January 2014
| Business World Magazine | 145
J
ay VanOrden was living the dream.
He founded his own telecom/net-
work solutions business a few years
out of college, quickly became successful
with it, and, just 12 years after its found-
ing, sold it to a public company and re-
tired by age 39.
All seemed ideal for the Sussex Coun-
ty, N.J. native. But it wasn’t until he was
left to a life of golf, sailing and fishing that
he realized just how much he enjoyed the
other rewards he got from being involved.
“The first few months were great, but
six months later I was crawling out of my
skin,” he says. “To be honest, it was one
of the worst times of my life. I was bored
to death. I realized I needed a challenge
in my life on the professional side. That’s
what led me to get back into the industry.
“What I found out about myself is
what excites me and what I’m passionate
about is building and growing an organi-
zation.”
