|
Roaring 20
Charleston
Regional Business Journal 02/09/2003
THE ROARING 20
The
Daniel Island Company
Like most companies
after 9-11, The Daniel Island Company scaled back inventory and projections for
2002 to prepare for a slowed economy.
“While that was prudent,” says Matthew
Sloan, COO of the company, “we were pleasantly rewarded with a record year. In
fact, in 2002, we exceeded our previous year’s sales figures by 50%.”
Sloan ascribes his company’s success to
“sticking to the vision for a sustainable community on Daniel Island. As we
develop the island,” he says, “it would be easy to cut corners in order to get
things done faster and less expensively. Instead, we are doing things
deliberately in order to create a special place unique to the Charleston area
where people can live, work, learn and play. All of these elements are mutually
supportive and contribute to the success of our growing island town.”
As the company itself has grown, it has
witnessed Daniel Island transform from a rural outpost to a vibrant community
that is central and integral to the Charleston region. “We have quickly moved
from managing only real estate to managing people. Five years ago we had just
three employees. Today, we have over 120.” says Sloan.
In 1998, the company re-capitalized to
advance from being a local company to becoming a national one. The resulting
additional capital allowed The Daniel Island Co. to grow from two neighborhoods
to six, develop its first 18-hole golf course and private country club, and
embark on a national advertising campaign. Overall, the process led to a
massive 500% increase in capital projects.
For first time Roaring 20 winner Daniel
Island Co., the creation and approval of the Daniel Island master plan has had
the most dramatic impact on business. The plan calls for a diverse range of
neighborhoods offering everything from apartments and starter homes in urban
settings to gracious custom homes on the golf course and marsh. “This range of
diverse neighborhoods and products is a large part of what has made the island
so appealing—and successful,” says Sloan. “The master plan sets the foundation
from which this community has grown.”
His key to success for other growing
businesses? “Find the best people you can and create a positive, upbeat
atmosphere for them to work in,” Sloan says. “We would not be where we are
today without the dedicated team of professionals we have working for us.”
AT A GLANCE:
The Daniel Island Company
230 Seven Farms Dr., Ste. 201
Charleston, S.C. 29492
Total no. employees: 120
Top local executive: Matthew Sloan
Product or service: Real estate
development.
Year founded: 1997
McKellar
& Associates
Perhaps the reason
McKellar & Associates has been so successful is principal Dot Brinson’s
outlook on competition. “Those who worry about the competition should quit
worrying and focus on becoming the best they can be,” she says. “When you are
busiest is the time your marketing efforts should increase rather than
decrease. When you think you cannot do another project, you should be making
your greatest effort to secure that project. When work in the marketplace slows
down and your workload is insufficient is not the time to try to bring in more
work. By then, it’s too late.”
For Brinson, the key is making sure to
provide McKellar & Associates’ clients with more than was asked or contracted.
“Our reputation in the community is our greatest tool when it comes to
marketing our services,” she says. “Having a client who is happy with the
process and results when the project is completed leads to new projects for the
firm.”
Changes in building science technology
and mechanical and electrical engineering technology constantly challenge the
company as designers and professionals. “These things must be overcome while
maintaining a maximum level of service to our clients, retaining an exceptional
staff and maintaining profitability even during downturns in the economy,” says
Brinson.
To other growing architectural firms,
Brinson offers: “Develop and maintain a team approach from the inception of a
project. Communication between all parties involved is key to a successful
project. Having the owner participate as a key member of the design team helps
when resolutions are needed. This way, the owner is included in all progress
meetings as an equal contributor and is fully up to speed at all times.”
AT A GLANCE:
McKellar & Associate
941 Houston Northcutt Blvd., Ste. 201
Mount Pleasant, S.C. 29464
Total no. employees: 13
Top local executive: Dot Brinson, Anne
Maguire, Alan Jackson
Product or service: Architecture, interior
design, planning.
