Save Money. Increase Efficiency. Keep Your Facility Operating at Peak Performance. Discover how you can accurately prepare for mechanical and plumbing services to avoid surprises annually. Learn why keeping your equipment well maintained is important to your bottom line as well as employee productivity. Find out why long-term relationships make a difference in preventive maintenance.
Guests: Tom Slagle and David Sheffield - Principals - VASEY Commercial Facility Solutions
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to the buck room marketing, new media
podcast, your resource for B2Bmarketing for manufacturing in
related industries, you createunrivaled products and services.
We tell your story now onto theshow.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
My name is Deb daily and I'm the co-founder of
Buckaroo marketing new media.
Today.
We have two guests joining us,Tom Slagle and Dave Sheffield.
They are the principles of[inaudible] commercial facility
solutions.
Welcome to the show guys.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
Thank you.
It's nice to be here.
All right.
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
So why don't we start off and, um, why don't you tell
me a little bit about yourbackground, Tom.
We can start with you.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
All right.
Well, thanks for having us heretoday, Deb.
We, we enjoy spending time withyou and give you a little bit of
a background on myself was, uh,I attended school back in the
eighties and, uh, got a degreein heating and air conditioning
industry and got immediatelyinto the field and started a
family and worked day and nightand ended up after eight years
(01:04):
in the industry here atbasically beginning of 1994,
been there for 26 years.
Started off as a servicetechnician, um, became a field
supervisor, progressed into aservice manager, then general
manager, and then somehow we arenow ending up in the owner state
(01:26):
as president of the capitalalongside my partner, Dave chef
bill.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
Okay.
Dave, what about you?
Speaker 3 (01:34):
Uh, I've been with Basey 16 years and, um, I'm the
chief financial officer here andhave had a career in the
construction industry anddistribution industry as both a
controller and CFO along theway.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
So you've, you've worked a long time together.
Obviously
Speaker 3 (01:54):
We have yeah, 16 years long time, a long
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Time.
Why don't you tell me a littlebit more about Basey?
Speaker 3 (02:03):
Well, basically it was founded in 1977.
Uh, the founder was bill Baseyand he began the company on his
kitchen table and, uh, startedout taking, taking off prints
off of blueprints and designingduct work systems and heating
and air conditioning systems andsold them to general
contractors.
(02:24):
And since that time we havegrown and transitioned from a,
uh, contractor that installedthe air conditioning for, for
the general contracting world toa service organization where our
predominant, uh, line isproviding HBA service and
plumbing service, uh, throughoutcentral Indiana.
(02:46):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
Now was that Bill's original intent.
I mean, you know, what did he,did he, did he think longterm
that he was going to move intothe servicing aspect or just
that's where he started and itkind of naturally morphed that
way.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
Yeah, kind of naturally morphed that way as,
as, as the company grew and theywere installing more and more,
uh, HVA systems throughoutcentral Indiana, the end users
for those buildings, uh, were inneed of service and needed
repair and maintenance on theequipment that Basey had
(03:23):
installed.
So it kind of was a naturalprogression that the service
department was started in theearly eighties and, um, then has
grown since then.
And then in the early twothousands, we transitioned out
of, uh, the, uh, generalcontracting, uh, bid speculation
market and into strictlystrictly service.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Okay.
Um, Tom is, does facie havemultiple locations?
Speaker 3 (03:52):
We work out of a central location here in
Zionsville, just north ofIndianapolis that we do travel,
um, pretty much in a hundredmile radius, but we're as far as
south as Seymour Bloomington andwe travel state state as far as
Ohio and north end, theLafayette Fort grain
(04:12):
occasionally.
So we're a central Indiana basedcompany, but we have 65
technicians in the field thatare located throughout Indiana.
Some of them are located north,south, east, and west.
So our reach goes far and it's,it's not hard to take care of
our customers through thecentral Indiana region, the,
with the base of techniciansthat we have.
(04:33):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
You mentioned you have 65 texts.
How many employees do you guyshave total
Speaker 3 (04:40):
Have?
How many times do we or tell youtotal employee count is 89
employees currently 65 people inthe field and then a Salesforce
of approximately 12 people andthen another, um, eight, 10
people in the office.
Okay.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
All right.
Why don't you, um, give us someexamples of shared or unique
challenges.
Uh, your customers willtypically face cause I know that
you deal strictly withcommercial clients and some of
whom are manufacturers.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
Well, I think probably basic success is due to
the fact that we're able to helpour customers create budgets.
Budgets seem to be the biggestissue for a lot of our
customers.
They don't know necessarily whatto budget, how much money to
budget and what to expect forrepairs on top of maintenance.
(05:37):
And so what are our focuses ison preventative maintenance
budgets, along with includingrepair budgets, we can provide
numbers for preventivemaintenance only, and we can fix
and repair or replace on a timeof Carroll basis.
But we also are very successfulat providing full service
(05:58):
maintenance and repair andreplacement budgets as well.
So we can provide our customerwith a single number for them on
a yearly basis, and they have nosurprises.
They know what they need tobudget to not only maintain
their equipment, which has to bedone, but to repair it and, or
replace it when needed.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
Okay.
Um, tell me a little bit abouthow your preventative
maintenance program works.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
Well, we have different levels of preventive
maintenance and, um, but it'svery proactive.
We are computer-based and havelots of experience with all the
different manufacturers andtypes of equipment that are
available and our customershave.
Um, but we're very proactivebecause we believe a
relationship is built onmaintaining their equipment and
(06:45):
not necessarily always repairingtheir equipment.
So what we discuss with ourcustomers upfront is the
importance of a preventativemaintenance that will slow down,
prevent, um, and give Sargentrepairs or concern and give
their equipment longer lastinglife cycles and longer lasting
efficient life cycle.
(07:07):
Um, a lot of people don'tunderstand how important it is
to maintain the equipmentproperly, to prevent, um,
premature repairs or failures.
And it also makes our equipmentrun efficiently.
Okay.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
And, um, I assume by running efficiently, that
translate to obviously yourenvironmental comfort, but I'm
assuming, you know, electricalenergy savings and things like
that,
Speaker 3 (07:36):
Correct cost of energies and cover levels.
If you, if you perform propermaintenance, you have less
downtime.
According to what segment of theindustry you're in, it could be
downtime could, could equal lessmanufacturing possibility or
could equal discomfort to youremployees, which makes them
unefficient because they are nothappy either being hot or cold.
