Entrepreneur Of The Year

High energy

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A lot of entrepreneurs start new businesses. Sheri Tackett, the founder and president of Delta Energy LLC, had the added challenge of starting a new business formed from an established business.

The president and founder of Delta Energy LLC began her administrative career at Ashland Inc., eventually rising to lead the company’s energy services branch. When Ashland made the decision to sell off its energy services six years ago, Tackett decided to take the biggest risk of her career and buy the entity from Ashland.

She knew she would have the opportunity to retain a talented management team, an established customer base and strong client relationships, but she would need the funding to make the purchase. That is where the risk came into play.

With the blessing of her family and the pledge of all their assets — including their home as collateral — Tackett took the biggest gamble of her life and made the acquisition from Ashland. But the risk didn’t end there. She needed to find someone to underwrite the existing energy contracts, a difficult task for established companies, let alone an individual with no balance sheet or history.

The result was the rebranding of the company to Delta Energy, and a subsequent effort from Tackett and her management team to reassure customers that Delta would provide the same high level of service as when the company was controlled by Ashland.

The effort of Tackett and her leadership team has yielded results. The company experienced no customer or supplier turnover in the short term, and six years later, Tackett has doubled her number of employees and the company’s revenue. Even more noteworthy, more than 50 percent of the company’s growth is due to referrals.

Tackett has built Delta by harnessing three of the qualities that best describe her — determination, passion and tenacity.

How to reach: Delta Energy LLC, (614) 339-2600 or www.deltaenergyllc.com