As seen in the August 2013 issue of Space Coast Business Magazine. Written by Josh Field:
Scott Sorensen: Entrepreneur
of the Year
by Josh Field
Scott Sorensen 2013 Entrepreneur of the Year.
Most entrepreneurs
create from a burning desire to fulfill a deep-seated vision that passionately
burns from within – whether it’s a new and innovative approach to solving a
common consumer need, a revolutionary technology that can positively impact the
world, or simply the desire to be one’s own boss. Sometimes, however,
entrepreneurs are borne from necessity or circumstance. Such might describe the
beginnings of local businessman Scott Sorensen.
In the Beginning
The fifth of six children born to Kay and Bill Sorensen, Scott was
just six months old when the family moved from Albany, NY to Eau Gallie so his
father, a truck driver, could open his own moving company. With a small
warehouse and one truck, Sorensen Moving & Storage opened its doors to
support the growing activity NASA was bringing to Cape Canaveral.
Scott, the youngest of
the three Sorensen sons, attended Ascension Catholic School in Melbourne and
then Eau Gallie High School (EGHS), where he followed in his brothers’
footsteps as an all-around athlete, particularly on the football field.
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Bill and Kay Sorensen at the Brevard beach with newborn son, Scott (1955)
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During Scott’s junior
year at EGHS, Bill Sorensen passed away following a bout with cancer, leaving
the business to his wife, who had little to no experience running a moving
company. To make matters worse, NASA’s Apollo program was winding down and, as
any longtime resident of Brevard County will tell you, so too was the local
economy.
“Seeking out and having
mentors, even to this day, has always been instrumental in my life,” said
Scott. Fortunately, he had his football coach, Bill McCall, to turn to during
this difficult time. “Coach McCall was like a father to me…he provided me with a
lot of encouragement and very tough love.” It was through this – and a lot of
hard work – that Scott landed a scholarship to play football at the University
of Miami. But when his coaches there decided to move to the University of
Kentucky, Scott played football at UK for a year before giving up his
scholarship and transferring to the University of Florida, where his older
brother, Doug, was playing football for the Gators.
By the time Scott – a
self-admitted poor student – hit his senior year at UF, Doug had graduated and
moved on to medical school while his other brother, Steve, was in law school.
Back home in Brevard, Kay was struggling to keep the business afloat. So when
she called Scott and asked him to come home and help her run the company, he packed
up his Gainesville home and moved back to the Space Coast.
Coming Home
It was 1977; the local
economy was in shambles, the company was teetering on going under, and Scott
had been home for just one week when his mother turned the business over to her
22-year-old son. “My mom was a tremendous mother but keeping a business going,
with no business background, while raising six children had taken its toll,”
said Scott.
“I remember that summer.
We had a small warehouse, one truck and a three-man crew. There was no money
for payroll; the company was broke,” recalled Scott. “So I literally drove
around town looking for homes with “For Sale” signs in their yard. I would
knock on their door and solicit their business.” His perseverance slowly paid
off as Sorensen Moving & Storage established its name and began to recover.
As luck would have it,
Harris Corporation moved to Melbourne in 1978, bringing with it a wave of
executives and high-tech workers requiring relocation services. Soon after,
Sorensen bought the property on Eau Gallie Boulevard where his company is still
headquartered today, and he became an agent for Allied Van Lines, a
relationship that lasted over three decades.
Long-time Friends and Business Associates
Joel Boyd has been
Sorensen’s attorney and friend for over 35 years. “Sorensen Moving &
Storage was one of my first decent legal clients,” reminisced Boyd. “Not only
have I had a very special professional and personal relationship with Scott and
his extended family over this time, but his future bride, Joan Hipps, was a UF
law student at the time; she worked for me as a legal intern during the summer
of 1979.” Scott and Joan were married in 1980.
“I met Scott in 1984
when I was in the commercial real estate business and he was looking to
purchase a building I had listed on Wickham Road,” recalled Brevard County
Commissioner Robin Fisher. “We met at 3 p.m., finalized the deal at 4 p.m. and
then spent the next 11 hours chatting, drinking beer and eating dinner – yes, I
left his house at 3 o’clock the next morning.” The two have been inseparable friends
ever since – and both are diehard Gator fans. “As a person goes, Scott is as
good as they get,” said Fisher. “He loves life, he loves his family, and he
knows how to laugh.”
Boyd agreed, “Scott
definitely is the adult version of ‘best all around.’ He is a wonderful family
man – husband, father, son and brother.”
