Heck Enterprises
 The author of this article has marked this as a creative work, and would prefer that other users not edit it. Please respect this, and unless repairing a typo, spelling, or other minor technical error, think of this page as read-only. |
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Contents
Origins and history
The idea
The idea of founding his own company can be traced back to the Champions Respond & Protect frequency; since it was there that time and again the issue of heroes being without home or income arose. The fact that maintaining his own suit of powered armour was both expensive and required several contacts that he either had to pay with money or favours which had its own drawbacks.
Having a background in IT as System Administrator, a rough knowledge about running a business, enough spare funds and the experience and knowledge acquired with possessing and maintaining his own powered armour, he decided to put these things to use and solve two problems with one solution: His own business company, allowing him to fund his own work as well as aiding other heroes and do general charity as well.
The concept
The general concept is pretty simple:
The company itself is working in Information Technology and Technology, providing clients with custom tailored solutions to their business demands in both hard- and software while simultaneously developing new technologies, both in the IT frame as well as outside of it.
The money obtained through this is divided to sustain and expand the company and its employees while providing two different funds with resources: One to support heroes without an income on their own, the other to support charity projects and places like schools, orphanages and hospitals.
Execution
The majority of the work happened behind the scenes, when Steven Heck wasn’t in his armour. Executing his plan consisted of several steps, the first being the concept itself and ensuring it being viable and doable on a level that would allow it to be effective.
The next part was finding the right location for the company’s headquarters and while Millennium City was originally going to be the place of choice, Heck quickly realized that London, UK was far better suited for several reasons:
- Having the British but not the US citizenship, reducing the amount of paperwork necessary to get his founding on track.
- With Millennium City being the City of the future and already having several big players around, London is far enough away to give the company a chance to grow before opening a subsidiary in the US.
- Most of his contacts are located in either the UK or other parts of Europe, giving him better access to an already existing infrastructure and thus allowing him to recruit staff and potential clients at a higher rate than it most likely would have been the case in the US.
The scheduled ‘opening’ for the company was on August 12th 2013, several months after the idea first came up and went off without problems, starting with a total of 36 employees, including founder and CEO Steven Heck himself and with plans to grow to at least 100 by the end of September.
Organization and resources
Organization
Heck Enterprises has several departments, each covering a specific area while maintaining contact and arrangements in between to maximize efficiency and keep everyone up-to-date.
IT
The backbone of Heck Enterprises is the IT Department in which the projects are realized, maintained and improved. Every program made is being developed, tested and implemented by this departments employees who also maintain the software on site if necessary. For this the IT is equipped with its own travel funds to be able to reach any place and client within as little time as possible to take care of any problems that cannot be resolved remotely.
Hardware
Since some clients not only require specialized soft- but also the appropriate hardware for their needs, Heck Enterprises has its own Hardware Department whose purpose it to assess the hardware needs of the client, determine the best manufacturer/source for the hardware and ensure it is all properly and timely delivered and installed. In those cases where no existing hardware is able to fully fit the purpose, the HWD works closely with the R&D Department where new hardware and technology is being researched and tested.
R&D
A relatively new department compared to the others. It has been installed in response to hardware needs that couldn't be satisfied by conventional means, e.g. preexisting hardware or hardware combinations. While the focus is on custom made solutions to particular problems in the user-interface of HEs clients there are rumours that this department is also working on other, not necessarily IT or client related projects. But with Heck Enterprises and its owner, Steven Heck, being rather secluded from the public eye it is impossible to confirm or disprove those rumours.
Events
Partnerships
In support of Victoria King, heir and owner of Kingcorp, who met increasing resistance and animosity from the company's Board of Directors, Steven Heck offered his support of her and her position within Kingcorp, leading to the formation of an official partnership of the two companies from December 7th 2013.
