IRSC NEWS
ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR
36
Ci’S STORK NAMED
TCBusiness.com
IRSC
Robert “Bob” Stork, founder and CEO of Communications International, addresses attendees at the annual IRSC Entrepreneur of the Year event.
Robert “Bob” Stork, founder and CEO
of Communications International, was
named Entrepreneur of the Year for 2020
by the Indian River State College Foundation.
Stork was recognized for the honor
on Feb. 26 at a gala dinner at the Richardson
Center at IRSC’s Mueller Campus
in Vero Beach. Bank of America was the
presenting sponsor of this year’s gala.
An industry veteran with a degree in
electrical sciences, Stork spent his career
creating designs and delivering essential
emergency systems for federal, state and
local governmental agencies throughout
the United States and across the globe.
With his late partner Howard Culver, Stork
founded Communications of Vero Beach
in 1975 and grew it into a leading wireless
systems integrator specializing in the
design and implementation of mission
critical communications systems for the
federal, state and local public safety, utility
and transit industries. In 1979, the company
incorporated as Communications
International Inc., also known as Ci.
“Howard Culver retired in 1982, and Bob
was only 32 years old when he acquired
the business,” remarks Ann Decker, executive
director of the IRSC Foundation.
“Ci flourished due to Bob’s remarkable
entrepreneur spirit and authentic leadership.
These qualities, ingrained in him by
his parents, led to tremendous growth
for the company and for its employees.”
Today Ci has nine locations throughout
the southeast and is the largest distributor
of Harris public safety radio equipment for
the southeastern United States.
In 2010, Stork transitioned out of the
role of company owner, passing the business
on to the people who cared about it
most — its employees. Today, Ci is a 100
percent employee-owned company and
its employee owners share in the success
of the business and have the ability to
influence its performance through their
individual contributions.
“Bob is not only a successful entrepreneur,
he is an incredible philanthropist
whose devotion to serving others has
made this community a better place for us >>
BY SUZANNE SELDES
/TCBusiness.com