(07:58):
So, uh, it's you get theefficiency in two ways?
Yes.
Whether it's the cost of yourutilities or the cost of lack of
production.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
Um, tell me something that, you know, when you work
with your customers, tell mesomething that you find that
every single one absolutelyneeds to know, and they may not
know, um, you know, too many,oftentimes as owners, we don't
always know what we don't know.
(08:32):
And so is there anything, um, inthat realm that you could share
with us as far as, you know,typically people don't know X
and this is why it's important.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
Wow.
That's a pretty broad questionin my mind, but typically they
just don't know what's going onon their roofs.
There's not a lot of companiesjust don't know what they don't
see.
So if we can, during, uh, theinitial process of, of selling
to a new client or a new personin a position of management at
(09:08):
one of our, our current clients,we like to get them to the roof,
show them what's on the roof,what we do and why we do it.
A lot of times we are dealingwith a new customer.
We will take pictures and showthem what's on the road.
But if you can get them to therep to see why we do what we do
and why we preach, what wepreach and are consistent at
that helps them understand, um,how their building works and how
(09:32):
their equipment works.
But why it's so important tohave a proactive maintenance on
that equipment seeing isbelieving, I guess, is what I'm
saying.
And a lot of them just don't seeit until it's an issue.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Well, I, you know, sometimes you hear horror
stories of different situations,but, um, do you, I guess, as a
business owner and I don'tobviously know anything about my
HPAC, but how do I know who I'vehired is actually doing what
(10:07):
they're saying that they do?
Cause sometimes I'm sure you'veencountered, uh, encountered
customers that are saying, ohyeah, we're great.
No problem.
And we don't need any help.
And then you probably go in andyou go and oh, maybe had lots of
help.
Speaker 3 (10:21):
Yes, for sure.
And that's the situation likeTom said again, where we would
bring the customer to the roofto see the shape that the
equipment is in or, and, or, youknow, take pictures if, you know
, they're not comfortable goingonto the roof because in a large
manufacturing setting, the roofcan be the length of a football
(10:42):
field.
And there can be 60, 70, 80, ahundred pieces of equipment on
the roof.
And if they have not beenproperly maintained, uh, the
efficiency is droppeddramatically.
That raises your energy Collinsand you're prone to more
failure.
And so again, with ourpreventative maintenance
programs, we really strive to doproactive maintenance and be out
(11:08):
in front of the curve ofbreakdowns.
And so the equipment can operateyear round and can operate
efficiently.
And one of the things that'sunique about Basey is for
example, in the beginning of thesummer, when temperature is
really rise and you get thatfirst day of 90 degrees or 95
degrees, um, in the historicalkind of old model of it heating
(11:29):
and air conditioning, the phonewould ring off the hook because
everybody's calling in andsaying I'm hot.
And my air conditioning isn'tworking, or it's, it's, it's hot
in the break room, over theproactive approach.
We've already been out to thefacility, uh, before the
temperatures have gone to thenineties, we've cleaned
everything we've gone through,we've tested and inspected.
And so when we get those reallyhot days, our phones are
(11:52):
relatively quiet.
It's very different from thekind of the old model where it
was a little bit more of afireman approach where, you
know, it might really hot, tonsof phone calls.
Everybody's busy, everybody'sgoing, going crazy.
Or if it got screaming cold,likewise, everyone's running out
for no heats, but, but with aproactive approach, you kind of,
you take out those, those upsand downs and you have a much
(12:14):
more, uh, even flow.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
Okay.
Now, um, I'm assuming, you know,one of the other challenges is
if, if a piece of equipment doesbreak, especially on the
rooftop, it's not like you justhave one sitting out back that
you can just say, oh yeah, let'slet's, we can just, you know, go
put that on your, you know,right now.
Um, as far as lead times,
Speaker 3 (12:39):
That is correct.
And these days and times there'snot very many companies or
manufacturers that have a lot ofinventory sitting around period.
So a lot of equipment is specialordered, um, up on, you know,
when it's needed.
So that's, again, it's, it'sreally important to be out on
site ahead of the curve, butthey've said, so if there is a
(12:59):
failure and, uh, you need totalk to the customer, or they're
not, they want to repair and, orreplace, you have some time to
make that happen before they arein to the heat of the battle or
the cold of the battle for thewhich season you're in.
Um, and that, so it's our job toget out there on a scheduled
basis, pre-season to make surethat everything's going to work
(13:20):
and let them know how theirequipment is operating and if
it's operating properly.
But that gives us the ability tomake sure we take care of our
customer in the best fashion aspossible.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
Right.
I know in the past we've talked.
And, um, one of the things thatmakes you unique is your
relationship with your texts.
Um, talk to me a little bitabout how that works.
Speaker 3 (13:44):
Well, again, like Dave was alluding to earlier, we
, we operate a littledifferently than most companies
we don't hire and fireseasonally, um, due to our type
of business, having contractcustomers and schedule
maintenance.
It allows us to have an evenwave length of business
throughout the year.
(14:04):
So our technicians are busy yearround.
And when it's slow, as far asthe hitting, their initial
season is concerned slow.
When it's off peak, we are, weare performing maintenance and
repairs and getting all theequipment to speed.
And then when it gets really,really hot or really, really
cold, our technicians are freeto run service if needed or
(14:26):
continue running maintenance.
So our response time isexcellent when it's really hot
out.
And it's excellent when it'sreally cool out because we're
not tied down on runningemergency repairs because we've
already taken care of thosesituations for the most part,
with all of our customers thathelps us pick up new customers.
Because a lot of times we'll getphone calls from someone that we
(14:47):
don't do business with, or havea contract with.
And they ask us if we get totheir facility on a service call
for them that day.
And a lot of times we canbecause our guys aren't tied
down, running emergency serviceall the time.
So it gives us the ability totalk to new people and pick up
some new customers because ofour philosophy and what we do as
(15:08):
far as a company, ourtechnicians love it because they
get 40 hours.
You're around average, you know,on average, they work 42 to 45
hours a week and that's yearround, um, technicians don't
have to work 60 hours on it getsreally hot out.
They don't have to work 60 hoursand gets really cold out because
we have even the wave length ofbusiness and they don't get laid
(15:31):
off or sent home.
And those offs off peak seasons.
Right.
So it's really consistent.
So because of that, our T ouraverage tenure is really high
for technicians.
