Riley Fitt-Chappell graduated college and took up various management positions involving construction and salvage. He found his niche in commodity supply before opening his own company in 2010. Government Services Corporation, a multi-faceted contracting company, earned $7.9 million in revenue in 2012.
GovServ, as it is known, specializes in filling government contracts. The company has done everything from Air Force fuel supply to working on contracts in the Kodiak. He built the company with a strong Web-base, ensuring that potential clients from across the United States can take advantage of the services it offers. Based in Moscow, Idaho, GovServ provides remote support for natural resource transportation, construction, salvage, security, and logistics.
Riley Fitt-Chappell founded it specifically to fill defense contracts and repurpose federal properties, but today the company has snowballed into something bigger. Its motto, “If I cannot find a way, I will make one,” definitely holds true for GovServ. It is managed by professionals with more than 40 combined years of contracting experience, making it a one-stop resource for government agencies like the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the 27th Special Operations Group, Fort Bragg and the U.S. Army Special Operations Forces, and the Department of the Interior.
He utilized his business talents, financial planning, and cooperative efforts to build the company into what it is today. The most unique aspect is its remote contracting, which allows GovServ to work on projects across the nation. He enjoys spending his spare time with his wife, whom he met in high school, and watching his two sons compete in sports.
Born in Anchorage, Alaska, in 1982, Riley Fitt-Chappell attended Spring Hill Elementary before moving to Kodiak. Throughout school, he was active in chess, athletics like basketball and football, and taking advantage of Alaska’s outdoor potential. He lettered in baseball, basketball, and football at Chugiak High School and helped the football team take home second place in an all-state competition.
Riley Fitt-Chappell became interested in fishing while working in a fishing lodge in Alaska. He was also active in other activities like hunting, climbing, snowboarding, and other outdoor activities that Alaska is known for.
He was and remains an active contributor in his community. He understands that every bit helps when it comes to building a better world, and worked on Pepsi Cola adopt-a-highway programs and even volunteered at Building Blocks Child Care Center where he reads to children. His charity extends to working for and donating to food banks, church missions, and the Salvation Army.
He became interested in cars, one of his favorite hobbies, in high school. His first project, a 1969 Chevy Impala, was a complete restoration. During his junior and senior year he worked on a 1972 GMC Jimmy restoration. Restoring classic cars is not an easy task and requires years of practical experience and an eye for perfection. A car’s body, soul, and heart (frame, style, and engine) all need attention. A lot of car enthusiasts make the mistake of over-indulging in their own personalities, turning a classic restoration into a modern spin on something old.
A lot of car restorers buy old piles of scrap, refurbish them, and sell them to other collectors. Each step takes hundreds of hours of hard work and sweat, something Riley Fitt-Chappell has come to understand throughout his own life and entrepreneurial success.
Riley Fitt-Chappell was voted “most likely to succeed after graduation,” and nothing has proved otherwise. He left high school cum laude and was recruited on a full-ride football scholarship to Washington State University. His turned away from his computer science major and switched to management information systems while balancing sports and his social life. Throughout college, he collected several dean’s list accommodations and eventually graduated cum laude in his fifth year. He stayed an extra year to take advantage of the five-year scholarship to complete a second major in finance.
He met his wife in home room during his freshman year of high school. They were married and today are kept busy raising two boys and their young daughter.
Career Path
After college, Riley Fitt-Chappell became a general manager for several different construction companies and commodities businesses. The work did not satisfy him, though, and soon he took the dangerous entrepreneurial plunge many people make and succeeded (a plunge where many people fail).
He founded Government Services Corporation, GovServ, in 2010. His first year yielded $2.2 million in revenue and an additional $5.7 million by 2012. He focused the business on remote contracting and has built a network of contacts throughout the U.S. in order to fill contracts as efficiently as possible.
As any entrepreneur knows, starting a business is not an easy task. It requires forward-thinking, consistency, capital, time, and risk. From hiring staff and marketing to managing accounts and filling contracts, entrepreneurs are faced with endless barriers that only get taller as time goes on. Riley Fitt-Chappell streamlined his startup by focusing his business on government services, allowing him to build a reputation throughout the industry through renowned contacts.
Since its founding, GovServ has worked with several different government agencies, including:
• Federal Aviation Administration
• U.S. Air Force
• Arctic Warriors
• Bureau of Land Management
• Fort Bragg
• U.S. Department of Homeland Security
• U.S. Customs and Border Protection
• Kodiak Alaska: Coast Guard Air Station Search & Rescue
• 27th Special Operations Group
The company has the potential to fulfill any number of roles in a contract, including fuel supply, security systems, energy, provisions, and commodity management.
The Kodiak Alaska project, one of GovServ’s bigger contracts, involved redeveloping a vital World War II supply base that included Fort Abercrombie and Fort Greely. The base played a huge role in the Pacific Theater and has since acted as a search and rescue base for the Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea at a cost to the environment. The Buskin River Restoration Project aims to restore the landscape and open salmon streams that were originally damaged.
He also has several contracts as a fuel supplier. The armed forces and border agencies like the New Mexico Border Patrol, the 27th Special Operations Wing and Cannon Air Force Base, the U.S. Air Force, and Fort Bragg have fuel shipped to them by the company.
When it comes to running a business, especially one with national agencies like the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as a client, even the smallest disaster has big influences. Crisis management, a system many companies are utilizing, is when a business creates plans to deal with crisis. This goes beyond a simple “backup plan,” though, and includes creating a mentality and mission statement that allows the business to survive even the most challenge struggles.
Versatility, more than anything, is important to recover from a crisis. Entrepreneurs like Riley Fitt-Chappell have the flexibility to adapt in the ever-changing world of commerce by taking advantage of advancing technology and government regulations. But no matter how prepared a company is, faceless crisis inevitably come at unexpected times. Having a strong employee base is the number one priority for any startup. A business owner wants people who fit the tempo and carry a successful attitude from day to day and never once doubt their decisions to join the company.
He understands the basics of crisis management and how to turn a mountain into a molehill. He combines his experience as a contractor, athlete, and all-around communicative person to oversee adversity and challenges. Communication, especially in terms of remote businesses, is important for both contractors and clients. Using good business practice to create business-to-client and in-house communications channels, Riley Fitt-Chappell is looking forward to years of continued growth.
Riley Fitt-Chappell is vital in his business’s success. Government Services Corporation, though only three years old, has already made a name for itself in the national contracting industry. Its most unique aspect, remote contracting, is a highly sought-out practice that is able to work on projects more efficiently than traditional hands-on techniques.
Remote contracting evolves every day due to advancements in technology and the changing corporate landscape. GovServ looks to stay ahead of the game by keeping contacts and clients aware of the company’s actions and embracing advanced communication systems.
Its prior projects are only a foundation; in time, Government Services Corporation hopes to fulfill hundreds of different contracts ranging from the Armed Forces to the smallest agencies in the national government. This amount of diversity is vital to the company’s future success. By opening himself and his business up to different projects and energy contracts, Riley Fitt-Chappell is already far and away ahead of the competition.
Businesses fail when they neglect to branch out and test the waters. Where would Apple rank if it did not get into mobile phones? Trying new things allows businesses to stay active and avoid stagnation. Businesses comfortable with staff, pay scales, projects, and workloads are not expected to last any longer than clients want them to.
He continues advancing his business as he raises his family, hoping to instill his love for athletics and outdoor adventure to his two sons and daughter. He understands that a person’s past experiences make him or her what they are today, and often the most influential people have dabbled in a slew of different hobbies and careers.