Meet Nicalas M. Lapienski President | LPS Companies

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nicalas M. Lapienski President and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicalas M. Lapienski, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I was born in and around business. My father owned a potato chip company here in the state of Michigan. I loved everything about that the independence he had.. the monetary funds that come with running something successfully. But most importantly being able to employ individuals and make an impact on their lives there’s something that really caught my eye and I hold deer to this every single day. When I had the opportunity to start my first company at the age of 21 I jumped right in. Did not hesitate think twice, I just asked myself how do I become the best at it? I used my eager and motivation and hard work ethic to prevail.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I started business at the age of 21. I became an independent contractor with FedEx Ground package systems out of the Saginaw Michigan location. I started with one truck and one route and grew into a multi station independent contractor, which was in its early stages in the FedEx network. I was the youngest to achieve this with Fedex. I even did handfuls of speaking engagements with the regional vice presidents on the model that I was creating. At one time I had four delivery stations that I was operating out of. I grew this business into over 200 delivery routes being operated within an eight year span. I increased the value of a route sale due to my aggressive approach. I’m trying to grow at a quick pace. My father always said don’t have all your eggs in one basket. So I started to diversify throughout my years. I would sell two of the delivery stations. Consolidate into two stations that I was living nearby. And grow within those. I took that money and invested it to create another company. Over the years I currently own and operate with my wife 10 companies. Ranging from logistics/final mile delivery, mini storage facility, a auto repair facility, 3 golf courses, three restaurants, and ownership stake with the Grand Rapids Gold affiliate of the 2023 Denver Nuggets world champion.

Business was not easy at the early age of 21. I dealt with respect issues as my employees were sometimes three times older than me. I was inexperienced compared to some of my employees. I overcame this by showing them. I am no better than them and I’m doing the work right alongside them. That earned respect over the years. This is something I still hold true to this day where in each of my operating companies I will go in and work the lowest role to show my employees my dedication and respect for them.

I’ve learned over the years that having time for yourself to decompress is very important. Making time for your family and loved ones. How can you take care of somebody else if you’re not taking care of yourself so this is a main focus with a positive work like Balance

I would like the world to know that anything is achievable if you put your mind to it. I don’t have a college degree hanging on my office wall. But what I do have is the mentality to succeed and win. Digging deep to find grit to do all the right things that need to be done the first time. I believe in myself. I don’t believe in fear if you have the willingness to learn it is achievable.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
To entertain a good friend or relative, depending on the season as I live in Michigan I would suggest the following

First a good dinner I prefer a steakhouse. I would order appetizers and a great cocktail to pair.

If it’s during basketball season, I would take them to a Grand Rapids Gold Basketball game. Give them the experience of what a NBA G league team is like.

And then to end the night, have a cocktail at a local spot nearby the arena

If it’s summertime, dinner would stay the same or at least the same type of food as we could barbecue out at the lake house. We then would hop on the boat and go for a boat cruise into the sunset, listening to good music a good bottle of wine and even better conversations.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My whole journey begins with my father. At a young age, I loved going to work with him. He owned a potato chip company here in the state of Michigan. I was so intrigued with the warehouse, vehicles, the customers that he serviced, and most importantly, the employees of my father’s company. I saw how they respected him and cared for him. By the way he treated them and I told myself I wanna do that someday. He molded me with an old-school heart weir handshake met everything. You treat people how you wanna be treated and even in the tough times you’d be open and honest. I worked every second I could through school at my father’s company. I was more excited to go to work, learn, and be around the atmosphere than being with friends at a pool on a hot summer day. I lost my best friend and mentor due to cancer. But I know he’s watching over me each and every day I can even feel his presence every now and again.

Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/nicalas-lapienski-b716ab101

Image Credits
The file I submitted

Would be of my father and I

My wife and I

One of my companies and my employees

Trey Connor COO of the Grand Rapids Gold and I

And a vacation photo of my wife and I