CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 5 2022 7 public officials from across the entire United States during the closing days of February 2020, a time when the public at-large was just learning about this newly discovered, but rapidly evolving virus that would become the COVID-19 pandemic. With lockdowns forcing people out of their jobs and into their homes, it became the responsibility of public officials to initiate a comprehensive pandemic response. That responsibility trickled down to the counties, towns, cities and villages where local leaders struggled to contain the spread of a virus, let alone balance the financial books. As a fintech solution to the monetary uncertainties of a regular fiscal year, the liquidity-management and data gleaned through cashVest and the analysis provided by three+one became the lifeline for understanding the economic impact to local communities everywhere. So much, in fact, that during the COVID-19 pandemic, three+one was deemed an essential service by its clients in managing their liquidity needs who likewise relied heavily on the Pathway to Recovery®, a program created as model for entities negatively impacted by the upheaval of the marketplace. The most crucial value to clients, however, is rooted not just in three+one being the singular provider of liquidity data services, but also from the lens through which it offers a common understanding with those they serve. The founders and key management have in the past been, and continue to serve as, public officials in their own communities. CEO and Co-Founder Joe Rulison’s vision for what was to become three+one stems back to the 1980s where he was originally an investment advisor, and he saw the potential growth of professional money management. Following this, he purchased a Register Investment Advisor (RIA) firm in the late 1990s and named it Rulison & Company. During that time, Rulison & Company specialised in working with high-net-worth individuals and non-profit organisations. Joe commented, “We soon needed to differentiate this firm in a fast-growing, more competitive workplace. We needed to become more creative and become a community leader with board involvements. These market factors pushed me to become an entrepreneur.” In 2001, together with the great help of his business partner, Peter Forsgren, Muniflow, a division of Rulison & Company was sold to Bank of America. His bank experience as Market President with Bank of America, coupled with the role as Managing Director of J.P. Morgan, provided Joe with the opportunity to learn from the best in strategic planning, distribution, risk-andcompliance oversight, and partnership agreements. Joe said, “My experience as an entrepreneur, a public official, a college board chair and trustee, and a government banker provided me with the broad experience necessary to offer a 360-degree perspective in building a company, gathering a very talented team, and attracting a unique client base with tremendous growth potential.” In discussing his idealized vision in the early days of three+one, Joe reflected on the unexpected and nearly debilitating health setback to his own vision, his eyesight. At the age of 58, just a year after officially launching three+one with his business partner, and now-COO Peter Forsgren, Joe lost sight in both eyes. The firm was growing and adding talent, major funding had been secured and put behind the technology, yet Joe quite literally could not see it happening. Thankfully, through dozens of surgeries and procedures over the span of three years, Joe was able to regain most of the sight in his eyes, and his vision, both his own and that for his company, now stem from a markedly deeper meaning. “This was a journey built on ‘blind strengths’,” Joe stated. “I was not going to be stopped frommaking a dream become a reality for my team, our clients and shareholders, and my family.” And while most fintech firms build the technology first and see if the marketplace will respond, three+one took a different approach. Joe explained, “Upon identifying an underserved marketplace, the three+one team created a need, developed innovative solutions to fill the need, then worked with our clients to tailor specific liquidity modelling that could build a national presence. As a result, we created and are now distributing liquidity management services that public entities and higher-Ed institutions are adopting.” three+one continues to stay ahead of the curve in technology, looking to drive the highest standard of client service, while developing new markets, with new product platforms, and in new areas of the country. It achieves this through creative branding, heavy social media, national distribution, and strong client references and word of mouth. Joe has said that he therefore foresees three+one’s revenue growth to exceed 100% annually over the next five years, with high client retention and ever stronger adoption of its platforms nationally. In terms of his leadership approach, Joe believes that there is no issue that cannot be resolved with a welldeveloped solution. “I firmly believe in the highest values and ethics of business,” he said. “It is far easier to do everything right the first time rather than taking up time correcting wrongs or repairing ‘cut corners’. To me, clients always come first, and our strong, positive company culture ensures that always happens.” He continued, “Vision, belief, passion, and determination in making a difference to the public entities and communities we serve form the foundation three+one is built on. It is in our company’s DNA and our social conscious commitment to serve the financial interests of public entities and higher-Ed institutions of all sizes and locales. We are as unique as a company as we are as a team. We’re a jigsaw puzzle comprised of many pieces of incredible talent that together create an image of hope, growth, and a bright future for those entities, their communities, our employees, and those who have invested in three+one.” “Ultimately, one’s reputation is everything. But legacy is setting a path for others to walk alongside, while creating new paths for an even better future.” Regarding the future, three+one is only just getting started. Joe shared, “We will not feel complete until we have reached every local community in the United States and beyond. three+one is in a unique niche that offers great value to our clients and prospects. We want to make a difference in each community and organisation we serve, and it is our goal to reach over $1.0b in new savings and income for the communities we serve by the end of 2022, and over $10.0b by 2025.” And speaking about his plans for his own career, he said, “My passion is to continue building three+one and to help communities benefit from what we have learned. As a family, my wife, Karen, and I love to give back to our community and financially support causes that help those who cannot otherwise help themselves, providing them with the same opportunities that were granted for me.” Company: three+one Contact: Joseph Rulison Email: [email protected] Website: www.threeplusone.us
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