You know, we discussed earlier,I've been here for 26 years and
we have five technicians thathave been here longer than I've
been with the company.
And they've, you know, they'rehere long-term, and that's
(15:53):
because basically the verywell-organized place to work.
And bill basically set up aculture that is very friendly to
his employees and to the people.
That's why I'm still herebecause of bill VZ.
That's all he set up.
So we've carried on thattradition in that culture,
trying to make it as friendlyand opportunity for success for
(16:15):
them as much as possible.
And so we, our technicianstypically stay with us like our
customers.
Long-term, it is a relationship.
You know, our, our techniciansare our bridge to our customers
too.
And we know that.
So we make sure that ourcustomers and our technicians
have good communications andhave the ability to discuss
(16:35):
issues.
And our customers typically willsee the assigned technician on a
regular basis.
So they create relationships.
They're not the saying, everytechnician we have in the
company coming out, you know,Helter Skelter.
It is designed for us to haveprimary technicians on
facilities to create thoserelationships.
I think they understand thebuildings and they understand
(16:57):
the customers.
It just makes for a long-termstrong relationship, which is
what we want.
We want long-term relationships.
Speaker 2 (17:05):
Sure.
I know one of the things that Iwas really impressed with, um,
you know, with the wholeCOVID-19, um, you know, a lot of
people lost their jobs or were,or on furloughs and everything.
And I know it really impressedme by the fact that you didn't
do that with your team.
Um, you know, everybody stayedbusy and, and what types of
(17:26):
other things did they do sincethey couldn't go into the
manufacturing facilities?
Uh, what are the types ofthings?
Did you help them stay busywith?
Speaker 3 (17:36):
Well, they did, they did a lot of different things.
Um, we were fortunate enough toget the PPP loan payment
protection plan loan.
And so that enabled us to keepall of our staff, uh, working
full-time, um, office staff andsales work remotely from home.
And we had our technicians.
(17:57):
We did, did some work around thebuilding that, um, around the
exterior and interior, some ofthe things have been kind of put
off and, uh, we get some thingscleaned up, um, got some vans
moved out.
So you get a little creativewhen you're trying to keep
again, 65 guys busy, but for alot of our guys, there was still
work to be done.
You know, a facility, even ifit's not producing, uh,
(18:21):
something, there are still, youstill have to have air
conditioning, you still have tohave some functionality of the
equipment.
And so, um, we were still ableto, to run calls and still
receive some service calls, uh,even though things were shut
down because, um, again, thingsjust can't come to a complete
stop,
Speaker 2 (18:39):
Right.
Just because the building'svacant doesn't mean, you know,
everything stops.
Speaker 3 (18:44):
And I,
Speaker 2 (18:46):
I know another thing you know about you as fact, as
far as training is really,really important to you guys.
Speaker 3 (18:53):
It did allow us to, um, apply more training, get
caught up on training.
Um, we do an online trainingnow, as far as safety training
is concerned, we are very, uh,concerned about safety for our
technicians.
So we have, uh, a system that isin place right now, where we
have a lot of online training.
(19:14):
So the technicians have theability to take the time to do
the training during the day, asopposed to at night when they
got home after work.
So a lot of them are veryappreciative of that.
We also implemented training asfar as technical training on
equipment, because there's somany different manufacturers out
there.
And so many differentphilosophies of how systems
(19:35):
function these days training isnever ending that allowed us to
have the opportunity to get alot more training, pushed out to
the technicians and, and get, uh, you know, get us, make sure
that we are staying up to speedon all the new technology it's
changing every day.
But, um, it did help us in thatfact that we were able to
monitor and see what, uh, whattechnicians have been, which
(19:59):
classes, which ones have been to, which training sessions that
helped get them caught up.
Um, so it was important.
And it also allowed us to getahead of the curve.
As far as getting guys trainedwith other technicians, we don't
hire a lot of new technicianseach year, but through this, we
didn't fire any technicians orlay off any technicians.
(20:19):
We have hired a couple oftechnicians.
We've grown, we've taken thisopportunity to find some
qualified people, bring them onboard and start showing them,
you know, what we like to say?
And here's the basic way.
Show them how we operate, how weperform maintenance, how we
treat our customers and what'sexpected.
And most of the time, the newtechnicians, the new hires are a
(20:42):
fresh breath of air form.
Just go, wow, you're not tellingme just to hurry up and get it
done and get out of here.
You're telling us, do the rightjob, do what you need to do and
take care of your customer.
And they start to learn thatphilosophy, because if you do a
good job, you get called backand it doesn't, you know, the
customer's not saying, well, I'mgonna try somebody else this
year.
They're content with yourservices.
(21:02):
They like what you do.
You discuss their issues withthem.
You keep the open minds ofcommunications and create that
relationship.
The technicians then feel thatit's a warm, it's a good feeling
though, that your customers wantyou to come back and appreciate
what you're doing and are upsetwith you because you're there,
you know, performing maintenanceor whatever it is, and costing
(21:22):
them money.
They appreciate that you'retaking good care of them, but
that is allowed because of ourmaintenance side, the contracts
it's budgeted out, according towhat the customer wants.
It can be a monthly payment.
It can be a quarterly payment,can be a yearly payment for how
they want to do it, but theyknow it's, it's budgeted.
And they don't mind seeing ourpeople on site cause they know
(21:43):
that they're there to help themand be, you know, do proactive
services.
And that takes a lot of load offthe technicians.
They aren't getting barked ateveryday because they're on
site, they're appreciatedbecause they're onsite.
So it just creates a good, youknow, a good relationship
between the customers and a goodrelationship when the
technicians and managers andDeb, our, um, our technicians
(22:04):
take a lot of pride in the workthat they do.
They're highly skilled.
And one of the benefits ofhaving a primary technician, uh,
attached to a facility is thattechnician then goes into this
building, learns the ins andouts of the building.
And then it kind of becomes, youknow, his building.
And he takes pride thateverything works correctly, that
(22:26):
everybody's comfortable insideand that pride and that sense of
ownership really, uh, benefitsthe customer a great deal.
And, and again, as Tom said,when, when our guys come in,
they're kind of the hero, youknow, uh, cause they're the one
that's going to give you airconditioning or give you heat if
you're cold.
And so, um, again, it's, it'sthe same face each time on most
(22:47):
occasions.
And so, yeah, so they really,they enjoy that ownership, uh,
of having that, that agreement.
