Conversation With Two Metro Atlanta Business Owners

Welcome to the 2nd Edition of "Insights From Business Owners."

I have been virtually interviewing metro Atlanta business owners to learn their insights on how they have dealt with the challenges to their businesses from Covid-19.Jeremy Dickman, owner of Primm Roofing, and Robert Ross, owner of Ross Design, share their insights and others will be sharing their experiences in future editions of "Insights From Business Owners".

Enjoy the conversation summaries below. There's also a link to a video of the conversation at the end of each summary. Reach out to these business for services you can use. Let's support each other and get through this together!

Primm Roofing owner, Jeremy Dickman

Jeremy acquired Primm Roofing in December of 2016 and Apollo Roofing in July 2019. Jeremy and team are in the process of leveraging the strengths of the businesses to focus 100% on commercial roofing…the more challenging, the better. Jeremy’s vision is to be recognized as the roofer who will relentlessly protect buildings and assets so customers can focus on growth.

JL: Jeremy, who is your best customer?

JD: Our best customers are those where the owner, property manager and the tenants are in sync, but have roofing challenges to overcome. We do a fantastic job consulting with them to ensure they get what’s best to protect their assets. We try to stay local because we like our people to be home at night, and we like being active in our local communities.

JL: What has been the biggest impact of COVID-19 on your business?

JD: We’ve been blessed because the pandemic has brought mostly opportunity to us. It provided us some downtime to accelerate the development of internal projects already in progress. We have a strong backlog, and we have taken the opportunity to hire talent. The crisis resulted in our team, both field and office, being more open to change, and they rallied around the company’s vision.

JL:  What are a couple actions you’ve taken to address those impacts?

JD: We improved our safety plans (safety message, and safety policies). We need to focus on safety issues so we’re prepared for the next crisis…looking beyond COVID. Secondly, we needed to be more thoughtful in communicating with customers and prospective customers because the pandemic seems to have created increased sensitivity around a variety of issues.

JL: It’s been said that smart people learn from their mistakes, but wise people learn from the mistakes of others. What mistakes have you made that other can learn from?

JD: We have a diverse work-force, and our biggest mistake was our delayed recognition of the importance of providing honest and frequent communication to all employees. As a result, I now send out a weekly COVID update and a separate weekly letter to all employees to drive home our substance and reinforce culture. This was also an opportunity for people to step up and show how they could contribute in new ways. We are working on making sure this attitude lives well beyond today, and we don’t define people with a job title or job description.

JL: What is most inspiring to you today, Jeremy?

JD: I’m inspired by how we’re achieving dramatic growth in a very traditional business using non-traditional methods. What excites me is that in 10 years people will look back on what we’ve achieved and marvel at our methods of doing so.

I ‘m reading about Abraham Lincoln and how he led a diverse team through unimaginable difficulty with unwavering vision. I’ve also been listening to Simon Sinek about business being an “Infinite Game.” You must continue improving every day, but it’s not about “winning.” It’s about always being better, and my vision has always been that continuous improvement is THE expectation of everyone here.

JL: You can reach out to Jeremy at [email protected] or 404.474.3775 or www.primmroofing.com,

Watch a video of our conversation - https://youtu.be/kXIaIO5Mdo8

Robert Ross, owner of Ross Design

Robert has owned Ross Design for 23 years. He has built his architectural firm into one that specializes in custom home renovation and remodeling, primarily in metro Atlanta. He also does some boutique retail design work.

JL: Robert, who is your best customer?

RR: My work fits best with upper middle to upper-end valued homes, which tend to be owned by professionals. Most of my clients are self-employed professionals – doctors, lawyers, psychologists - and people who want to make their homes better and understand the value an architect brings to the project.

JL: What has been the biggest impact of COVID-19 on your business?

RR: The pandemic hasn’t impacted the number of leads we have been receiving, in fact we have customers on a wait list (though across the industry billings are down). However, having to limit in-person meetings with prospective clients has had an impact on me. On the positive side, less time spent travelling to meet with clients has enabled me to focus on my outbound proposals. On the negative side, I feel the stress from all that’s going on and spending more hours of my day in the home office at times impacts my focus. Lastly, I have been impacted by the challenges dealing with governmental agencies, especially for permitting, as they work through dealing in a non-touch environment.

JL:  Robert, what are a couple actions you’ve taken to address those impacts?

RR: I have been making more use of virtual meetings, though I do miss the spontaneous interactions with clients and their visual clues as they look at product in showrooms. Secondly, I have been making sure that I takes time for himself – gardening, taking breaks and walking – though I do find it a hard balancing act when there’s a back-log of work.

JL: It’s been said that smart people learn from their mistakes, but wise people learn from the mistakes of others. What mistakes have you made that other can learn from?

RR: The lesson I've learned is that virtual meetings have value in how I run my business. Though at times I miss the face-to-face meetings, I do see that there is a role going forward for virtual meetings.

JL: What is most inspiring to you today, Robert?

RR: I get inspired by all the people who are trying to move the world in a positive direction. It’s gaining momentum, and as it does it’s involving more and more people. Today people are more conscious of right-sizing their homes, being energy efficient, of connecting with the outdoors, etc. I hear people interject these concerns into conversations more than ever before.

JL: Remember Robert Ross when you or a family member or an acquaintance is thinking about remodeling or renovating your (their) home. You can reach Robert at 404.624.0101 or through his website at www.robertrossatlanta.com .

Watch the video of our conversation - https://youtu.be/88NUeK6lLNA