and the inspiration for the formation of the foundation through which they support medical research and a variety of social causes.

The CEO Nexus Forums host top-tier CEOs who share their experiences and steps to success with second-stage business owners. A second-stage business is defined as a privately held, Florida-based company beyond its initial start-up growth and on the verge of expansion with 10 to 99 employees and annual revenues between $1 and $49 million.

The Chamber’s GrowJAX department hosts the CEO Nexus Forum on a quarterly basis, and the events are open to any CEO or C-level executive who meets the second-stage criteria. More information is available at www.GrowJAX.com.