Zach Wilson

Managing Director

Alfatech VestAsia Pte Ltd

2014

Asia's Leading SMEs

Zach Wilson

Asia's Leading SMEs

2014

Managing Director

Alfatech VestAsia Pte Ltd

ABOUT zach

“In 10 years we may be bigger, the same size or smaller, but the bottom line for this company is we are delivering for our clients. Anything they want, on time, on budget and in a way that we can all be proud of. Simply put, we see ourselves providing valuable service to clients who value service.”

Established in 2007 in Singapore, AlfaTech VestAsia is a leading provider of turnkey design, advisory and project management solutions across the Asia-Pacific Region.

According to its CEO, Zachary Wilson, AlfaTech is able to create a seamless capital expansion experience for multinationals seeking overseas growth by bridging the technical, quality and customer service gaps between industry best practices and the ground realities they face.

The company has in-house mechanical, electrical and technology engineers to enable a client’s technical requirements and, optimise their operations. With its VestAsia partner, the company is also in a position to provide a complete suite of real estate services such as advisory and brokerage.

AlfaTech VestAsia has won several awards including the PSME 500 award, SME 1000 award for most promising SME (presented by the DP Group) and the Asia Corporate Excellence and Sustainability Award for Top SM Es in Asia, defining it as one of the most trusted and respected names in project management.

Alfa Tech VestAsia is proud to boast that 80 percent of its revenue comes from return clients. “If you serve them well, you grow and they use you again and again,” explains Wilson. “New clients are our greatest ambition, but only so we can develop the long-term trust and ongoing commitment to them that we live and die by.”

Alfa Tech offers a complete suite of real estate, high-tech project management and engineering services to clients across multiple industries who are looking at Singapore or SE Asia for strategic relocation. They have served clients in the advanced technology, pharmaceuticals, hospitality, education and entertainment space. Its client list includes Ultratech, lchor Systems, Facebook, Hill Rom, Lucas Film and several other growing multinationals. It also serves a large spectrum of clients with on-going IT and facility management needs. It is also a licensed reseller of several computing and enterprise technology products including servers, computers, laptops and software at competitive pricing and with a personalised service touch.

What in AlfaTech’s business model ensures that the company will be able to weather the storms of change and economic downturns of the future?

“A combination of widely experienced senior management and scalable, multi-skilled people enables us to shore up against economic fault lines. Our advisory team comprises professionals who have spent 20+ years in the industry and have a clear foresight and understanding of where opportunities lie. We also continuously work to explore new opportunities, increase our productivity and invest in capital resources that will make us better,” Wi Ison elaborated.

What about Alfa Tech’s products or services is different from what others are offering? “We do project management better than others by putting more heart, more resources and more intelligence at stake than any other in the industry. We are not just project managers, but a team of highly-qualified professionals who manage projects. We are in the customer service business, we just happen to build great things.”

At AlfaTech, they keep their finger on the pulse of market demands and have a lot of contacts as they spend a lot of time investing in relationships.

“We genuinely care about our clients, vendors, peers, and in some cases even our competitors. This interest and sincerity gives us tremendous access to candidates and frank information that keeps us in tune with the market. “Our mission is to provide the best customer service; to apply the skill and passion of our people to consistently exceed client expectations and de-risk their capital expansion experience.”

He sees little changing in the next 10 years: “Continuing to provide the highest level of customer service to our clients. Caring for their needs and building great projects. That is what we do. If we stop doing that we are done. In 10 years we may be bigger, the same size or smaller, but the bottom line for this company is we are delivering for our clients. Anything they want, on time, on budget and in a way that we can all be proud of. Simply put, we see ourselves providing valuable service to clients who value service.”

What is important about this business is that they have hallmarked themselves on customer service. You aren’t just dealing with a project manager, engineer or developer – you get it all. They bring the best practices of the world to every project as appropriate to exceed client expectations.

LEADING THE WAY

Much of any company’s success rests on its leaders and AlfaTech VestAsia is no different. What makes Zachary Wilson, Managing Director of AlfaTech VestAsia Pte Ltd and Deputy Managing Director of VestAsia Group Pte Ltd tick?

Wilson has over 12 years of experience in engineering, construction and real estate development. His specialty is delivering complex projects such as mixed use developments, manufacturing, cleanrooms and datacentres in the most sustainable and cost efficient manner. He is adept at project execution in emerging markets and in addition to his projects in Singapore, Malaysia and China, Wilson has developed over two million square feet of mixed-use real estate development projects in San Francisco prior to setting up the AlfaTech VestAsia office in Singapore in 2007.

He is a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Accredited Professional, a member of CoreNet Global and the Urban Land Institute (ULI). Wilson has an MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering (2005) from Stanford University and a B.S. in Construction Engineering Technology (2003) from Montana State University. Of his education, he says: “Montana State taught me how to work hard, and Stanford taught me how to dream big and never settle. That combination is important.”

Role models were plentiful when growing up: “It’s a bit silly, but I have been enamoured since kindergarten by Abraham Lincoln. Also by my family patriarchs and matriarchs. Some because they fought in World War 11, others on the home front raising families and living pioneering, self-reliant lives … very inspiring indeed.

He doesn’t just gauge success in financial ways: “Being honest and having integrity, raising children well and truly caring about others. We all think money is the answer, but it has nothing to do with ultimate value. I am not a leader, I am a servant. I serve my clients, employees and vendors to ensure they all survive. That is the attitude that I have and am committed to.”

Of his free time, Wilson says: “I love to fly fish, explore nature in solitude and am developing a love for golf, although I am terrible at the game. Having grown up on a farm in rural America (he hails from Oregon) the solitude is important.”

Parting words of advice to anyone wanting to start a business? “You are not your thoughts. Care about people. Stick with it.”