Year founded: 1983
Universal
Solutions
Since making the Business Journal’s Roaring 20 list last
year, Universal Solutions has also been named 20th in “The Inc. 500 List of
Fastest Growing Companies in America” by Inc.
magazine. Currently, the company employs over 200 people across 58 offices in
12 states.
“I
don’t believe a successful business is the result of a single dramatic event—it
is a slow and steady focus on customers, cash management and consistency in
both maintaining and growing year after year,” says Gracie Russell, general
manager of Universal Solutions’ South Carolina office.
Despite
economic challenges, Universal Solutions has a strong hold in its industry. “At
the end of the day, positive cash flow is the most important measure of a
business’ health,” says Russell. “We believe our unique business model is the
key to our ability to provide our customers a level of service unlike no
other.”
The
company has expanded its capabilities to meet the complex needs of larger, more
sophisticated clients through advanced technology and more educated associates.
“This has helped us improve support to small and mid-sized clients,” Russell
adds.
What
advice does Russell have for other growing businesses? “Ensure that you prepare
for the worst and plan for the best. Be ready for both at any given moment,”
she says.
AT A GLANCE:
Universal Solutions
1470 Ben Sawyer Blvd., Ste. 25
Mount Pleasant, S.C. 29464
Charleston employees: 14
Total no. employees: 250
Top local executive: Gracie Russell
Product or service: Develops, implements
and maintains business communications solutions for AVAYA products.
Year founded: 1998
CSS
Inc.
Kirk King, president
and owner of CSS Inc., touts a great reputation and great employees as key to
the success of his business. “In the consulting business, success or failure is
determined by reputation,” he says, “and reputation is based almost exclusively
on the people you put on a job.”
Those people are, without a doubt, the
single most important factor leading to his company’s success. “Our people
share a common passion for satisfying customers,” says King. “The consulting
business requires high-end skill sets, real-world business experience and an
intense desire to help your client succeed—typically under very challenging
conditions. This is a rare combination, but we’ve consistently attracted and
hired only the best talent on the market.”
The extreme feast or famine conditions
his industry has faced for the past five years are what King considers the
biggest challenges CSS Inc. has had to overcome during its growth. “Taken as a
whole, the Y2K rush, the Internet bubble and 9-11 have had an extraordinary
impact on supply and demand,” he says.
In response to the increasing amount of
competition CSS Inc. has faced from larger companies, the company began a
formal sales and marketing program. “Back in the early days, most of our
business came to us,” King says. “Now, that has changed. Between the few large
consulting firms still standing and the hundreds of cheap offshore IT factories,
every deal is a dog fight. That makes a real sales and marketing function
imperative.” This new sales and marketing capability has grown internally, but
CSS Inc. does make use of outside agencies, although sparingly.
The process of managing his business
has only changed in regards to communication. “Communication is the biggest
challenge,” says King. “Even though we are a small business, it is amazing how
much more difficult this becomes every month—especially when most of your team
is hundreds or thousands of miles away from the home office.”
AT A GLANCE:
CSS Inc.
210 Seven Farms Dr., Ste. 102
Charleston, S.C. 29492
Total no. employees: 41
Top local executive: Kirk King
Product or service: Software support
consulting.
Year founded: 1997
Saulisbury
Business Machines Inc.
Saulisbury Business
Machines Inc., a first-time Business
Journal Roaring 20 winner, was launched in 1968 as a specialist in
typewriter sales and service. After 15 to 20 years, the typewriter became outdated,
so the company was forced to make a change.
“Growth entails commitment, and with
commitment comes change,” says Dale Saulisbury, president of the company. “We
researched the market and were exposed to an incredible new outlet—copiers. We
have successfully cruised through the conversion of analog equipment to digital
systems, which has enhanced our range of training, hands-on processing, and an
elevated product line.”
How has Saulisbury Business Machines
Inc. managed to grow and evolve? “Our customer base is what generates our
growth and they rely on the expertise, knowledge and capability of our staff to
keep them informed and updated,” says Saulisbury. “Our dedication to provide
each customer with the best product and finest service keeps us focused and
enthusiastic about continual training and education in both sales and service.
