Alpha Business Solutions

Gene Waddy, CEO of Alpha Business Solutions, operates a payroll and staffing company based in Red Bank, New Jersey. His entrepreneurial journey began in 2005 when, after working for a large staffing firm for over a decade, Gene was laid off, and he found himself at a crossroads. He was dissatisfied with the control that “powers-that-be” held over his career and life trajectory. He believed to gain that control, he needed to create his own opportunity to realize his aspirations and potential.

Leveraging his existing relationships with big names such as World Bank, Phillip Morris, IBM, and HP, Gene assumed that he would be able to hit the ground running when he started his own business. However, like many MBEs, Gene's growth was constrained by difficulties accessing capital. Fortunately, he was able to connect with an ex-coworker whom he eventually partnered with to create Gene’s first company, Diversant.

Initially, their market was focused on New York, but Gene's introduction to The Enterprise Center (TEC) and their Pennsylvania and New Jersey MBDA Business Center proved to be fortuitous. Thanks to the diligent work of the MBDA Business Center teams, Gene’s company was able to obtain various MBE certifications, education resources, and access to the Philadelphia and South Jersey market. The years of great success allowed Gene and his partner to sell the company, and then Gene started his own company, Alpha Business Solutions, whom the New Jersey MBDA Business Center team has continued to support as they have grown in $50 million in revenue.

Alpha Business Solutions boasts a richly diverse employee makeup, with over 70% belonging to minority groups. More than half of the positions of power are headed by women of color. Currently, Alpha Business Solutions can be found in 38 states with over 900 employees countrywide. They have a core team of 20, working remotely as the company gauges the economy and determines what growth will look like for the company in the future.

The Pennsylvania and New Jersey MBDA Business Centers have been a “one-stop shop” for Gene Waddy, providing support at all different stages of his businesses since 2005. With the MBDA Business Centers' expansive networks, Gene has been able to connect with large, Philadelphia based companies such as Comcast and Independence Blue Cross.

For Gene, success is unique to the individual:

“You define what success is, but you have to free your mind.”

When he mentors new business owners, he takes a candid approach to “demystify entrepreneurship”. As the road less traveled, business ownership can feel isolating, and Gene wants to make sure that he helps entrepreneurs understand the realities of running a business: both the benefits and the “ugly underbelly”. However, through his sacrifices, Gene is happy to be able to create his legacy, hopes to be able to pass on the company to his children.