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25 ยป VISIT US ONLINE @ DSNEWS.COM Bryan Lysikowski is the Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of ZVN Properties, Inc. He brings nearly two decades of experience in the real estate and property renovation industries. Bryan has succeeded in growing a small regional company into one of the nation's leading field service providers. As a co-founder of your company, you understand the trials and tribulations that one must endure to achieve success. What was the biggest challenge for you getting ZVN off of the ground? As I think back to the beginning our biggest challenge became our greatest asset. We started in the field completing work during the day and sending the results at night. e learning curve to provide quality results, at times, appeared insurmountable. Adding staff allowed us to focus on growing the business. Growing our business required convincing customers to believe in ZVN, adding dedicated employees to manage the day-to-day business and recruiting exceptional contractors that believe in service. We believe our ability to understand what the customer needs and requires was and continues to be based on our own experiences in the beginning. We expect that the same experiences will continue to play a key role in our decisions and ability to overcome future challenges. Unprecedented regulatory concerns have affected every section of the housing industry. How has the current climate changed the way that ZVN operates? ZVN is always ready to adapt when changes occur in the industry. We make every effort to take a proactive approach when managing day- to-day activity. In turn the change needed to stay in front of regulatory concerns, specifically the increased scrutiny surrounding the contractor, protecting proprietary information and the push toward licensing contractors, at the state level, have been manageable. Many times adapting to the regulatory change on behalf of the servicer becomes less intrusive to the daily operation than the cost to do so. Processes and procedures implemented over the past year on behalf of the servicers continue to force ZVN and the industry to think outside of the box as it pertains to becoming more transparent and efficient. Technology seems to have changed the property preservation industry forever. How does ZVN integrate technological advancement into the business model? roughout the years ZVN has grown with the idea that business and technology need to be in harmony with each other. Just as the divisions within ZVN continue to grow, our technology has been in the forefront with our ability to provide exceptional service. With past and current advancements, ZVN prides itself in reaching out and experiencing new hardware and software, while also maintaining a core functionality that is needed to provide accurate and timely results to our clients. To support top tier architecture, ZVN has secured professional talents to stimulate growth in the information technology field. Our team has developed a test pilot implantation plan to bring new technologies into our business to simulate their effects on operations in real time. is has provided ZVN with a flexible infrastructure that continues to allow us the ability to expand at any rate. e technologies used at ZVN will always be able to provide a unique business experience for our vendors and clients that will meet the needs of the industry. What is the Industry going to look like in ten years? From the lower delinquency and default levels prior to 2007 to the peak in 2009 and the recent reductions to date, change in the industry is guaranteed. If we think ahead ten years we can be certain that the core industry of protecting properties on behalf of servicers and investors will remain the same. Substantial losses by homeowners' servicers and investors will result in improved transparency in the default process. e field service industry will evolve with greater capabilities to scale and manage a network of professionals that move in sync with the industry as a whole. As in any industry, volume levels will dictate consolidation and eventually weigh in on price. Regardless, ten years from this period we can be assured that the industry will emerge better prepared to manage through a crisis due to its experiences of the past. What is the one piece of advice that you would give to young professionals looking to get into your industry? Getting into this industry requires a lot of patience, hard work, and dedication. at dedication cannot falter, as your attention is split between your vendor network and your clients. In building a vendor network, it is crucial to realize that their labor is your lifeblood. Taking advantage of that is critical when recognizing that success comes with taking care of the people performing your work. Fair and timely payments play a big role in making a successful company, as they do in any industry. In addition to building up a reliable vendor network, it is also important to understand the impact technology has on the industry. We are already experiencing a trend in the industry that shifts large volumes from one vendor, so now more than ever it is important to be at the forefront of technology to remain as efficient as possible, as well as making sure we offer multiple services to the client in order to maximize work potential. Above all, you must listen to the needs of your client and make sure the tasks are done on time. ere were many times early on that we worked 18 hour days just to make sure we were meeting our deadlines.