Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeevan Tillit
Hi Jeevan, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
In 2009, the housing and financial crisis was impacting everyone in Florida, including my mom, Carmin Tillit, who lost her job. One day, she received a call from a subcontractor who needed help with their building permit. My mom, who had previously worked for general contractors in Miami-Dade, not only had many contacts within the industry, but she also had experience pulling permits. This call made her realize there was a need for reliable permit expeditors in South Florida who could assist developers, contractors, and property owners with obtaining their building permits. That night, she and I worked on the incorporation papers for the company.
Within the first few months of operation, the business grew significantly, and she needed help organizing the finances. This is where I came in. At the time, I was a valet parker while studying finance and economics at Florida International University (FIU). I bought QuickBooks and mastered it. The business continued to expand — all by word of mouth. In 2010, the company was rebranded and became known as East of Collins Expediting (EOCE).
In 2013, after a few very successful years in business and a growing client list, we opened our first commercial office in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida. Today, EOCE employs 25 people while it continues to grow and hire. We handle not only building permits but also business licenses, special event permits and other supporting services for the Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach County region.
As president & CEO of the company, I am invested in making EOCE an industry leader in South Florida and even branching out into other areas while always maintaining a white glove service.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The path to entrepreneurship is never a smooth road and as you grow, you will find more speed bumps along the way. We recently had to deal with a difficult situation. As a company, we have experienced many years of consistent growth, going from a team of two employees – its two founders – to a team of 30 employees. With this growth, high-level executives were able to delegate many operational functions to other staff members, allowing them to focus part of their time on other ventures.
However, a few months ago, we experienced an inordinate amount of turnover in manager positions—individuals we had entrusted with sensitive confidential information and client relationships. Over time, we began learning that some of these individuals had been clandestinely siphoning our business for their own personal gain while still being paid by the company. To make matters worse, these individuals—some of whom started in low-level positions and were groomed in a way that allowed them to assume high-level, high-paying positions—had secretly developed competing businesses. These competitive businesses were and are being run despite the individuals signing non-compete agreements. The unlawful competition even includes the targeting of our clients these individuals serviced while being paid by us.
A major pivot had to occur.
High-level executives had to put the other ventures on pause and conducted an internal investigation that yielded troubling findings. Once we determined how far the siphoning scheme had spread, we had to discharge several of the offending individuals on the same day—something that led to significant disruption.
The damage was deep, as was the disappointment. We knew that he had to identify the vulnerabilities within our company and tighten the operation. The executives who were focusing on high-level business matters now had to assume operational roles. They had to get back on the field and liaise with city officials and customers. Because we found ourselves in an operational role, we put our executive hats on hold and moved our desks out of the private glass executive offices, and into the open workspace with all the project managers.
It was – and remains — “all hands-on deck.” Our business was – and continues to be —under attack. We, however, have been doing what led to our success in the first place—outworking the competition, no matter how many hats we need to wear, no matter how much effort it takes.
As you know, we’re big fans of East of Collins Expediting (EOCE). For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
EOCE is a premier permit expediting service provider servicing clients throughout South Florida. Founded in 2009 and rebranded in 2010, EOCE is based in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida, and is a partner for the construction and real estate industries helping facilitate the building permit and business licensing process for tens of thousands of property and business owners across the Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Services we offer include construction permits, business licenses, special event permits, and other supporting services.
Throughout the years, EOCE has handled and secured a number of permits for high-profile real estate developments, hotels, restaurants and event organizers. Included among our extensive roster of clients are Acqualina, Bitcoin Conference, Boucher Brothers, Crescent Heights, Faena, Ice Palace Studios, Jazz in the Gardens, Loan Depot Park, Nylon House, One Hotel, Opa Locka Airport, Related Group, Ritz-Carlton South Beach, Rolling Loud, Stiles Construction, Surfcomber, Tala Beach Club, The Fillmore Theater, The New World Symphony Miami Beach, Ultra Music Festival, Untitled Art Fair, and W Hotel.
What EOCE does is very niche, and something that most developers, contractors, engineers, architects, and homeowners don’t usually like to deal with. We help mitigate a cumbersome process while alleviating what is a big pain point for many who have to obtain building permits for renovations or new developments.
EOCE works with more than 80 municipalities – each with different requirements and rules – throughout the South Florida area, with its main focus being Miami, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Aventura, Sunny Isles Beach, North Miami and North Miami Beach.
Our steady growth for the past 15 years, simply by word of mouth and referrals, is a testament to our continued push for excellence and world-class client service.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up I was always inquisitive. I would question everything and wanted to understand the logic behind why things were or worked a certain way.
While I was mostly an introvert, I was and remain highly intuitive. I would walk into a room and immediately feel the energy of the room and almost hear people’s thoughts. This would cause me to mainly stay quiet and simply observe and take mental notes.
One of my major motivations growing up was around making money. While a Boy Scout, I learned to sell popcorn to the neighborhood. Once I exited the Boy Scouts, I pivoted to selling Jolly Rancher lollipops in school. I would have my grandmother take me to Walmart so I could buy the big bags of lollipops. After lollipops, it was Pokémon and sports cards. I think this entrepreneurial mentality is what ultimately led me to start my own business.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://eastofcollins.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eastofcollins/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eastofcollins
