Helios Welcomes Chief Financial Officer, Michael Ren

Helios Welcomes Chief Financial Officer, Michael Ren!

Defining Characteristics: Working hard, helping others and accountability

Personal Motto: Accomplish something positive every day

Cannot Live Without: My wife’s cooking. When we were dating, my grandmother invited her over one Sunday (without telling me) and taught her how to make many of the Italian favorites that I loved when I was growing up.

Greatest Accomplishment: I was just an average student in high school, so I would say being the first one in my family to graduate from College, becoming a CPA, having a successful career in finance and giving back to those less fortunate through my charitable work.

Oddest JobPainting fire hydrants in my hometown in New Jersey.  A friend and I painted every hydrant in town one summer (almost 700 of them!).

Definition of SuccessDefining the balance between personal goals and career success that will make you happy and then achieving that balance.

Most Overused Phrase: At the end of the day”. The “day” never ends, life’s journey is continuing.

Favorite book: A scrap book that my wife made of our family photos. The cover is a wedding picture of us standing in front of our wedding car, a ’37 Buick.

Favorite Podcast: “Talking Sopranos” with Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa.  The cast and crew of the famous HBO show speak about their experiences. The stories about their efforts to be successful in an incredibly difficult industry where rejection is common are fascinating.

Advice To Your 13 Year Old Self: Work hard each and every day. Do not look for the easy way. Take the good that you can and will achieve and use it to help those who are less fortunate.”

Mike looks forward to waking up each morning and seeing a new opportunity for accomplishment. He recently found that opportunity at Helios, where he now serves as CFO. Introduced to the company by CEO Chris Nelson (the two worked together on their Parish Council at Church), Mike was immediately drawn to the Helios goal of helping entities save energy and reduce fossil fuels. “We must set the environmental example for the next generation,” he explains.

He was also inspired by the personalized dedication to each client, a process designed to deliver specific results: “We do not offer turnkey solutions, but rather we focus specifically on our clients’ unique situations and how we can help them to meet their business challenges and to solve their problems.”

Mike’s experience comes from a career in public accounting as an auditor for large companies and in entrepreneurial settings, where he honed his ability to easily flex between strategic vision and detailed execution. His efforts to be thoughtful and measured in his own life make him the perfect kind of CFO for a growing company.

As Helios Chief Financial Officer,  Mike looks after all financial matters, helping the company execute plans to grow business.  His responsibilities vary between communicating with lawyers, accountants, insurance providers and IT support. He ensures the internal leaders are running operations as smoothly as possible. Always looking to advance strategic goals, he’s a problem solver.

“It’s interesting, fun and sometimes a little stressful, but I like that too.”

Personally, Mike dedicates a lot of time to helping others through a variety of charitable initiatives. This work gives him a unique perspective, and he finds that there is always a way to resolve a problem if one can stay focused and not overreact. His favorite thing about Helios?

“There are so many smart people on the Helios team. I find that I learn something new every day.”