June 2018

216 217 ment, I knew I wanted to start my own company,” she recounts. In the beginning of 2012, just one month after a company called Shore Solutions opened its doors for business, Banker was hired as Vice President of Operations.The company specialized in military, federal, and state sales, and provided a wide assort- ment of products to its clients, including: Tactical, Industrial/MRO (Maintenance, Repair &Operations); Safety/PPE (Personal Protective Equipment); Stor- age/Warehousing; HeavyMachinery/Construction Equipment; Shipboard Items; Food Service; and Furniture and Office Supplies. From 2012 to 2015, Shore Solutions grew from $500k to over $7million in revenue. By the end of 2015, Banker had concluded that, though the com- pany had been successful thus far, it needed a seri- ous makeover to take it to the next level.“Shore had done so well over the past several years, but with- out a total shift in ownership, I knew that it would not continue on its path of success,” she explains. “We lacked passion and integrity and I knew these were vital for Shore to reach its full potential.”So Banker decided to offer a buyout plan to the current CEO,which he accepted, and she became the sole owner of the firm. “Our primary goal for Shore Solutions was to fill the gaps in the supply chain process for our local military, here in San Diego,”Banker explains.“Es- sentially,we wanted to help our military get the support they needed to be mission ready.” Over time, Banker began to understand that her mili- tary customers were not alone in the issues they were facing. “Over the years, we realized that the SHORE SOLUTIONS challenges and complexities of procurement weren’t just with our active duty military, but it was with our federal con- tracting officers, our state entities, local law enforcement, and many more organizations that deal with the government pro- curement processes. So, that’s how we have evolved over the years, and that’s how we became a premier solutions provider in the federal marketplace.” Today, eight of Shore Solutions’ 17 employees are ex-mil- itary, and Banker believes that that ratio provides the com- pany with one of its competitive advantages. “Because we’ve walked in the shoes of the people that we’re serving, it allows us to be able to empathize with them,” she claims. “So, what sets us apart, first and foremost, is our exceptional customer service. The people we serve are serving others, and, in know- ing that, the people that I hire are in alignment with what we believe and feel. There are a ton of businesses that do what we do in the industry that we’re in, but very few do it with the passion and integrity that Shore Solutions does. And I think that’s what sets us apart from a lot of organizations currently in the industry.” Another one of Shore Solutions’ competitive advantages Our primary goal for Shore Solutions was to fill the gaps in the supply chain process for our local mil- itary, here in San Diego,. Essentially, we wanted to help our military get the support they needed to be mission ready. LIZ BANKER VP OF OPERATIONS