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RESTORING VISION: Wills Co. diverts distraction into home repair profit center”

Ridley Wills conceived Wills Co. as a standout in home restoration. But six years after forming the company in 1991, he and his business partner were struggling with high costs and red ink and were being distracted by customer demand for more services. The young company had completed work on a handful of plantation-style homes and had gained a reputation for quality upscale projects. But an increasing number of requests for home repairs were becoming a distraction. “We were disrupting a project to do the repair work,” says Wendell Harmer, Wills Co. vice president. “It was always kind of a red-headed stepchild. We realized we needed to develop some systems.”

Wills, president of the company, responded by creating a repair division that has capitalized on that erstwhile disruption, made the company more flexible and brought the restoration firm back into profitability. In 2002, repair work generated $1 million in revenue. Today, nearly 90 percent of Wills Co. customers use both repair and renovation services. Revenue is estimated to reach $3 million in 2003, 60 percent in renovation and the rest in repair. “As renovation went down with the economy, repair went up,” Wills says. “We were able to improve our net profit while our revenue stayed flat.”

While restructuring the company, Wills and Harmer scrutinized overhead and began the difficult process of cutting back on personnel, increasing responsibilities and streamlining their business systems.

The partners also attribute the company’s financial turnaround to creating a management team, promoted from within the company, that meets weekly to discuss progress on various projects. “That has been a really great tool to help this company grow,” says Wills. “Over time, our productivity has improved.”

Coaching, consulting, and coping

Wills and Harmer didn’t look only within the company for solutions to financial woes. For years, they have listened to advice from Frances Roy, president of consulting firm Frances Roy & Associates. Roy helped with corporate hiring for the management and sales team and counseled Harmer and Wills on how to better work together. Roy says she ensures a potential candidate’s personality is a good fit for the company. “If a person doesn’t share the same values and customer service, they will never fit into the organization well enough to be successful,” she says.

Frances Roy & Associates also provided with team-building techniques and strategic planning. The company helped Wills and Harmer create a business system that was effective, profitable and involved the various aspects of the company, the partners say. “We really had to learn how to work together,” Harmer says.

Today, Wills Co. employs 16 people and is focused on increasing work for its former “red-headed stepchild.” In addition, the company is working on rolling out its newest product, annual home inspections. Wills Co. will offer annual home inspection as a preventative maintenance approach. The company will price projects that are needed so homeowners can budget for the anticipated maintenance needs of the home. “We’re helping them protect their investment,” Harmer says.



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