It’s the small R&M project work is that has always fueled our growth

Here we are almost a decade later and as the saying goes, the more things have changed, the more they have stayed the same. Through the hiring of talented account managers and the privilege of taking on new client partnerships, UmbrellaOne has been fortunate to expand into a much more diverse set of building maintenance services and take on the challenges of projects with bigger budgets. Having the door opened to pursuing these endeavors is especially satisfying since they represent an acknowledgment of our ability to consistently execute on past repair assignments. Rarely do customers come to us and start us off with their larger R&M or CapEx needs. It’s almost always a case of starting small, proving it, and earning the chance to be awarded more challenging work assignments. A formula that never lets us forget our roots and what is an eternally essential part of our business.

No matter what evolution UmbrellaOne goes through, the small jobs are the foundation of who we are, and our acceptance of it, dare I say enthusiasm about it, is critical. Over the years we have had the chance to interact with service partners who started as small 1-2 person shops and go on to become much larger companies. Knowing that as a customer we contributed to their growth is a great feeling. We cheer them on. However, a decent percentage reach a point in their development and make the decision and start rejecting our ‘small work’, citing that they can’t make sense of it anymore. Each business has its own financial reality to contend with, so the variables that determine the wisdom behind that thought process will yield different outcomes.

Trust me, we have sat back and pondered whether they are right and we wrong. Should we be accepting small dollar value work orders?

• The requirement to manage them can be just as time-consuming as more significant ones.
• The challenge of finding and vetting passionate service partners is never-ending.
• Working around reasonable trip charges and job minimums is always challenging.
• The need for timely updates is just as demanding.

Well, we always come to the same conclusion. YES! The acceptance of the smaller, daily R&M service requests from our facility managers and property managers is what keeps them calling back to help resolve the next issue. It’s how we build our relationships. And, if we do a good enough job time and time again, it’s what will place larger opportunities in our path. It’s as true today as it was when we first opened our doors all those years ago.