They take pride in theiragreement and, and, and how
effective the, the systems run.
So it really does work well, youknow, particularly in a
manufacturing environment whenyou've got a lot of different
systems and, uh, doing a lot ofdifferent things.
(23:07):
And so it does work out reallywell.
We had the opportunity once togo into a school, it was, uh, an
Annapolis public school that hadbeen sold a private investor,
and he was putting businesses inthe school and he had called us,
he wasn't our customer at thispoint and called us to come give
him a price to replace thisboiler system.
(23:30):
So we sent a project manager anda service technician that is
familiar with boilers andcontrols of them down there to
take a look at this.
And ultimately what happened wasour service technician looked at
the system with our projectmanager and said, we don't need
to replace this barter.
We just need to repair it andadjust it and set it up
(23:51):
properly.
So we did talk to the Castro andsaid, give us a chance to look
at this and go through itbecause we don't think you need
to replace it.
We think that it's functional ifit gets set up properly.
And so our technician spent, Idon't know if it was two days,
three days down there goingthrough the system and told them
what they needed to do.
And they allowed us to performthe services and the system
(24:14):
worked properly.
So they didn't end up having tochange their boiler.
We didn't end up selling them aboiler, but we did get the
contract work at that facility.
After that, we now perform theirmaintenance and the minor
repairs that we needed to do.
But that boiler is stilloperating today because we
repaired and maintenance.
And when you go keep itadjusted, right?
(24:35):
So we could have gone and justsold them a boiler, but that's
not our philosophy.
Our philosophy is, you know, dowhat you need to do, not what
you don't just sell parts,materials, equipment, right?
You sell the customer what theyactually need and performance
services that are actually need,because we know if you do that,
you've got a customer for a longterm.
And that's what we really areabout as longterm.
(24:57):
Yeah.
We pick and choose our customerstypically because we want that
relationship.
If somebody is calling us justas a competitive bid, you know,
we're, we're not interested, butwe will go out and talk to them,
see what their needs are.
And if we can do something forthem, we will, but we're about
relationships.
We don't want to talk to you onetime to a job and leave because
we really want a long-termrelationship that we can count
(25:21):
on and we can schedule and beprepared for
Speaker 2 (25:26):
Sure.
Um, you know, I know one of thethings that we haven't touched
on, uh, David, is your plumbing.
Talk to me a little bit aboutyour plumbing division.
Cause that's not somethingyou've always had.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
No, that's right.
We added our plumbing divisionabout six years ago and, uh, we
have about nine guys involved inplumbing.
We do service plumbing, we doplumbing installation as it can
be anything from toilets tofaucets to, uh, to drains, um,
outside, uh, leading to sewerdrains.
(25:59):
Uh, we also have a division thatdoes, uh, drain cleaning with,
uh, hydrogen and other types ofgenerous.
They can clean grease traps and,um, and other drains it's been,
uh, it's been a great, uh,addition to our suite of
services because it allows us,uh, to offer our customers not
(26:19):
only HPAC and control work, butnow you can add planning in as
well.
And so it gives our customersthe ability to have a single
source to reach out to, uh, fortheir facility.
And, um, it's, uh, somethingthat continues to grow and, and
we're quite proud of it.
We've got a great group of guysthat are in that division.
We do have a project division.
(26:41):
Um, we have about people in theproject division as far as HVHC
is concerned and, and piping.
And then we also have theplumbing division that has some
project installers as well.
So even though we typicallydon't get involved with new
construction, we have theability, but we typically don't
get involved with that becausemost of our personnel are
(27:03):
technicians and trained andhighly compensated and are in
basically vehicles.
And so we don't compete well innew construction typically, but
we do have a team that is highlyskilled and capable of
installing new equipment andreplacement.
We do it all the time for ourcustomers.
We replace equipment.
We've got gentlemen in thatdivision, I've been with company
(27:26):
again, you know, 15 to 30 yearswith lots of experience and
knowledge out there.
So we have the ability to changeout equipment installed
equipment.
We do have our own sheet metaldivision in the back.
We can make growth curves, wecan make duct work.
We can do a lot of things.
Um, we have a plasma cutter forcustom cut, uh, materials as far
(27:49):
as whether it's duct work ordiamond plating.
Um, cause we do a lot of customwork for our refrigeration
division.
We can make panels for walk-incoolers, Frasers coverings, door
flashings, lots of things.
So we, we got a wide, uh,ability to service our customer.
Um, so want to make sure that,you know, we're not only a good
(28:13):
service company and maintenancecompany, but we do have the
ability to put a new equipmentand replace equipment.
And we do it in a very highlyskilled, uh, right.
I'm proud.
I'm always proud to walk into alocation and look at what we've
done to say.
Yeah, that's basically, if wefind an issue like that, we take
care of any issues because notonly do you do a good job, it
(28:34):
looks good.
We that's another thing we werealways preaching to our guys,
make sure you perform well.
And when you're done clean upafter yourself, cause if you
leave anything hanging around,laying around, it doesn't look
good.
That's what the customer sees.
And no matter how good a job youdo, you're leaving a bad
impression.
If you don't leave the job,plain tidying needle straight.
And so that's something that weare always pushing out to our
(28:55):
guys, make sure you're not onlydo the good job at cleaning up
after yourself and smile thecustomer and say, thank you when
you leave because we aren'there.
Right.
Speaker 2 (29:04):
Right, right.
That makes perfect sense.
Now, um, given the, you know,have you added any new products
or services lately besides theplumbing division as far as you
know, cause I know we've had theCOVID and that's affected you
guys as far as maybe the abilityto go out and service some of
(29:26):
your clients in the same way oryou know, doing a little bit
different.
Um, what, uh, what kind ofthings do you have going on
there?
Speaker 3 (29:34):
Well, we've seen a, a great deal of interest in air
purification.
Um, since basically the middleof March, uh, the technology has
been around for several years.
Um, but it was a little bit morein the background, but then of
course, due to the pandemic,it's really been pushed to the,
to the forefront and we haveinstalled the ultraviolet light
(29:57):
systems as well as, uh,ionization systems into our
existing clients, uh, propertiesas well as, as new customers to,
uh, to provide, uh, airthroughout the duct system that
is being purified either, eithervia ultraviolet light or by, uh,
an ionization process.
(30:18):
And, uh, we have also reallytried to expand and notify our
customers about touchlessfixtures, uh, in the plumbing
world.
