Bryan Riley - Provectus Technical Solutions

“theClubhou.se is a Jewel Within the Community”

Ten years ago, H. Bryan Riley, Ph.D. was an engineer at General Motors Corporation in Michigan. Facing a layoff, he decided to start his own automotive engineering services business, Provectus Technical Solutions, LLC.

Today, he aims to help new entrepreneurs—just like he was—by supporting theClubhou.se.

Riley read an article about theClubhou.se shortly after leaving Detroit, when he returned to the Aiken area in 2017 as his mother’s health was failing. “It was a no-brainer to join,” he says, “considering the investment relative to the business networking resources.” 

Riley, whose work experience includes Sandia National Laboratories, Delphi Automotive and Honeywell Aerospace, was an active attendee of theClubhou.se’s monthly seminars that bring together entrepreneurs, small business owners, cybersecurity experts, academia and others. He says he both gained and contributed his knowledge at those events, eventually developing informal mentoring relationships with a couple of young entrepreneurs. The value of theClubhou.se, he says, “is those intangibles, of working in an area where others are working through similar concerns and constraints as they develop, grow and sustain their businesses.” 

It’s why, he says, he’s continued to keep his membership active, even though he now is working full-time as professor in The College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Science, at Clemson University. “I’m getting to the age where giving back is a significant component of self-actualization,” he says. “Underrepresented populations in STEM areas have unique challenges, whereas I have a significant breadth and depth of experiences to share with those looking to be enterprising contributors in tech fields. The desire is to actively witness and support women, African-Americans, LatinX and others who are underrepresented so they can flourish and increase their numbers in this area.” 

He also continues to be one of theClubhou.se’s biggest boosters, regularly encouraging others to join. “As a physical workspace, it’s got a great view,” he says. “From there, it’s the opportunity to network and be in an environment that has the resources to help individual businesses grow and figure out where they want to market their talents and perhaps develop partnership synergies.”

According to theClubhou.se’s 2021 data, since its inception it has helped grow more than 200 companies, creating more than 1,500 jobs, and its programs and services have reached more than 25,000 people. “It’s a jewel within the community,” says Riley. “It’s such a valued resource as a launch point and support point for entrepreneurs. For me, it’s the value of being an organization like that that keeps me checking yes in terms of the financial debit monthly charges.”