Small business is cherished in this day and age. We have kept our values but
have creatively developed ways to evaluate our company’s potential.”
A few words of advice from Saulisbury
to other small businesses: “Employer-employee relations are a reflection of the
daily operation of your business. Representation and reputation go
hand-in-hand. Strive for longevity in your personnel, not a quick fix.”
AT A GLANCE:
Saulisbury Business Machines Inc.
7632 Southrail Rd.
North Charleston, S.C. 29420
Total no. employees: 18
Top local executive: Dale Saulisbury
Product or service: Business machine
supplies; copier, fax, typewriter and calculator service.
Year founded: 1968
Liollio
Architecture
Liollio Architecture
understands and believes that when people are doing what they truly love and
enjoy, they will do it well.
“We continually recognize the need for
expertise and specialization,” says Dinos Liollio, president of the company.
“We understand that finances are best addressed by someone whose expertise and
specialty is accounting, that business development is an art and profession and
that architects and engineers truly love to design.”
Demetrios C. Liollio founded Liollio
Architecture nearly 50 years ago with the words “…success is a journey, not a
destination.” It is this foundation that the younger Liollio says inspires his
firm to “establish a reputation for being creative designers with an honest
business approach.” He credits his firm’s success to “great partners, a great
team of outstandingly talented people and an ongoing focus and persistence in
obtaining our goals.
“Never lose your sense of humor,”
Liollio advises, “otherwise, everything loses its perspective. Surround
yourself with smart and talented people that make your work a pleasure.”
For Liollio, the greatest lesson
learned as his company has grown has been the importance of his staff. “First
and foremost, there’s no substitute for talent, experience and capability,” he
says. “Secondly, there’s no substitute for talent, experience and capability.
This includes everyone, from in-house personnel to outside consultants, from a
great lending institution to an outstanding corporate attorney, from the people
that handle the printing to those that handle the delivery. Everyone, because
everyone makes up the team, and a weak link can be devastating.”
AT A GLANCE:
Liollio Architecture
147 Wappoo Creek Dr., Ste. 400
Charleston, S.C. 29412
Total no. employees: 18
Top local executive: C. Dinos Liollio
Product or service: Architecture, civil
and structural engineering, planning.
Year founded: 1957
WPC
According to WPC
president Reg Christopher, his company has had an exhilarating year. “WPC’s
involvement with the foundation testing of the new Cooper River bridge has been
a very exciting project and a source of pride for us,” he says.
WPC provides specialized testing
services such as Cross Hole Sonic Logging, which uses sound waves to test the
integrity of the large shafts used to support the new bridge. WPC engineers
also used a mini-shaft inspection device to visually examine the bottom of the
drilled shafts to verify that they were adequately drilled out prior to
pouring concrete.
Christopher attributes the company’s
success to “our ability to attract and retain employees that fit the mold of
WPC’s client-oriented services. Never discount the importance of good client
relationships and quality personnel.”
WPC has also undergone significant
growth, says Christopher, and “the largest challenge has been to maintain our
position as community leaders in the engineering field. With the additional
responsibilities from the growing business, our principals and employees still
take time to be active with our professional community, churches, schools and
business organizations.”
The company’s long-range business plan
has remained intact, though WPC has made slight changes in employee
compensation and business systems. “When committing growth, maintain the
resources for flexibility,” says Christopher. “This provides the ability to
adjust when business trends vary from the original plan.”
AT A GLANCE:
WPC
1017 Chuck Dawley Blvd.
Mount Pleasant, S.C. 29464
Charleston employees: 55
Total no. employees: 100
Top local executive: Bill Wright
Product or service: Geotechnical,
environmental and marine materials testing.
Year founded: 1993
Chastain
Construction Inc.
Rob Black lists three
important factors leading to Chastain Construction’s success: listening to what
the client wants (and not what the company thinks the client wants), completing
projects on time and completing them on budget. “Without these ideals,” says
Black, “we would not be providing the services our clients expect.”
