by Devon Elston, Small Business & Events Coordinator

Randy Riley, President/CEO of Archarithms, Inc. said he experienced total shock as he heard his name called as the 2019 Russell G. Brown Executive Leadership Award recipient.

“I had no idea or thought about winning… that was a big deal. A really big deal, it’s a huge honor,” said Riley. This award is given annually at the Chamber’s Small Business Awards Celebration to honor a business leader making a positive impact in the community.

As a Russellville, Alabama native, Riley has a lot of love and gratitude for our community. Since moving to the Huntsville area in 1986, Riley has had several offers to relocate to other major cities across the country for work, but has consistently declined. “[Huntsville] is a lot better in my opinion. It’s not gigantic, people seem to care about each other here, it’s a good place to raise your family,” he said. There’s a lot of opportunities, it’s a good technical environment… I enjoy living here. Probably never leave here.”

As is the case with most businesses, Archarithms, Inc. was not an overnight success. Riley attributes much of the company’s success to those who were willing to serve as mentors and champion for his vision. “You cannot get by, by yourself. You’ve got to have a lot of people helping you,” Riley explained. “You’ve got to be able to create a network and it’s up to you to manage that network — nobody’s going to manage it for you. You’ve got to nurture it along the way.”

For Riley, being a true leader involves doing the right thing even when it’s not the most popular approach, while also being a source of encouragement and support for your employees. “You’ve got to have high moral standards. A leader is more about helping somebody else than them helping you. I kind of work in an inverted triangle, I’m here to help you, you’re not here to help me,” he explained.

Ultimately, aside from continuing to grow his company and supporting the community, Riley aims to be someone others feel comfortable reaching out to for guidance and support. “I’m always the type of guy who wants to help you. If I can help you, I will.” Riley is certainly grateful to those who have been a part of his journey so far.

This article is published in the October 2019 issue of Initiatives magazine.