You know, you've got touchlessfaucets, touchless, hand dryers,
touchless, soap, dispensers, um,and some, so those also are
another option again, in this,in this kind of new environment
(30:41):
to, um, to have again, less,less touch points in a restroom.
And then with the, uh, airpurification of course, to, to
clean the air, uh, 24 7 aroundthe clock, you know, in a
facility.
Speaker 2 (30:55):
Sure.
Well, and obviously that's,that's, uh, you know, we all
want to stay safe and healthy,so that's super important.
Um, is there anything else thatyou'd like to add to today's
conversation?
Anything that I might'veforgotten or
Speaker 3 (31:09):
I've got one thing I think Tom touched on it, but
what I would like to tell peopleabout is our, uh, project sales
managers, our project sales repstruly are, um, really, really
brilliant when it comes todesign of systems.
Um, they have taken, taken ontasks or problems.
(31:31):
Um, they vary everything from,um, you know, air air exchanges
in, in a manufacturing facilitythat has, you know, smoke that
is produced from a productionline, whether it's like welding.
And, you know, we've dealt witha company that had a lot of
welding in a facility and theyneeded to exhaust, uh, that,
that smoke in that weldingmaterial sufficiently, what they
(31:56):
had was not working.
Again, our team came in designeda system that could capture,
capture those fumes and thatsmoke and exhausted to give the
employees, you know, better andcleaner air.
We've done paint booths, we'vedone clean rooms.
Um, they are, they just betweenthe group, they are incredibly
talented that, um, they almostkind of liked the challenge, um,
(32:19):
of give us your problem, uh,with, with an air quality or, or
a temperature issue or, or ahumidity issue.
And, and the team, you know,will come together and put out a
product that, uh, they will,that will solve the problem.
And, um, and I know Deb, you'veworked with us to really try to
bring that out.
(32:40):
Like tell me more, those are,those are great stories.
And you know, our guys do it on,um, on a monthly basis.
It's kind of old hat to them,but, but they really do some
amazing things and we're veryproud of, of what they can do.
Yeah.
We do have a push on right nowto expand our plumbing division.
Um, we're, we're starting toinstall more and more piping and
(33:00):
that's everything fromunderground to, you know, water
supply, air supply, we'vepurchased the latest and
greatest equipment to installand service.
Um, whether it is during a seweror like I say, process pipe or
domestic pipe.
Um, so that is a big push.
(33:20):
We have gentlemen that arecertified in backflow training,
um, or inspection.
So we have the ability toinspect backflow preventers,
which every facility has and thecommercial facility out there.
They have a backlog of going inthere in their building and or
multiple.
So we have the ability not onlyto inspect them, but we also
repair a lot of companies don'trepair, but they'll come out and
(33:43):
inspect your backlog per vendor.
And let you know that it'seither failed or passed
inspection, but they may nothave the ability to provide
service.
And we do provide service andrepairs on backflow prevention
as well.
So we're, we put a push ontrying to, to work with that.
We initially worked within ourcustomer base to grow that
(34:03):
division, to keep it undercontrol because we didn't want
to really advertise anything tothe masses that we couldn't
produce, but we want to makesure that we kept it under
control.
And we have now we're in thegrowth now we're, you know,
growing that division and it's,it's a good division.
It's a good segment of theindustry to be in.
(34:24):
And our customers love it whenwe go out and talk to our
customer base and let them knowthat we have a plumbing
division, they're always tellingus, well, we didn't know that.
And we said, yeah, while we'vejust started here recently, but
it is available now, if youwould like it.
And typically we get a servicecall right then and there.
And, um, so, and that's the billwe want, we want to do more
(34:46):
business with our good customersand we want to provide them more
services
Speaker 2 (34:51):
And it's easy for them because they already have
the relationship.
They don't have to go findsomeone else that they might be
able to do the work and figureout if they can trust them or
not.
You know, it it's a win-winsituation for both
Speaker 3 (35:03):
This that that's worked out real well for us.
So we're about growth that we'rereally about controlled growth
and controlled growth with theright customer.
Speaker 2 (35:14):
Um, one of the things you mentioned was the backflow
and not all of our listeners,viewers will know what that is.
So could you just briefly tellme what that is and why it's
important?
Speaker 3 (35:26):
It's basically in place where the water system
enters your facility from, um,from where we're supplying your
water, whatever, whatevercompany that may be that
prevents water from thebuilding, re-entering the loop
that may get to other customerslocation.
So if you have some type ofissue in your facility where
(35:48):
something got into the watersystem and doesn't allow it to
back flow into the supply linesthat are coming into your
building, okay.
So what's a safety feature therethat you have to have, and it is
important because if there's anytype of problem with your
system, you don't want itentering the supply line for
(36:10):
everyone.
So it's, and you have that inyour facility.
You have, you have a backup orvendor in place for your fire
protection.
You have it in for one in placefor your domestic water, your
production water.
And if you have sprinkler systemthere's also on there for your
sprinkler system, they have tobe inspected once a year, uh, to
(36:30):
pass for the state.
And, um, we do that, providethat service.
And like I say, we also canrepair and or replace, or I've
the new, if they're going toexpand, we have, we have the
ability to do all the above.
Okay.
Speaker 2 (36:44):
Okay.
Interesting.
Um, is there anything else thatwe haven't covered today that
you'd like to mention?
I know that we've covered a lot.
You guys do amazing work
Speaker 3 (36:56):
Well, thanks, Deb.
Um, you know, we talked aboutskeptics really busy as we've,
as we've grown.
Um, we've, we've got otherthings in the works that we're
not ready to talk about justyet, because we want to make
sure that we have everything inplace to support it.
But, uh, you know, as Dave and Igrow along here, we're, we're
(37:16):
careful and make sure that we dothings properly and then we can
support what we tell you we'regoing to do.
And we have the manpower and theright people in place to do
that.
It's important to us.
You got to walk before you canrun.
Yes.
Speaker 2 (37:29):
Yes.
And, um, I also, uh, heard thatyou guys are proud sponsors of
the Indianapolis Colts.
Speaker 3 (37:36):
We are, we are indeed.
We are indeed.
Yes.
We take care of their facility.
And, uh, we hope to, uh, we hopewe can be in the stands, uh,
this season.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (37:50):
It's our boys here.
Yeah,
Speaker 3 (37:51):
It can be seen.
Yes.
Yes.
We know we have a goodpartnership with them.