The
company’s growth has had an unanticipated effect on Chastain Construction.
Initially, partners Rob Black, Cameron Drolet and Kevin Townsend thought they
wouldn’t need to hire anyone to assist them. Instead of this “no new employees”
plan lasting their projected five years, it lasted two.
“We
learned early that we needed to hire staff that not only knew the business, but
could interact with clients in a manner that we ourselves would,” Black says.
“Realizing quality employees are not only a key to success, but necessary to achieve success has been a
blessing to the company.”
Another
change Chastain made is a 2001 exit from residential construction. The company
found its niche in the small to mid-sized commercial market and has been
aggressively pursuing those projects. “By partnering with select clients,” says
Black, “we built relationships that helped us surpass our goals, even during
the economic downturn of 2001 and 2002.”
What
advice does a growing construction company whose biggest challenge is competing
with the large number of construction companies in Charleston have to offer
other businesses? “Have a goal, plan to achieve that goal, and stick to it,”
says Black.
AT A GLANCE:
Chastain Construction Inc.
P.O. Box 21107
Charleston, S.C. 29413
Total no. employees: 9
Top local executives: Rob Black, Cameron
Drolet, Kevin Townsend
Product or service: Construction,
specializing in health care, restaurant and general office.
Year founded: 1995
RoHoHoInc.
In its fourth year as
a Business Journal Roaring 20 winner,
RoHoHo Inc. has a firm grip on Charleston business. CEO Philip Horn Jr.
attributes his company’s success to “our ability to recruit, hire, train and
retain employees at a far better rate than is typically associated with the
restaurant industry.”
Horn
and his wife, Caroline, have grown their business from an original two stores
to the present 30, survived a business move from western Kentucky and made the
transition from owning a few restaurants to running a business. As his company
grew, Horn says, “The one thing that has changed is how we are increasing the
number of restaurants we own. In the first five to six years we grew by opening
new restaurants ourselves, but as we built out our markets, we had to find
another growth vehicle. So for the past four years, we have grown by acquiring
existing franchises in other markets.”
One
of the biggest challenges, Horn says, has been increasing the size and scope of
RoHoHo’s administrative team—made necessary by the growing number of
restaurants in multiple states. “The process of managing our business at the
restaurant level,” Horn adds, “stays the same.”
Horn
also offers advice to other growing businesses: stay focused, continue to take
risks, never be content, concentrate on your business and your customers—not
the competition, take care of your employees, and always evaluate and build on
your formula for success.
AT A GLANCE:
RoHoHo Inc.
1517 Sam Rittenberg Blvd.
Charleston, S.C. 29407
Charleston employees: 300
Total no. employees: 1,000
Top local executive: Philip L. Horn Jr.
Product or service: Pizza delivery and
carry out.
Year founded: 1991
Charlestown
Management Hotels
In its third year as a
Roaring 20 winner, Charlestown Management Hotels has risen to the challenge of
meeting ever-changing consumers’ tastes. “We have been challenged to change our
product to keep up with consumer demand. We are constantly upgrading and
refining our hotels,” says David Kalik, president of the company.
The key to Charlestown Management
Hotels’ success, says Kalik, is diligence and hard work. “We are in a 24-hour
per day, 365-day per year business, which is complicated by innumerable
details. At CMH, our staff prides itself on not only controlling the ‘big
picture’ but also staying on top of the details that contribute to the success
of our hotels and our company,” he says.
As the company has grown, its business
plan and growth model had to change. “Capital intensive hotel projects live and
die by changes in the national and local economy, interest rates, the stock
market, etc.,” says Kalik. “In the earlier days of our company, we felt we were
in control of the development cycle and growth of our company.” CMH has been
forced to adapt to such changes on a regular basis.