Growing the Business
With his Brevard moving
and storage business doing well, Scott eyed expansion – first into Orlando (in
1993) and then Tampa (in 2004). He was soon recognized by Allied as one of the
top agents in their system, and was named Allied Global Agent of the Year in
2001. But by 2006, “I was running myself ragged,” said Scott. “I couldn’t find
a reliable leader in Orlando, so I started to contemplate retirement.” He tried
semi-retirement but quickly realized that wasn’t for him. “I’m a highly
motivated and competitive person,” said Scott. “I think that’s what really
makes me tick.
I’m a hard charger and I love working.”
So instead of retiring,
Sorensen refocused on his core business. He sold his storage companies in
Orlando and Tampa, and tightened up the ship in Brevard. “I learned at a very
early age that in business once you get on top, don’t let up or get complacent.
Keep working harder and out-work your competitors,” he said.
“Scott’s success has
come as the result of his hard work,” confirmed Todd Starkey, a financial
advisor with the Starkey Wealth Management Group of UBS in Melbourne and
long-time friend of Sorensen. “In addition to his family, Scott’s work is his
life. Running his companies is as much a hobby for him as it is a career. He
doesn’t really fish or play much golf; he just loves building businesses,
taking care of his customers, being with his family, working out and watching
his Gators.”
Mike McBride, founder of
McBride Marketing Group, which handles much of Sorensen’s marketing, concurs.
“Scott has what I call ‘quiet intensity.’ He may look calm and reserved, but he
is tenacious and extremely competitive.”
“Scott’s ego won’t let
him fail,” said Craig Technologies CEO Carol Craig, who served as an officer on
the Junior Achievement board of directors with Sorensen. “He is extremely
competitive and will do whatever it takes to win.” Added Fisher: “Scott knows
that success is in the details. He consistently raises the bar by setting high
goals for himself and his staff.”
As the nation went into
a deep recession, rather than rest on his laurels or simply defend his market
share, Scott looked for opportunities to diversify. In 2010, he launched
Sorensen Office Solutions, a full-service office furniture and design center
and licensed distributor for Herman Miller. Then, a year later, Harris Corp.
inquired whether Scott could store the company’s trade show materials, and
Sorensen Trade Show Services was born. This new organization not only utilizes
the company’s available warehouse space for storage of trade show booths and
materials, but also provides refurbishment, maintenance and transportation
services.
Soon afterward,
Sorensen’s core moving business was experiencing a major cultural shift due to
the merger of Allied Van Lines with North American Van Lines under the
ownership of Clayton, Dubilier and Rice, a private equity firm based in New
York City. Looking for a better fit, after over 30 years as an agent with
Allied, Sorensen severed the relationship to partner with Mayflower Transit.
Not only did this open new opportunities for geographical expansion but it
required a $500,000 rebranding makeover of the company’s headquarters and fleet
of moving vans. Sorensen’s familiar orange and black Allied vans were repainted
to Mayflower green – except, of course, for the blue and orange Gator trailer
that Sorensen has provided to the university football team for moving equipment
to and from all its away games over the past 10 years.
Family and Community
When not leading his
team at Sorensen Enterprises, Scott is more than content to spend time with his
family, including wife Joan, and children Elizabeth, who lives in Columbus, MS
with her husband, USAF Capt. Ben Oatley, and is expecting Scott and Joan’s
first grandchild this month; and Chris, who works for Sorensen Moving &
Storage, and is training to manage business development in Orlando for the
company.
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| Scott Sorensen and Joan Sorensen |
“Joan has really been
critical to my success – she’s the total package,” said Scott, “She’s very
level-headed and has been so supportive and instrumental to my career.” The
Duke University and University of Florida College of Law graduate put her
career on hold to raise the couple’s children and support her husband. “It’s
inspiring to see what a great job they did raising their children to be amazing
adults,” said McBride. “That kind of success in parenting speaks volumes to
their character. It also shows that a solid foundation at home is priceless
when building a successful business.”
Beyond his immediate family and his extended family of friends,
employees and business associates, Sorensen takes great pride in the community.
‘I’ve spent (basically) my whole life here in Brevard County…and it has given
me and my family so much that I feel privileged to be able to give back to it
as best I can,” said Scott. And like his leadership in his company, Sorensen is
known as one of the most giving and supportive community leaders throughout the
Space Coast. “Scott is truly one of the community leaders in the county,” said
2012 Entrepreneur of the Year Mike Williams. “Currently, he is on so many
boards and committees that recently I asked him if he had retired.”
“Scott’s generosity and
personal and business involvement in the community is a testament to his belief
that we are all in this together and you never know when you are the one who
will need help,” added Boyd. “He believes in sharing his good fortune as well
as helping someone carry their burden.” It’s for these characteristics, values
and contributions that Scott Sorensen has been named the 2013 Entrepreneur of
the Year.
