SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2016
APEX Exteriors
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There aren’t a lot of business owners who recommend Google reviews to journalists. They’re notoriously unpredictable – the reviews and the reviewers themselves, that is. That’s why I was shocked when Jim Stringham, owner and co-founder of Apex Exteriors in South Beloit, Illinois, turned my attention to a largely unfettered medium to get the goods, so to speak, on his roofing and Insurance Restoration Company. Once I processed his recommendation, I was even more surprised. Think about it: A homeowner or business owner who has just suffered property damage or loss after a major ice storm, hail storm, tornado, flood, or fire is likely in a sensitive state. Professionalism and workmanship are under a magnified lens. But there they were: Glowing reviews, one after the other. “I have been using Apex for five years, starting with the repair of a flat roof that no one else would touch. This ended several years of leaking following other half-baked repairs,” writes R.N. “Every employee we worked with was professional, polite, and had excellent follow-up on all our inquiries,” says A.G.U. It goes on along this vein. Apparently the bedside manor Stringham fosters amongst his team is working wonders. Since its first project in 2006, Apex Exteriors has made the Inc. 5000 list twice and produced profits to the tune of over US $50 million in residential contracts alone.
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By David MacDonald R oofing. Siding. Windows and doors. Gutters. Cultured stone. A three-year growth rate of 128%. Revenues that topped US $14 million in 2014. An A+ rating from the BBB (Better Business Bureau). Twice named one of America’s Top 500 remodelers by Inc. 5000, once coming in at 165. One of the Top 100 roofing companies in the United States, says Roofing Contractor Magazine. Number eight in Illinois, according to Qualified Remodeler Magazine. Sixty happy employees, including subcontractors. They put restoration first. They are one of the fastest growing companies in the industry. I could go on. Seriously. But like any ascent, it began at basecamp. “I have been using Apex for five years, starting with the repair of a flat roof that no one else would touch. This ended several years of leaking following other half-baked repairs.” “In the start, we didn’t have enough money for overhead,” Stringham explains from Apex Exteriors’ 5,000 square feet Corporate Office, “so we literally started in my mom’s basement. But it wasn’t long before we needed to make a move – the first of three. I actually got a credit line through my dad,” he recalls “and leased a bigger corporate office. This was a great fit for us but it really wasn’t long until we outgrew that office. Our third location was in a strip mall but we still didn’t have the space to accommodate our growing team. Now, our office in Illinois has a training room, board rooms, and different offices for everyone here at Apex.”
Apex Exteriors also operates an office in Houston, Texas along with eight satellite offices throughout the United States. “All the satellite offices are between 1,000 and 2,000 square feet. We have two Field Supervisors and 10 Sales Reps and these offices are their stomping grounds. Everything is cloud-based now, which means that once their work orders are complete, they submit everything directly to the corporate offices through Acculynx. After the orders are verified by the team at corporate, they are sent along to ABC Supply or SRS Distribution and then our subcontractors can get to work – but it all starts in our satellite offices.” Acculynx is a “cloud-based construction management software designed with the Specialty Trade Contractor in mind” (acculynx.com). ABC Supply is “America’s largest distributor or roofing, siding, window and gutter materials, tools and supplies” (abcsupply.com); SRS Distribution is “a roofing distri- bution company that includes over 161 locations in 39 States” (srsicorp.com). “Where these recognitions, awards, and solid supply lines – our success, really – translate to savings for Apex customers,” Stringham explains, “is through things like our platinum membership with Owen’s Corning – they don’t just give these away. The status that comes with belonging to the Owens Corning Roofing Preferred Con- tractor program allows us to offer a lifetime warranty to homeowners – they’ll honor it for 50 years. And when these kinds of perks are backed-up by a five billion dollar company, it’s quite a good thing for homeowners.” In this line of work, empathy is a must. Stringham has it for his customers, homeowners and business owners alike. “We deal with thousands of customers a year. There will always be people who need help after storms. El Niño, for instance, has really played a role in us reaching out to more customers. Unfortunately, drastic storms are becoming more and more prevalent – but we’re not going to stand down because of Mother Nature. The more big firms we partner with, the more people we can help rebuild and restore,” he says. When asked about the expansion he’s suggesting, String- ham was quick to delve into Apex’s recruitment practices and corporate culture. “We work with people who follow one simple credo: If you don’t get it right the first time, follow up and make sure that the end product is what you would want for you and your family. This applies in the field and in the office. We look for self-motivated people when we’re bringing a new team member on board; people with fortitude. Experience comes with effort.”
Apex’s subcontractors, Stringham says, are highly moti-
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vated by his simple approach: Where there’s effort, there’s work. “If the effort is there; if you can consistently produce quality results for us, we will have work for you – through thick and thin. That’s why our subcontractors stay with us. Our Sales Reps are always looking to put the right team on the job.” Stringham knows when he’s got it good, which explains why employee retention is a strategy at Apex Exteriors rather than an outcome. “Keeping our employees happy year after year is a priority for us. We make sure they’re able to make a living here at Apex, even during down times. During the financial crisis of ’07-’08, the housing market took a big hit but we were able to keep our team nearly intact. Apex is just that kind of environment,” says Stringham. The corporate culture at Apex Exteriors is not the only envi- ronment Stringham is concerned about. The enormous volume of roofing contracts that the Apex team took on in the early days of the company quickly made him realize how many roofing shingles wind up in landfills. “We did a little lobbying and developed a program to eliminate our impact on the environment as much as possible,” he explains. “No matter where we are in the United States, this program makes it possible to find a recycling plant that takes the old shingles from a restoration job and pro- cesses them for use on roads and even as mulch. Either way they don’t end up sitting in a landfill.” “Keeping our employees happy year after year is a priority for us. We make sure they’re able to make a living here at Apex, even during downturns. During the financial crisis of ’07-’08, the housing market took a big hit but we were able to keep our team nearly intact. Apex is just that kind of environment.” It is these feel-good moments that make it all worth the time and effort for Stringham. “You’re always making a contribution and a difference in this industry, but it’s not necessarily the bigger commercial jobs that bring you the most personal satisfaction. It’s that call you get from a homeowner who was left high and dry by a dishonest con- tractor or someone who did some shoddy work. Saving the day in these situations, literally getting the roof over their head, is really rewarding,” he reflects. Well into their tenth year, Apex Exteriors continues to grow from the ground up. “It’s the hard work of the whole team, down to the last guy who puts his tools away for the day or the Sales Rep sending off that last email. That’s how we stay above the rest.”
“The status that comes with belonging to the Owens Corning Roofing Preferred Contractor program allows us to offer a lifetime warranty to homeowners – they’ll honor it for 50 years. And when these kinds of perks are backed-up by a five billion dollar company, it’s quite a good thing for homeowners.”
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SEPTEMBER 2016 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS
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APEX Exteriors
30246 Spallin Avenue, Abbotsford, BC, V4X 2A5 Office: 604.607.5678 Fax: 604.607.5677
www.apexexteriors.ca
as spotlighted in the SEPTEMBER 2016 issue of SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
www.spotlightonbusinessmagazine.com
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