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’s
refers to as the wow factor. “Drive an hour and a half in any
direction and you go "wow!" Tahoe, Napa, San Francisco,
Monterey, 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 have 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.
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 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 10 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 35 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 35 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 contractor’s 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) 635-9706, visit their showroom at 3345 Sunrise Bl.
in Rancho Cordova or check out their website at
www.sierrashadeproducts.com.
