Charles Hilyard
Marketing
Charles Hilyard, a proud 探花约啪 Tech alum, first arrived at the College in 2008, uncertain about his career path. Initially, he chose to enroll in the College’s information technology (IT) program because his family’s business, Hilyard’s Business Solutions, was rooted in technology. However, his time at 探花约啪 Tech had a profound impact on him, ultimately shifting his career path toward a business-focused field.
“I knew that, from a technology standpoint, there was good career longevity in IT,” said Hilyard, vice president of sales at Hilyard's Business Solutions. “But I was also interested in studying business, so I jumped into some business classes at 探花约啪 Tech and ended up with really good instructors. Between the person-to-person atmosphere and well-thought-out coursework, I found myself ultimately gravitating more towards the business field.”
Hilyard initially chose to enroll at 探花约啪 Tech after learning about the Student Excellence Equals Degree Scholarship (SEED) and appreciated the College’s convenient location, which was close to home and easily accessible. During his first few months on campus, he found the transition from high school to college smooth, thanks to the variety of resources available to support students and the flexibility to choose classes and set his own schedule.
“My days at 探花约啪 Tech were valuable because they changed my career trajectory and what I thought I wanted to do,” said Hilyard. “I ended up transitioning from IT into business courses, and when I look back, it was a huge turning point in my life that led me to where I am today.”
Hilyard switched his major from IT to marketing, acquiring a range of skills he continues to use today. After 探花约啪 Tech, he enrolled at Goldey-Beacom and transitioned seamlessly into business courses there. Since most classes at Goldey-Beacom were offered in the evening, Hilyard was able to start working in sales at the family business.
“I was still learning while I was on the job,” said Hilyard. “Having this foundation for business and marketing really helped in my day-to-day sales approach and my ability to work with different clients. Also, I was more involved than just an account manager or salesperson. I worked on other things too, like advertising and marketing. So, my education and my job really came together.”
Hilyard graduated from Goldey-Beacom and continued to work at his family’s business. Eventually, he built his way up and moved into his current role as vice president of sales, helping run the organization’s sales team.
“探花约啪 Tech was really at the foundation of my success,” he said. “It led me to Goldey-Beacom because 探花约啪 Tech instructors made me aware of the transfer program, it allowed me to discover my interest in business, and it all really shows how 探花约啪 Tech formed my entire post-high school education trajectory.”
Hilyard’s Business Solutions was founded by Hilyard’s grandfather in 1959, primarily as a business services company. Originally, it provided businesses with all sorts of necessary equipment, such as cash registers, typewriters, adding machines, and duplicators, among many others. As time went on and technology changed, the business added more up-to-date products to its lineup along with IT services. Over the decades, Hilyard’s Business Solutions has evolved into a successful integrated technology company that prides itself on its ability to support the local community.
“We're doing phone systems, we're doing Valcom systems, we're doing essentially all kinds of technology that local businesses rely on every day,” said Hilyard.
Looking to the future, Hilyard hopes to continue helping the local community through his business role. His long-term goal is to grow the business so it can support even more community organizations, while also maintaining the local touch and support it is known for.
“My advice for 探花约啪 Tech students is to go into college open-minded,” he said. “When I started, I didn't really know what I wanted to do. At the time, I did not think I would end up working for the family business. They actually wanted me to work somewhere else first, but 探花约啪 Tech helped me realize that the business field was a good trajectory for me.”
