Soumya Iyer, 39, Move Maker

With today’s digital connectivity, you can run a business from anywhere. Why not do it from Greensboro?

Soumya Iyer moved back to her hometown to be closer to the support of her family. Greensboro turned out to be the perfect spot for her to grow her business development career and her own telecommunications company.

Growing up and today, Soumya’s family is still deeply connected to their heritage and Greensboro’s Indian community. Her parents helped build the temple and every weekend spent time going to Indian community events.

“I really enjoyed Greensboro. I won’t say I knew that growing up here,” she says.

Her parents are both in STEM fields. Her Mom was one of the only women professors in NC A&T State University’s engineering department. Her father worked in microbiology at Wake Forest. Education was very important (so much so that Soumya hid from her parents that she wanted to play school sports.)

“Academics was all they understood,” she says of her parents. “Science Olympiad. Speech and debate.” They didn’t understand sports whatsoever.”

It was a forgone conclusion that she would go into the sciences. She chose the university that was as far away as her parent would tolerate – Clemson University in South Carolina. She graduated with a bachelor’s in electrical engineering.

During her sophomore year, she needed an internship. Her uncle connected her to his friend, Darrell Mays, an Atlanta-based entrepreneur, who hired her. She taught people how to use Microsoft Office. Really, she was most excited about the prospect of living in a big city.

“I didn’t care what the job was. I just knew I was going to have an internship in Atlanta as a sophomore,” she says.

It turned out to be the decision that set her professional career in motion. She joined his business, nsoro, llc, and soon became his go-to staff member for getting whatever he needed done. She flew all over the world working on projects for him, and soon became his business manager.

“I had a work ethic and I always wanted to learn. I was just it soaking up. Anything he wanted me to do, I was all over it,” she says. “As I learned that role I got to see all the piece of business. I got to be part of the C suite, not that I held the title.”

Every task came with a lesson, an opportunity. Like the time he upgraded her flight to first class. She had a great time enjoying the perks of first class. But Mays said she missed the point.

“You are flying in to Atlanta. You never know who you are sitting next to in first class,” he told her.

By 2008, Mays sold the business, but she kept working for him in a variety of capacities. She moved home to Greensboro. Suddenly, she had a loving community around her, supporting her. She couldn’t go to the grocery store without running into a friend or old acquaintance.

“To have that all in Greensboro is the most beautiful thing,” she says. “That is just something you don’t find everywhere.”

Her career was taking off. She worked as business manager for MasTec Network Solutions and then chief of staff at May’s Pensare Acquisition Corporation, which was focused on buying IT businesses. He kept Soumya on working for the various businesses they bought.

In 2016, she started her telecommunications business, Allwave Site Solutions. She realized there was a need in the marketplace for a woman minority-owned subcontractor that could install and maintain cellular and electrical tower infrastructure.

She was in business for herself for the first time.

“Being able to have Allwave was truly taking everything I learned and putting it to test. I have to say kudos to my boss. There are a lot of insecure people out there who will not let you grow. “Darrell supported my growth and was fortunate to have him in my corner,” she says.

The company brings in millions each year with crews working across the southeast. Due to her growth, she purchased her subcontractor to further grow the business and remains a partner.

Full-time, she’s now working for Calian IT and Cyber Solutions, as the VP, Managed Network and Cybersecurity Solutions and Customer Success.

“It’s brand new. I learn something new every day,” she says.

In addition, as the co-chair for the Women of Calian and its Supporters, employee resource group, she has taken an active role in promoting the women of her company.

“Growing up in Greensboro, has taught me that I am capable and look forward to continuing to find ways to give back to my community.”