Ramil Elicanal found his entrepreneurial calling while organizing a basketball recreation league. He noticed that finding referees was the most challenging part of his job, which prompted him to create a solution for this niche market, Sports Official Source.
"I had the darnedest time finding referees to work our games," says Elicanal, president & founder of
Sports Official Source. Soon he was turning this problem into an opportunity, figuring out the pros outweighed the cons of starting his own business that provided referees and umpires to amateur sports.
That was four years ago. Today Elicanal's moment of inspiration is a Farmington Hills-based company that employs three people. It brought on two people last year and now works with more than 250 leagues and is looking to expand into private and middle schools across the country.
"We're growing so rapidly," Elicanal says.
So much so that Elicanal expects to take Sports Officials Source from a virtual company run from his home to its own office in Royal Oak. Elicanal grew up in Royal Oak and likes how the city has evolved.
"The way the city has grown up is marvelous," Elicanal says.
Source: Ramil Elicanal, president & founder of Sports Official Source
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
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