Forty Under 40: Matt Romine

Matt Romine, 26, has already helped found two companies, the first, which sold computers, when he was 18. After a year and a half, however, Romine and his partner decided the business was requiring too much effort, so they shut it down. But by that point, they were making money, which Romine found gratifying.

Not long afterwards, Romine and two new partners, Jeremy Webb and Scott Mills, started their now-five-year-old company, Interface Computer Center LLC. Recently, all three were honored by the U.S. Small Business Administration as “Young Entrepreneur of the Year” for a five-state region. The occasion became a paid holiday for Interface Computer’s entire work force (about 15 people) in recognition of their contributions to making the company a success.

Romine is looking forward to the company’s next move, to Fayetteville’s FiberTech Park, where Interface Computer Center will be the first tenant. Ground breaking should occur about Jan. 1 and the building should be completed by June.

Prior to that, Romine expects to complete work on his master’s degree in computer systems engineering from the University of Arkansas, where he also earned a bachelor’s degree.

As for his business philosophy, Romine says he tried to explain things to clients in a confident but understanding manner since most aren’t interested in the technical details.