We are excited to announce that Chris Hmielewski has accepted a position with Benaiah Holdings, Inc. Chris will serve as the Chief of Staff for all of the family of Benaiah Companies including Benaiah Co., Elah Technologies, and Benaiah Capital. This is a new position within Benaiah. “We believe this new role is critical to our success as we execute and manage many different opportunities from our mobile technology developments within Elah, all the way to our newly formed hedge fund General Partner, Benaiah Capital. The future looks filled with opportunities for Benaiah far and wide and I’m confident we have the right man for this job.” Chairman of the Board and President, Ben Wiener commented.
Primarily, Chris will oversee strategic business initiatives from development through successful execution, streamline strategic efforts, oversee program management, and communicate objectives between departments.
Chris joins the team with a wealth of experience in leadership, executive development, and project management. Previously, Chris served as the Director of Athletics at Southwest Minnesota State University for 16 years where he built and fostered a culture of hard work, success, and teamwork. While leading the athletics department Chris oversaw the planning and growth of programs and departments, construction and renovation of four facilities, and raised capital and revenues to support growth initiatives of the department and the university.
“I’m very excited about entering into the private sector and, specifically, the Benaiah family of companies. I’ve admired Ben and his leadership for years and was eager to join the momentum already at Benaiah, as well as be a part of taking things to the next level.” Hmielewski commented.
Wiener added “I’m very excited and know Chris will be a tremendous asset to our team. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Chris for a long time and anyone that knows him, knows the quality of person that he is. Chris is an incredible leader with a proven track record of building high functioning teams who know how to work and know how to win. It’s impressive what he’s accomplished at SMSU and I’m very thankful that Chris and Mary Jo have chosen to join the Benaiah family in this next chapter of their lives. We can’t wait to get started!”
Chris and his wife Mary Jo reside in Lynd, MN but will eventually relocate to the Sioux Falls area. Chris and Mary Jo have three children Andrew, Ashtin, and Matthew spread across the Midwest.
All of us at Benaiah want to issue a very warm welcome to Chris, Mary Jo, Andrew, Ashtin, and Matthew. Welcome to the Benaiah family!