Client Spotlights
Owen Igori
Owen Igori
Union, New Jersey
What Owen Igori loves most about entrepreneurship is that no one can limit his goals or success. While he comes from a long line of entrepreneurs and leans on the insights of his mentors and wife, Joy, Owen values the freedom of dictating his own future.
Despite his entrepreneurial roots, Owen didn’t always know he wanted to be an entrepreneur. Before embracing his entrepreneurial spirit, he lacked the confidence to pursue this path. With time and more information, his self-assurance grew. Owen believes life is a gamble, so he decided that if he was going to bet on anything, it should be himself. For Owen, commercial real estate was the most natural step into small business ownership. Both of his parents were real estate investors, as was his grandfather on his dad’s side, and he learned about property management organically as he listened to them go about their work when he was growing up.
Now, Owen and Joy own Tier 1 Management, a property management company that has expanded into construction. They specialize in roofing, HVAC, preventative maintenance and land management.
Owen learned about federal procurement from his local Small Business Development Center. They encouraged him to explore government contracting and reach out to UCEDC’s APEX Accelerator for help. Owen says UCEDC’s Procurement Specialist, Jennifer Garofolo, mapped out the steps he needed to take, who to speak with, and what to focus on.
On their first call, Jennifer walked Owen through key certifications and followed up with the top resources needed in federal procurement. She continued to send federal opportunities, provide guidance, and was always available when he had questions. When he started winning contracts, Jennifer encouraged him to keep going and build on his momentum, which Owen says was a tremendous help. Since then, Tier One Management has been awarded five federal contracts, including agreements with the National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Department of Agriculture for roofing, pest control and property management.
After years of practice, Owen believes that having faith in yourself and being your own biggest supporter is key to success. The world will often tell you what you can’t do, but Owen knows from experience that with the right knowledge, tools, and people, you can accomplish more than you ever imagined.
Owen Igori was also featured in our 2024 Annual Highlights which you can read here.