The Internet has also caused the
company to evaluate its business management practices. “Every year, the
Internet contributes a greater percentage of our revenues,” Kalik says. “At
some hotels, 25% of bookings come from the Internet. We now spend hours every
day managing Internet sites, which is a major change in how we operate our
business compared to just a few short years ago.”
For Kalik, the bottom line to his
business’ success is doing “what you do best and do it better than everyone
else.”
AT A GLANCE:
Charlestown Management Hotels
1540 Savannah Highway
Charleston, S.C. 29407
Charleston employees: 450
Total no. employees: 575
Top local executive: Everett Smith
Product or service: Hospitality and
property management services.
Year founded: 1980
Palmetto
Exterminators
Being a family-owned
and operated business for 43 years, Palmetto Exterminators has consistently
focused on providing quality service that meets its customers’ needs. “We have
developed a reputation in the community,” says CFO Lance Snyder, “and in the
pest control industry for honesty, integrity and leadership.”
The growth of Palmetto Exterminators
has led to its expansion into other locations as well as added local locations.
“We must be mindful of the differences in people and environments associated
with each of our seven locations,” Snyder says. “However, despite these
differences, a continued emphasis on our basic philosophies of honesty,
professionalism, leadership, safety and family enables us to maintain our level
of customer service and long-term stability.”
Snyder’s best advice for other businesses
is as simple as remembering your customers. “As trite as it may seem,” he says,
“don’t forget your customers. If you stay grounded and maintain your focus on
your company’s basic values, your company will thrive. Quality and consistency
of service will reap rewards.”
Palmetto Exterminators’ growth hasn’t
had any negative effects on the business. “Growth has caused changes in
day-to-day management,” Snyder says. “We have learned to delegate and are
fortunate to have quality people working with us to carry out our philosophies
and goals.”
The bottom line: Palmetto
Exterminators’ basic philosophies haven’t changed in 42 years. “Combining two
generations of talent, education and experience has had a dramatic and positive
impact on our company,” says Snyder.
AT A GLANCE:
Palmetto Exterminators
624 Orleans Rd.
Charleston, S.C. 29407
Charleston employees: 42
Total no. employees: 65
Top local executive: Lance Snyder and Bert
Snyder
Product or service: Termite and pest
control.
Year founded: 1960
Ansonborough
Inn
This 37-room upscale
hotel has the feeling of a bed and breakfast. “Time and time again our guests
tell me that we have the best front desk staff of anyplace they’ve stayed,”
says finance manager Scott D. Love. “I tend to agree—they are courteous,
knowledgeable and genuinely care about our guests.”
The front desk staff is only one
component contributing to the success of Ansonborough Inn, says Love. The
company’s ability to overcome challenges has also been a strong survival
factor.
“When we bought the property in 1997,
we wanted to take the Ansonborough Inn in a different direction,” says Love.
“It was a nice property, but we had a vision of turning it into an upscale
property with the furnishings and accoutrements to match. Over the next few
years, we transformed the inn by means of major renovations while educating the
public of our changes at the same time.”
To attain growth and reach your goals,
Love says, “Set your vision, plan for it and make sure every part of your
organization works toward that goal. When he bought the inn, George Fennell set
the primary goal of being one of the top inns in Charleston. With that goal in
mind we set forth a plan to transform the inn. We met every week to discuss our
progress and any problems that arose. We also implemented new policies and
procedures each staff member adheres to that are specifically tailored to help
us meet our goals.”
AT A GLANCE:
Ansonborough Inn
21 Hasell St.
Charleston, S.C. 29401
Charleston employees: 20
Top local executive: George Fennell
Product or service: Hotel with meeting
facilities.
Year founded: 1997
Superior
Electric Co. Inc.
Dean Hensley, owner
and president of Superior Electric Co. Inc., lists teamwork, dedication,
customer satisfaction, hard work and family as having significant roles in the
success of his company. As Superior Electric has grown, Hensley says his
greatest lesson learned has been to “keep growth at a steady pace in order not
to overextend our resources.”