We are a proud sponsors of theIndianapolis Colts.
Um, it is a good organization towork with.
They are very particular aboutwhat services we provide and our
provided and that's right up ouralley.
So it's been a very goodrelationship.
Speaker 2 (38:09):
Terrific, terrific.
Um, so if our viewers listenerswant to reach you guys, what's
the best way to contact you orthe best way to contact Basey
Speaker 3 (38:20):
Best way is, uh, by our website at[inaudible] dot
com.
That's a BAS E y.com.
Or you can reach us by telephoneat(317) 873-2512.
We'd be happy to talk to you,take care of what you need.
Speaker 2 (38:37):
And I assume you both are on LinkedIn as far as if
someone's interested in reachingyou that way, or if they need to
talk to you directly and not atechnician or what have you.
Yes, we are.
Okay.
All right.
Well, I want to thank all of ourviewers and listeners for
joining us today.
If you have any questions orcomments, uh, let us know, and
(38:58):
don't forget if you've enjoyedtoday's show, please be sure to
subscribe to our channel
Speaker 1 (39:04):
Buck room TV.
Thanks guys.
All right.
Thank you, dad.
Thank you for listening to theBuckaroo marketing new media
podcast.
If you'd like to learn moreabout B2B marketing for
manufacturing and relatedindustries, please visit us.
I go book route.com.
Welcome to the buck room marketing, new media
podcast, your resource for B2Bmarketing for manufacturing in
related industries, you createunrivaled products and services.
We tell your story now onto theshow.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
My name is Deb daily and I'm the co-founder of
Buckaroo marketing new media.
Today.
We have two guests joining us,Tom Slagle and Dave Sheffield.
They are the principles of[inaudible] commercial facility
solutions.
Welcome to the show guys.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
Thank you.
It's nice to be here.
All right.
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
So why don't we start off and, um, why don't you tell
me a little bit about yourbackground, Tom.
We can start with you.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
All right.
Well, thanks for having us heretoday, Deb.
We, we enjoy spending time withyou and give you a little bit of
a background on myself was, uh,I attended school back in the
eighties and, uh, got a degreein heating and air conditioning
industry and got immediatelyinto the field and started a
family and worked day and nightand ended up after eight years
(01:04):
in the industry here atbasically beginning of 1994,
been there for 26 years.
Started off as a servicetechnician, um, became a field
supervisor, progressed into aservice manager, then general
manager, and then somehow we arenow ending up in the owner state
(01:26):
as president of the capitalalongside my partner, Dave chef
bill.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
Okay.
Dave, what about you?
Speaker 3 (01:34):
Uh, I've been with Basey 16 years and, um, I'm the
chief financial officer here andhave had a career in the
construction industry anddistribution industry as both a
controller and CFO along theway.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
So you've, you've worked a long time together.
Obviously
Speaker 3 (01:54):
We have yeah, 16 years long time, a long
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Time.
Why don't you tell me a littlebit more about Basey?
Speaker 3 (02:03):
Well, basically it was founded in 1977.
Uh, the founder was bill Baseyand he began the company on his
kitchen table and, uh, startedout taking, taking off prints
off of blueprints and designingduct work systems and heating
and air conditioning systems andsold them to general
contractors.
(02:24):
And since that time we havegrown and transitioned from a,
uh, contractor that installedthe air conditioning for, for
the general contracting world toa service organization where our
predominant, uh, line isproviding HBA service and
plumbing service, uh, throughoutcentral Indiana.
(02:46):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
Now was that Bill's original intent.
I mean, you know, what did he,did he, did he think longterm
that he was going to move intothe servicing aspect or just
that's where he started and itkind of naturally morphed that
way.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
Yeah, kind of naturally morphed that way as,
as, as the company grew and theywere installing more and more,
uh, HVA systems throughoutcentral Indiana, the end users
for those buildings, uh, were inneed of service and needed
repair and maintenance on theequipment that Basey had
(03:23):
installed.
So it kind of was a naturalprogression that the service
department was started in theearly eighties and, um, then has
grown since then.
And then in the early twothousands, we transitioned out
of, uh, the, uh, generalcontracting, uh, bid speculation
market and into strictlystrictly service.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Okay.
Um, Tom is, does facie havemultiple locations?
Speaker 3 (03:52):
We work out of a central location here in
Zionsville, just north ofIndianapolis that we do travel,
um, pretty much in a hundredmile radius, but we're as far as
south as Seymour Bloomington andwe travel state state as far as
Ohio and north end, theLafayette Fort grain
(04:12):
occasionally.
So we're a central Indiana basedcompany, but we have 65
technicians in the field thatare located throughout Indiana.
Some of them are located north,south, east, and west.
So our reach goes far and it's,it's not hard to take care of
our customers through thecentral Indiana region, the,
with the base of techniciansthat we have.
(04:33):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
You mentioned you have 65 texts.
How many employees do you guyshave total
Speaker 3 (04:40):
Have?
How many times do we or tell youtotal employee count is 89
employees currently 65 people inthe field and then a Salesforce
of approximately 12 people andthen another, um, eight, 10
people in the office.
Okay.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
All right.
Why don't you, um, give us someexamples of shared or unique
challenges.
Uh, your customers willtypically face cause I know that
you deal strictly withcommercial clients and some of
whom are manufacturers.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
Well, I think probably basic success is due to
the fact that we're able to helpour customers create budgets.
Budgets seem to be the biggestissue for a lot of our
customers.
They don't know necessarily whatto budget, how much money to
budget and what to expect forrepairs on top of maintenance.
(05:37):
And so what are our focuses ison preventative maintenance
budgets, along with includingrepair budgets, we can provide
numbers for preventivemaintenance only, and we can fix
and repair or replace on a timeof Carroll basis.
But we also are very successfulat providing full service
(05:58):
maintenance and repair andreplacement budgets as well.
So we can provide our customerwith a single number for them on
a yearly basis, and they have nosurprises.
They know what they need tobudget to not only maintain
their equipment, which has to bedone, but to repair it and, or
replace it when needed.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
Okay.
Um, tell me a little bit abouthow your preventative
maintenance program works.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
Well, we have different levels of preventive
maintenance and, um, but it'svery proactive.
We are computer-based and havelots of experience with all the
different manufacturers andtypes of equipment that are
available and our customershave.
Um, but we're very proactivebecause we believe a
relationship is built onmaintaining their equipment and
(06:45):
not necessarily always repairingtheir equipment.
