COURT REPORTER TURNS ENTREPRENEUR

In her 20s, lost and unhappy in her marriage, Jeri reached out to her mother for advice. It was then Jeri’s mother spoke of an unfulfilled dream. Jeri’s mother had once dreamed of becoming a court reporter. Jeri took the initiative and decided to live out that dream and in 1976 Jeri became a licensed court reporter. Jeri Kusar today is the president and CEO of Kusar Court Reporters and legal services stationed in Long Beach, California.

Jeri was born and raised in San Pedro, California. She stated that her life path was mostly chosen by cultural traditions, “Stay out of trouble, be a good girl, graduate high school, get married and have children.” Jeri wanted more from her life; she was fueled by the desire for independence.

30 years later, Jeri turned her skills as a certified shorthand reporter into the President and CEO of her own company. The entrepreneur also has launched Long Beach Video Conferencing Center.

In the late 1990’s, the court reporting business industry began evolving and expanding at a rate where large companies began offering national and global services. Recognizing this, it was important for any entrepreneur to expand their business across California.

Jeri is the co-founder of Table 8, a worldwide network of court reporters that spans in 50 states, Canada, Europe and Asia. This allows her business and others to compete with corporations that are trying to take over the smaller businesses. “Through that, I was able to create and cover jobs on an international basis. We just came back from London, we’ve been in Saudi Arabia, we’ve been in Hong Kong. We have reporters with passports who will fly and go.” Jeri stated.

Besides running her own business, Jeri has been a longtime supporter of the Long Beach Bar Foundation’s SHORTSTOP Program. The program helps at-risk youth, The Long Beach Rescue Mission, The Susan G. Komen Race for the cure and The Long Beach Women’s Shelter. Jeri believes that being able to change somebody’s life for the better is one of the greatest gifts in the world.

It is important that we share stories like Jeri’s. Tales of courage, perseverance and drive. Any entrepreneur can find motivation within Jeri’s story. Ordinary people like the majority of us who live out amazing lives in the field of court reporting.