Even faced with increasing out-of-state
competition, Superior Electric Co. Inc. has been growing, but that doesn’t mean
the company hasn’t felt the effects of the current economy. In fact, it has
caused the company to make more conservative decisions, says Hensley.
The most dramatic change for the
company has been its entrance into real estate, Hensley says. “This enabled us
to become bonded and bid jobs as a multi-prime contractor, allowing me to deal
directly with the owners of the projects without going through the general
contractor. This cuts down on the competition,” he says.
Entering into real estate hasn’t been
the only change the company has made. As Superior Electric grows, it becomes
more dependent on its employees. “When the company started,” says Hensley, “I
was doing the entire inside work myself. Since then our office personnel has
grown. We now have two project managers, one estimator and an office manager.
The office has become more efficient because of it.”
Hensley’s realization that his company
had outgrown a one-man operation prompts him to offer this advice to other
growing companies: “Do not depend on any one person too much—including
yourself—it takes several people working together to run a business.”
AT A GLANCE:
Superior Electric Co. Inc.
10162 Bellwright Rd.
Summerville, S.C. 29483
Total no. employees: 20
Top local executive: Dean Hensley
Product or service: Utility
services.
Year founded: 1998
BWC
Products
Beverly and Bob
Bertino began BWC Products from their townhouse, buying computer components in
volume and reselling them to retailers at wholesale prices as a local supplier.
Word of mouth caused the business to grow, and “when we discovered that we had
to leave by the front door and go around to the back door to get to our
bedroom, we rented the townhouse next door also,” say the Bertinos.
Since
then, according to the Bertinos, the number of resellers to which they once
provided products has markedly decreased with the arrival of competition from
major resellers and online ordering. To compensate for the loss in business, BWC
Products now advertises for direct sales and has added telephone systems and
on-site services to its inventory. The company’s diversification has enabled
them to land contracts such as its most recent five-year technical support
contract with Fort Jackson in Columbia.
“We
only offer the better or best components in anything we sell,” say the
Bertinos. “The same is true for the service we provide. By supplying a more
knowledgeable trained technician to perform a service, we accurately diagnose
and correct problems, which eliminates callbacks for the same problem and
accomplishes the task in a shorter period of time. Because of this, many of our
resellers ask us to back them up during busy periods or to assist them when
they may not have the experience to tackle a particular problem. We even take
their calls for them when they’re out of town.”
The
greatest lesson learned by the Bertinos? “Somewhere, someone will always have a
lower price. Offer competitive pricing with outstanding service and you’ll keep
repeat customers.”
AT A GLANCE:
BWC Products
9516 Hamburg Rd.
Ladson, S.C. 29456
Total no. employees: 24
Top local executive: Robert Bertino
Product or service: Network technical
service, training, hardware, software, printers and peripherals.
Year founded: 1990
Half-Moon
Outfitters
“The single most
important factor to the success of Half-Moon Outfitters was the hiring of an
employee who has become my mentor and company CFO,” says Beezer Molton, company
president. “Don Longenecker and I met in 1996 when Half-Moon was a struggling
three-store operation with a grass roots following and fantastic but underpaid
employees.” Since Longenecker was hired, Molton says, within six months, the
company’s dire financial situation was turned around.
“We have benefited from some good
locations,” Molton adds, “some exceptional vendors and a patient and receptive
market; however, no one thing has been as important as our staff. And our staff
succeeds in large part because of the old school retail science Don has taught
us.”
As his company has grown, Molton has
learned “Businesses live and die by the nature of their relationships, and it
is reflected in the faces and attitudes of the people who work within the
organization.”
Molton considers it important to remain
active in the community through business stewardship. “The relationship with
the community travels full circle, for as the store succeeds, we are able to
give back to the community through donations of time and money. The most
successful businessman in the world will only hold his success for a time and
it is the good that he or she brings to his community that ultimately will
define the person and the business.”
As to the success of his business,
Molton says, “We try not to compare ourselves to any one competitor, but rather
we think about the business in terms of simply doing it right for its own
benefits.”