So what we discuss with ourcustomers upfront is the
importance of a preventativemaintenance that will slow down,
prevent, um, and give Sargentrepairs or concern and give
their equipment longer lastinglife cycles and longer lasting
efficient life cycle.
(07:07):
Um, a lot of people don'tunderstand how important it is
to maintain the equipmentproperly, to prevent, um,
premature repairs or failures.
And it also makes our equipmentrun efficiently.
Okay.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
And, um, I assume by running efficiently, that
translate to obviously yourenvironmental comfort, but I'm
assuming, you know, electricalenergy savings and things like
that,
Speaker 3 (07:36):
Correct cost of energies and cover levels.
If you, if you perform propermaintenance, you have less
downtime.
According to what segment of theindustry you're in, it could be
downtime could, could equal lessmanufacturing possibility or
could equal discomfort to youremployees, which makes them
unefficient because they are nothappy either being hot or cold.
(07:58):
So, uh, it's you get theefficiency in two ways?
Yes.
Whether it's the cost of yourutilities or the cost of lack of
production.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
Um, tell me something that, you know, when you work
with your customers, tell mesomething that you find that
every single one absolutelyneeds to know, and they may not
know, um, you know, too many,oftentimes as owners, we don't
always know what we don't know.
(08:32):
And so is there anything, um, inthat realm that you could share
with us as far as, you know,typically people don't know X
and this is why it's important.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
Wow.
That's a pretty broad questionin my mind, but typically they
just don't know what's going onon their roofs.
There's not a lot of companiesjust don't know what they don't
see.
So if we can, during, uh, theinitial process of, of selling
to a new client or a new personin a position of management at
(09:08):
one of our, our current clients,we like to get them to the roof,
show them what's on the roof,what we do and why we do it.
A lot of times we are dealingwith a new customer.
We will take pictures and showthem what's on the road.
But if you can get them to therep to see why we do what we do
and why we preach, what wepreach and are consistent at
that helps them understand, um,how their building works and how
(09:32):
their equipment works.
But why it's so important tohave a proactive maintenance on
that equipment seeing isbelieving, I guess, is what I'm
saying.
And a lot of them just don't seeit until it's an issue.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Well, I, you know, sometimes you hear horror
stories of different situations,but, um, do you, I guess, as a
business owner and I don'tobviously know anything about my
HPAC, but how do I know who I'vehired is actually doing what
(10:07):
they're saying that they do?
Cause sometimes I'm sure you'veencountered, uh, encountered
customers that are saying, ohyeah, we're great.
No problem.
And we don't need any help.
And then you probably go in andyou go and oh, maybe had lots of
help.
Speaker 3 (10:21):
Yes, for sure.
And that's the situation likeTom said again, where we would
bring the customer to the roofto see the shape that the
equipment is in or, and, or, youknow, take pictures if, you know
, they're not comfortable goingonto the roof because in a large
manufacturing setting, the roofcan be the length of a football
(10:42):
field.
And there can be 60, 70, 80, ahundred pieces of equipment on
the roof.
And if they have not beenproperly maintained, uh, the
efficiency is droppeddramatically.
That raises your energy Collinsand you're prone to more
failure.
And so again, with ourpreventative maintenance
programs, we really strive to doproactive maintenance and be out
(11:08):
in front of the curve ofbreakdowns.
And so the equipment can operateyear round and can operate
efficiently.
And one of the things that'sunique about Basey is for
example, in the beginning of thesummer, when temperature is
really rise and you get thatfirst day of 90 degrees or 95
degrees, um, in the historicalkind of old model of it heating
(11:29):
and air conditioning, the phonewould ring off the hook because
everybody's calling in andsaying I'm hot.
And my air conditioning isn'tworking, or it's, it's, it's hot
in the break room, over theproactive approach.
We've already been out to thefacility, uh, before the
temperatures have gone to thenineties, we've cleaned
everything we've gone through,we've tested and inspected.
And so when we get those reallyhot days, our phones are
(11:52):
relatively quiet.
It's very different from thekind of the old model where it
was a little bit more of afireman approach where, you
know, it might really hot, tonsof phone calls.
Everybody's busy, everybody'sgoing, going crazy.
Or if it got screaming cold,likewise, everyone's running out
for no heats, but, but with aproactive approach, you kind of,
you take out those, those upsand downs and you have a much
(12:14):
more, uh, even flow.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
Okay.
Now, um, I'm assuming, you know,one of the other challenges is
if, if a piece of equipment doesbreak, especially on the
rooftop, it's not like you justhave one sitting out back that
you can just say, oh yeah, let'slet's, we can just, you know, go
put that on your, you know,right now.
Um, as far as lead times,
Speaker 3 (12:39):
That is correct.
And these days and times there'snot very many companies or
manufacturers that have a lot ofinventory sitting around period.
So a lot of equipment is specialordered, um, up on, you know,
when it's needed.
So that's, again, it's, it'sreally important to be out on
site ahead of the curve, butthey've said, so if there is a
(12:59):
failure and, uh, you need totalk to the customer, or they're
not, they want to repair and, orreplace, you have some time to
make that happen before they arein to the heat of the battle or
the cold of the battle for thewhich season you're in.
Um, and that, so it's our job toget out there on a scheduled
basis, pre-season to make surethat everything's going to work
(13:20):
and let them know how theirequipment is operating and if
it's operating properly.
But that gives us the ability tomake sure we take care of our
customer in the best fashion aspossible.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
Right.
I know in the past we've talked.
And, um, one of the things thatmakes you unique is your
relationship with your texts.
Um, talk to me a little bitabout how that works.
Speaker 3 (13:44):
Well, again, like Dave was alluding to earlier, we
, we operate a littledifferently than most companies
we don't hire and fireseasonally, um, due to our type
of business, having contractcustomers and schedule
maintenance.
It allows us to have an evenwave length of business
throughout the year.
(14:04):
So our technicians are busy yearround.
And when it's slow, as far asthe hitting, their initial
season is concerned slow.
When it's off peak, we are, weare performing maintenance and
repairs and getting all theequipment to speed.
And then when it gets really,really hot or really, really
cold, our technicians are freeto run service if needed or
(14:26):
continue running maintenance.
So our response time isexcellent when it's really hot
out.
