Lighter side of shade

By Bob Cox

When Dan and Ann Wilmoth sat down with her doctor five years ago to hear the results of her biopsy, the power of that awful six letter word shook the couple to their core: CANCER. After explaining the intricacies of her stage 3 breast cancer, Ann’s oncologist followed up by asking her if she wanted to know what her chances were. The words that came out of Dan’s mild mannered and soft spoken wife left him in stunned silence when she exclaimed with unwavering confidence, “It doesn’t really matter. I’m going to beat this. Let’s get started!”

After thoroughly vetting a number of cancer specialists, Dan and Ann chose an impressive team of doctors, who laid out a thorough and comprehensive treatment plan. Over the next three years, the brutally tough surgery and treatments would test the strength and faith of this couple unlike anything else they had experienced during their 40 years of marriage.

“Her attitude was amazing. I’ve always believed that a positive attitude can change things for the better and in health I totally believe it. Those treatments beat you down, wear you out, turn you upside down but she never let it get her down and I didn’t let it get her down. And that was the only thing I could do, be her coach. I couldn’t take her cancer from her, which I would have done in a second. All I could do was be her coach, lift her up but she didn’t take much lifting. She has incredible faith”, explained Dan.

Dan credits four things that helped them overcome this insidious disease: faith, a positive attitude, great doctors and lots of laughter. Instinctively, Dan knew that one of his greatest strengths, his terrific sense of humor was vital to Ann’s survival as the couple traversed through hostile uncharted territory.

Dan added all the household chores to his already long list of responsibilities as a full time business owner. One day, while he was on an early morning grocery shopping expedition, the enormity of the situation hit Dan like a bolt of lightning. With tears streaming down his face, a clerk came rushing to his aid and asked him what was wrong. “I can’t find the mayonnaise! The clerk said sir, please; I’ll help you find the mayonnaise. Here it is. Do you need anything else? Yes, I need some olives”, Dan recalled with laughter.

From the ashes of this incredible ordeal, Dan was left with a profound desire to give back to those in need. As the owner of Sierra Sunscreens and Patio Covers in Rancho Cordova, when Dan learned about how one of his customer’s pregnant wife had just been diagnosed with breast cancer, he not only offered consoling words of wisdom to the young man, he practically gave away the patio cover that his family needed to protect his wife from the harmful rays of the sun. The young husband was moved by tears of gratitude.

Dan is 100% committed to quality and not just his personal life but his professional life as well. I spoke to Dan about his steadfast determination to offer the very best of himself to the world.

Q: What’s new and exciting at Sierra Sunscreens and Patio Covers? 

A: Well Bob; let me tell you, nothing (Dan laughed). Honestly, I can say that we run into many customers that have lost their yards from the drought and are looking for synthetic turfs. After looking at various quality companies to fulfill that need, I found Ryan McConnell, who is the owner of “The Turf Man”. We’ve partnered on several jobs and it worked out very well. Synthetic turf is very important in today’s environment as it conserves water, saves energy, requires no maintenance and stays beautiful all year.

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 was to provide sunscreens for a growing number of new homes in Sacramento which needed protection from the sun.

Q: Why did you choose to offer other shade products?

A: When the market of new homes slowed down, we chose to diversify. Today we have vertical roll down shades, patio covers, sunrooms, screen rooms and retractable awnings.

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. People often ask us to do other things, including landscaping, but we’ve chosen to focus on a few things and do them very well.

Q: What do you do to provide superior quality?

A: We’ve separated our business with the quality of the people we hire. Our employee based staff is extensively trained. All of our installers have been with the company at least 9 years and some have been here over 20 years. Employees are directed by our management team, so we control the timing of our projects, the quality of the installation and the service after the sale.

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: Do your customers have greater peace of mind knowing that you are 100% responsible for their project?

A: Yes. I would say 9 out of 10 times a customer doesn't even know that their contractor has subbed out the labor for the work. Many companies sub out labor to avoid paying workmen's comp or liability insurance, leaving the consumer with greater potential risk.

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

A: Yes, We've been in business 36 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 36 years if you haven't treated your customers well.

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.