AT A GLANCE:
Half-Moon Outfitters
425 Coleman Blvd.
Mount Pleasant, S.C. 29464
Charleston employees: 23
Total no. employees: 31
Top local executive: Richard “Beezer”
Molton
Product or service: Outdoor specialty
retailer.
Year founded: 1993
Sand
Dollar Builders
Its first year as a
Roaring 20 winner, Sand Dollar Builders is still a young company and won’t
celebrate its five year anniversary until November. The most important factors
leading to the company’s success are “honesty and integrity to our clients that
produces repeat and referral businesses,” says president Michael Colavita.
Sand Dollar Builders has managed to
grow despite facing the challenges of being a new business such as start-up
monies and name recognition. Two lessons Colavita has learned as the company
has matured have been to “watch your pennies and try to retain competent, loyal
employees—especially those employees grown from within the company, and to
diversify to have the ability to offer more to our clients. Building with
integrity and quality is more important than just providing a service.”
To diversify, Sand Dollar Builders has
married the pre-engineered and concrete markets as a single source
responsibility for its own general contracting work or subcontractor work to
other general contractors. It has also made its talents available to others in
the construction market wherever there is a shortage of trade personnel.
“We must constantly evaluate items of
work for profitability and either eliminate those items or expand on them,”
says Colavita of the changes his company has made during its growth. “Also, we
have had to re-evaluate our administrative needs and hire additional personnel
to help handle the load.”
AT A GLANCE:
Sand Dollar Builders
454 Jessen Lane
Wando, S.C. 29492
Total no. employees: 12
Top local executive: Michael J. Colavita
Product or service: Concrete,
pre-engineered buildings, general contracting, design-build.
Year founded: 1997
Sea
Fox Boat Co.
“More for less” is Sea
Fox Boat Co.’s motto, and “it dictates everything we do,” says Fred Renken,
president of the company. This clear mission for the company is the single most
important factor to the company’s success, according to Renken.
With the growth of Sea Fox Boat Co.,
Fred and his brother Ed Renken have “had to learn to depend on others to do
many of the jobs we used to do ourselves,” he says. “We have hired good people
who allow us to focus on the big, long term picture while they take care of
many of the day-to-day details.”
Recently, the company has introduced a
whole new line of boats called “Mariah.” Unlike the Sea Fox brand (which
consists of saltwater fishing boats from 16 to 28 feet), the Mariah brand is
made up of bow riders, cuddy cabins and deck boats with more creature comforts
and are designed for recreational cruising and skiing.
“We purchased the assets of Mariah Boat
Co. and decided to bring the production of the product to Charleston. We had to
train people to build the new product, build up a whole new raw material
inventory and begin to develop a dealer network,” says Renken. “Whereas the Sea
Fox brand is popular along the coast from Maine to California, the Mariah brand
has strong potential in the Midwest and international markets as well as the
coastal United States.”
To prepare for this acquisition and the
further growth that will accompany it, Sea Fox Boat Co. has purchased a new
facility in Moncks Corner and moved in early January.
As to changing his company in response
to competition, Renken says, “We spend more time worrying about making our
customers happy than what our competition is doing. We do, however, keep an eye
on them.”
AT A GLANCE:
Sea Fox Boat Co.
2550 Highway 52
Moncks Corner, S.C. 29461
Total no. employees: 135
Top local executive: Fred Renken
Product or service: Boat manufacturer.
Year founded: 1995
Low
Country Case & Millwork Inc.
As a first-time
business owner, Phyllis Sheierman began Low Country Case & Millwork with
the help of business mentoring relationships, which she acknowledges as the
single most important factor in her company’s success. “By applying their
experience to our business, we were able to avoid mistakes many new businesses
make,” she says.
Low
Country Case & Millwork has moved from a 5,000-square-foot facility with
six employees into an 18,000-square-foot building, increasing profits and doubling
its volume within a year. Now, three years later, the company is beginning the
construction of an addition that will double its size.
