VESTED METALS | 2021 REVENUE: $8.85 MILLION
In the business world, timing is crucial. Work hard, and you will create your luck. However, fate doesn’t cause harm.
Viv Helwig 36, the founder, president, and owner of Vested Metals in St. Augustine.
The business he started in 2014 provides hard-to-find materials to businesses for special uses.
Helwig moved to Florida as a child and family members from Jamaica in 1992. He was raised at Palm Bay, playing basketball and enjoying sports.
He was interested in joining the world of sports or broadcasting. He went into Flagler College in St. Augustine, which he graduated from in 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration.
While at Flagler at Flagler, he pursued a passion for history and attended numerous lessons from Steve Voguit, a longtime educator.
Helwig was looking to market real estate properties and was employed as a clerk in the Flagler College admissions office when Voguit introduced him to one student from his past, Eric Lamm.
Lamm was an executive of Carpenter Technology Corp., producing and designing stainless steel and corrosion-resistant alloys.
The country was in recession. Lamm was working on the sales force that would increase the company’s sales as the economy grew.
“He was looking for people who had no prior experience in the field of steel. He was looking to build his sales team,” Helwig said.
It was a member of Lamm and was taught about steel manufacturing and buying.
“What we offer is what we observe everywhere that surrounds us. Our infrastructure is steel.” Helwig said.
Steel is all about relationships. The process of selling steel can take anywhere from three to four years.
Companies are taught the importance of trust, values, and integrity which are essential in the field.
“We know the major suppliers and players. We develop relationships that are total openness. Our products must be 100% accurate all the time,” Helwig said.
When Helwig quit Carpenter and went to Brittany, he was wed to Brittany and planned to purchase a small steel supply business. He was convinced he had an opportunity with South Florida. The deal was dissolved shortly before the closing.
Innovating a new business
They decided that they would move back to the city of St. Augustine and form Vested Metals. It wasn’t just that St. Augustine familiar territory; however, the airport, port railroad, and highway system are ideal for transporting goods.
When it was time to pick the name, Webster wanted an appealing one that would inspire confidence. Webster’s meaning for “vested” is “fully and unconditionally guaranteed as a legal right, benefit, or privilege.”
Helwig founded Vested Metals with $200,000. The rest of the money came from borrowing on his retirement funds and other funds he’d saved.
According to him, the couple had a modest lifestyle and invested in their dreams.
“We had been DINKs (dual income and no kids) and. We were disciplined. I believed a lot in having security. Contrary to my grandfather, who said he’d ever seen anyone in a hearse pulling a U-Haul from Cemetery,” the man said.
The couple has an 8-year-old daughter and two sons, 6 and 4.
Although Helwig does have connections to people he has met from his time working at Carpenter, Vested Metals did not initially have a lengthy list of clients. Like many startups, Helwig discovered the difficulties of working for long hours and being the last person to be paid, if they even had any.
It was that way in 2015 before the business could grow in the year 2017. He was paying his employees, but he didn’t pay himself.
“I discovered that timing is everything. I thought we’d been done. Then, a check for $7,691 by Chase Bank arrives. The moment I decided to sell my home at the end of 2012, I overpaid the escrow for five years. The money was essential to the reason we were able to go on,” he said.
Vested Metals is growing. Vested Metals’ revenue for 2021 for $8.55 million is more than twice that of 2020.
He anticipates that this year will have a 30 to 50% growth over 2021.
The company has also added more employees and has now reached 18.
Vested cuts steel sheets by the customer’s specifications to suit their machines. The company supplies manufacturers of medical appliances and transportation companies and has recently been authorized to sign contracts with government agencies. U.S. government.
He did not want to mention customers due to privacy concerns.

Viv Helwig started Vested Metals with $200,000. About $70,000 came from borrowing against his retirement savings and other cash he had put away. (Photo by Dede Smith)
Facing challenges
As with many businesses finding and keeping employees remains a problem.
Global events also have consequences for the company. Ukraine and its countries have supplied the raw materials used in numerous high-tech alloys.
The economic sanctions resulting from war can hurt the business.
“Companies are adamant about quality and there is a variety of natural resources available in Ukraine. Russia is a significant producer of titanium,” he said.
This trickles down and eventually to U.S. suppliers. Helwig stated that a U.S. mill recently announced that they were going to stop quoting prices in the next 30 days, which means no new orders will be placed.
“It’s only our turn. We’ve seen this happen to industrial and plastics as well as construction materials.”
Helwig has been stocking up on supplies whenever it is possible.
“I’ve required to boost supplies. Our customers are confident that we can get it,” he said.
“It’s all about sitting in the room. This is a company with longer-term visions. It’s about the way we treat our suppliers. It’s about creating something that’s sustainable.”
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