Made in the Shade

By Bob Cox

When oil company executive Dan Wilmoth was given the opportunity to find a place to call home, he chose Sacramento because it had what Dan refers to as the wow factor. "Drive an hour and a half in any direction and you go "wow!" Tahoe, Napa, San Francisco, Monterrey, Yosemite, all these places are day trips", said Dan. After 23 years and 9 moves, Dan was more than ready to unpack his suitcase and settle down. “My wife and I fell in love with the Northern California area. I wanted to get into a business that I didn't have to wear a tie again, that had a sales force and was outside”, explained Dan.

When Sierra Sunscreens went up for sale back in 1998, Dan chose to go for it, despite his limited knowledge of the industry. He chose Sierra because it was an established company with a great reputation for delivering outstanding service.

During the first nine years under Dan’s helm, Sierra Sunscreens flourished as the Sacramento market experienced unprecedented growth. And then everything changed when the Great Recession hit our community like a giant tornado, blowing away hundreds of local businesses. “When this economy collapsed in 2007, I called my group together and we lowered our prices 30% and we cut the overhead out of the business. We were able to keep our place of business, our reputation and the quality of service by all of us working harder and smarter”, Dan said.

I sat down recently with Dan to learn more about Sierra Sunscreens & Patio Covers. Here’s how our conversation went.

Q: Will you tell us about the history of Sierra Sunscreens & Patio Covers?

A: Sierra Sunscreens was established in 1982 and the purpose of the business at that time was to provide sunscreens for a hugely growing market here in Sacramento, especially new homes, which needed protection from the heat of the sun. From 1982 to about 2002, Sierra Sunscreens was the largest sunscreen dealer in the state of California.

Q: What caused Sierra Sunscreens to expand to include other shade products?

A: As the market evolved from so much growth to no growth of new homes, we had to diversify into patio covers, room enclosures and sunrooms as our primary business. Sunscreens has actually become more of a secondary business. Today we are one of the largest selling patio cover companies in the Sacramento valley.

Q: What other shade products do you provide?

A: We have vertical roll down shades, patio covers, sunrooms, screen rooms and retractable awnings. We evolved from primarily a sunscreen company into a company that provides shade of any kind. As we met those market needs we became really focused on the physical structures of patio covers, room enclosures, etc.

Q: What’s your company’s philosophy when it comes to doing other home improvement projects?

A: Our philosophy is to do a few things and do them better than anybody else. We could do kitchen and bath remodels and other home improvement projects, but that's not who we are. People ask us to do all of these things, including landscaping, but we choose to focus on a few things and do them very well.

Q: What have you done to separate your business from the competition?
A: While several other companies carry the same product lines, we've separated our business with the quality of the people we hire. Our employee based staff is manufacturer trained and extensively trained to communicate with customers. We want our customers to be very comfortable with what we are doing. We strive to live up to our mission statement: “simply the best”. Having employees can be a big advantage because most people in this business subcontract their labor out and do not use employees like we do.

Q: From a consumer’s standpoint, why does it matter whether you have employees or subcontractors?

A: Employees are directed by the management team they work for, so we can control the timing of our projects, the quality of the installation and the service after the sale. You can rarely get a subcontractor to go back if there is a service issue. When you have employees, you really can control all aspects of the project and that's very important to the overall customer satisfaction.

Q: Is there anything else you do to insure that the project goes smoothly?

A: Yes, I personally meet with every installer before we go out on a project. I go over all aspects of the the job with them. With subcontractors, that isn't always the case. My guys are trained to communicate with customers and some are bilingual.

Q: By having employees, don’t your customers have greater peace of mind knowing that you are 100% responsible for the project?

A: Yes. I would say nine out of ten times a customer doesn't even know that their contractor has subbed out the labor for the work. One of the reasons companies sub out labor is because they don't have to pay workmen's comp or liability insurance on that labor. A consumer is at great risk if these subcontractors are not carrying their own insurance.

Q: Is there anything else that separates Sierra from the competition?

A: Yes, all our installers have been with the company at least 8 years and some have been here over 20 years, which is rare in this business. I think we have the best installers in Sacramento. We've been in business 33 years and serviced over 10,000 customers. Longevity is a measure of treating the marketplace right. In other words, you don't stay in business for 33 years if you haven't treated your customers well.

Q: Do you have any advice for consumers to help them select an honest and trustworthy contractor?

A: Yes, make sure that the contractor is actually an expert in the area of the project you want done at your house. Many of these licenses overlap to certain areas of expertise. Next, select a company that has a proven track record and check them out with the California State Contractors License Board, the Better Business Bureau, Angie's List and Yelp. I also recommend choosing a company that has a fixed location. That way, if you have a problem, you can actually go to your contractors place of business.
Q: Why is it important to choose a contractor that’s been accredited by The Better Business Bureau?

A: An accredited rating with the BBB versus just a BBB rating is everything. Everybody who's in business that is registered, has a rating with the BBB. Accredited means that the BBB has checked out your business, license, insurance, complaints, etc., to make sure that you are a quality company and then they certify you and put their stamp of approval on your business.

Editor’s notes: For more information about Sierra Sunscreens & Patio Covers, call (916) 638-9800, visit their showroom at 3345 Sunrise Bl. in Rancho Cordova or check out their website at www.sierrashadeproducts.com.