Sheierman
says one of the most unique challenges accompanying the growth of the company
is employee responsibility. “As a small company,” she says, “each foreman could
manage his job. He or she was able to order material, fabricate and install.
With growth, we had to have increased specialization—one person to order
materials, one person to manage fabrication, etc. Developing these job
responsibility changes has been challenging.”
To
other growing companies, Sheierman advises, “Develop a system for all aspects
of your business and constantly strive to improve upon it. With an established
system, employee turnover is not as traumatic because a new employee can easily
integrate into the workflow.”
AT A GLANCE:
Low Country Case & Millwork
3270 Benchmark Dr.
Ladson, S.C. 29456
Total
no. employees: 24
Top
local executive: Robert Stasiukaitis
Product
or service: Manufacturing and installation of architectural
millwork and casework.
Year
founded: 1990
Trico
Engineering Consultants Inc.
During a recent
planning session, founder, owner and president of Trico Engineering Consultants
Inc., Andrew C. Gillette asked his employees, “What has been the single most
important factor that has led to our success?” Overwhelmingly, his employees
answered, “Providing exceptional service.”
This desire to always provide
exceptional service goes hand in hand with Trico employees’ sense of family.
“As we grow in numbers we find it is sometimes difficult to keep the family
atmosphere,” says Gillette. “We have overcome this with more family events like
our once-a-month cookouts.”
As his company has grown, it has had to
focus on retaining clients as well as founding new business relationships. The
fact that the company’s original business plan focused on providing exceptional
service is constantly reinforced by the fact that 90% of its current business
is from repeat clients. With such growth, delegation becomes paramount, says
Gillette. For his company, the process of managing business has come in the
form of management learning they cannot be involved in every decision.
For Gillette, growing for the sake of
growing isn’t always a good plan. “My advice,” he says, “is to grow only when
your have the right people in place. One of the themes of Tim Collins’ book Good to Great is that its essential to
have the right people in the business before you grow.”
AT A GLANCE:
Trico Engineering Consultants Inc.
4425 Belle Oaks Dr.
North Charleston, S.C. 29405
Charleston employees: 82
Top local executive: Andrew C. Gillette
Product or service: Civil engineering,
structural engineering, surveying, landscape architecture, land planning,
wetland consulting.
Year founded: 1982
Absolutely
Charleston
Absolutely Charleston
has grown into the most comprehensive destination management business in
Charleston. From 1998 to 2000, the company showed 800% growth, followed by 210%
from 2001 to 2002. Of this achievement, president Walt Thorn says, “to grow,
you must sacrifice. There is no fast track to success.”
The
most important factor leading to the success of the company, says Thorn, is
people. “Employees, staff, customers, vendors, partners, family, competitors,
industry professionals, bankers, creditors, people who complain, people who
compliment, people who force you to change and people who help make change. It
has nothing to do with an individual, it’s always about the people.”
After
the events of 9-11, Thorn was uncertain of the company’s future. “I didn’t know
if we would make it,” he says. The company’s business dropped 98% in the two
months following 9-11 and losses for the next three months equaled one full
year’s net operating profit.
“After
I told my staff that I wasn’t sure we could make it to January, one of my
drivers said, ‘Why not?’ I responded, ‘If you all are still here in January,
we’ll make it.’ They were, and we did,” says Thorn.
As
Absolutely Charleston has grown, Thorn has made changes in the type of business
the company has cultivated. “Originally we were 90 percent transportation, 10
percent tours. We had limited clients and no real contact with industry
groups,” says Thorn. “We acquired new equipment and entered a new market—weddings.
We diversified our revenue sources and cultivated new clients.”
AT A GLANCE:
Absolutely Charleston
P.O. Box 2727
Mount Pleasant, S.C. 29465
Total no. employees: 144
Top local executive: Walt Thorn
Product or service: Corporate and
group-based special events, custom tours, cruise ship ground services and
destination wedding services.
Year founded: 1998
|
E-Mail This Article
Printer-Friendly Version