Inc. Magazine – September 2019

106 ● INC. ● SEPTEMBER 2019 ● ● ● PHOTOGRAPH BY HEAMI LEE

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Man of Steel

After spending five years learning the ropes at a

specialty steel company, Viv Helwig couldn’t shake the

desire to head up his own. So he raised capital from

angel investors, put in a bid to buy a metal distributor,

and moved to Florida with his wife and 8-month-old

daughter to close the deal. “When it fell through, I

started from scratch,” the Jamaica native says. He

launched Vested Metals International, selling steel and

other metals to industries like health care and aero-

space. In those early days, Helwig says, “I remember

trying to get work at Target to pay my bills, and praying

to God: If it’s meant to happen, it will.” Inventory was

cash-intensive, and nine months in, the startup’s coffers

ran dry. But Helwig pushed through—and five years later,

he’s come a long way from needing any sort of second

job. —KATE ROCKWOOD

Three-year growth 1,423.7% | 2018 revenue $2.6M

St. Augustine, Florida | Founded in 2014

Viv Helwig

VESTED METALS

INTERNATIONAL

No.324

Heavy Metal

Some of Vested’s cobalt-chrome

and nickel-based alloys are

designed to withstand temperatures

as high as 1,300 degrees Fahren-

heit—which is crucial to industries

like aerospace and defense.