And it's excellent when it'sreally cool out because we're
not tied down on runningemergency repairs because we've
already taken care of thosesituations for the most part,
with all of our customers thathelps us pick up new customers.
Because a lot of times we'll getphone calls from someone that we
(14:47):
don't do business with, or havea contract with.
And they ask us if we get totheir facility on a service call
for them that day.
And a lot of times we canbecause our guys aren't tied
down, running emergency serviceall the time.
So it gives us the ability totalk to new people and pick up
some new customers because ofour philosophy and what we do as
(15:08):
far as a company, ourtechnicians love it because they
get 40 hours.
You're around average, you know,on average, they work 42 to 45
hours a week and that's yearround, um, technicians don't
have to work 60 hours on it getsreally hot out.
They don't have to work 60 hoursand gets really cold out because
we have even the wave length ofbusiness and they don't get laid
(15:31):
off or sent home.
And those offs off peak seasons.
Right.
So it's really consistent.
So because of that, our T ouraverage tenure is really high
for technicians.
You know, we discussed earlier,I've been here for 26 years and
we have five technicians thathave been here longer than I've
been with the company.
And they've, you know, they'rehere long-term, and that's
(15:53):
because basically the verywell-organized place to work.
And bill basically set up aculture that is very friendly to
his employees and to the people.
That's why I'm still herebecause of bill VZ.
That's all he set up.
So we've carried on thattradition in that culture,
trying to make it as friendlyand opportunity for success for
(16:15):
them as much as possible.
And so we, our technicianstypically stay with us like our
customers.
Long-term, it is a relationship.
You know, our, our techniciansare our bridge to our customers
too.
And we know that.
So we make sure that ourcustomers and our technicians
have good communications andhave the ability to discuss
(16:35):
issues.
And our customers typically willsee the assigned technician on a
regular basis.
So they create relationships.
They're not the saying, everytechnician we have in the
company coming out, you know,Helter Skelter.
It is designed for us to haveprimary technicians on
facilities to create thoserelationships.
I think they understand thebuildings and they understand
(16:57):
the customers.
It just makes for a long-termstrong relationship, which is
what we want.
We want long-term relationships.
Speaker 2 (17:05):
Sure.
I know one of the things that Iwas really impressed with, um,
you know, with the wholeCOVID-19, um, you know, a lot of
people lost their jobs or were,or on furloughs and everything.
And I know it really impressedme by the fact that you didn't
do that with your team.
Um, you know, everybody stayedbusy and, and what types of
(17:26):
other things did they do sincethey couldn't go into the
manufacturing facilities?
Uh, what are the types ofthings?
Did you help them stay busywith?
Speaker 3 (17:36):
Well, they did, they did a lot of different things.
Um, we were fortunate enough toget the PPP loan payment
protection plan loan.
And so that enabled us to keepall of our staff, uh, working
full-time, um, office staff andsales work remotely from home.
And we had our technicians.
(17:57):
We did, did some work around thebuilding that, um, around the
exterior and interior, some ofthe things have been kind of put
off and, uh, we get some thingscleaned up, um, got some vans
moved out.
So you get a little creativewhen you're trying to keep
again, 65 guys busy, but for alot of our guys, there was still
work to be done.
You know, a facility, even ifit's not producing, uh,
(18:21):
something, there are still, youstill have to have air
conditioning, you still have tohave some functionality of the
equipment.
And so, um, we were still ableto, to run calls and still
receive some service calls, uh,even though things were shut
down because, um, again, thingsjust can't come to a complete
stop,
Speaker 2 (18:39):
Right.
Just because the building'svacant doesn't mean, you know,
everything stops.
Speaker 3 (18:44):
And I,
Speaker 2 (18:46):
I know another thing you know about you as fact, as
far as training is really,really important to you guys.
Speaker 3 (18:53):
It did allow us to, um, apply more training, get
caught up on training.
Um, we do an online trainingnow, as far as safety training
is concerned, we are very, uh,concerned about safety for our
technicians.
So we have, uh, a system that isin place right now, where we
have a lot of online training.
(19:14):
So the technicians have theability to take the time to do
the training during the day, asopposed to at night when they
got home after work.
So a lot of them are veryappreciative of that.
We also implemented training asfar as technical training on
equipment, because there's somany different manufacturers out
there.
And so many differentphilosophies of how systems
(19:35):
function these days training isnever ending that allowed us to
have the opportunity to get alot more training, pushed out to
the technicians and, and get, uh, you know, get us, make sure
that we are staying up to speedon all the new technology it's
changing every day.
But, um, it did help us in thatfact that we were able to
monitor and see what, uh, whattechnicians have been, which
(19:59):
classes, which ones have been to, which training sessions that
helped get them caught up.
Um, so it was important.
And it also allowed us to getahead of the curve.
As far as getting guys trainedwith other technicians, we don't
hire a lot of new technicianseach year, but through this, we
didn't fire any technicians orlay off any technicians.
(20:19):
We have hired a couple oftechnicians.
We've grown, we've taken thisopportunity to find some
qualified people, bring them onboard and start showing them,
you know, what we like to say?
And here's the basic way.
Show them how we operate, how weperform maintenance, how we
treat our customers and what'sexpected.
And most of the time, the newtechnicians, the new hires are a
(20:42):
fresh breath of air form.
Just go, wow, you're not tellingme just to hurry up and get it
done and get out of here.
You're telling us, do the rightjob, do what you need to do and
take care of your customer.
And they start to learn thatphilosophy, because if you do a
good job, you get called backand it doesn't, you know, the
customer's not saying, well, I'mgonna try somebody else this
year.
They're content with yourservices.
(21:02):
They like what you do.
You discuss their issues withthem.
You keep the open minds ofcommunications and create that
relationship.
The technicians then feel thatit's a warm, it's a good feeling
though, that your customers wantyou to come back and appreciate
what you're doing and are upsetwith you because you're there,
you know, performing maintenanceor whatever it is, and costing
(21:22):
them money.
They appreciate that you'retaking good care of them, but
that is allowed because of ourmaintenance side, the contracts
it's budgeted out, according towhat the customer wants.
It can be a monthly payment.
It can be a quarterly payment,can be a yearly payment for how
they want to do it, but theyknow it's, it's budgeted.
And they don't mind seeing ourpeople on site cause they know
(21:43):
that they're there to help themand be, you know, do proactive
services.
And that takes a lot of load offthe technicians.
They aren't getting barked ateveryday because they're on
site, they're appreciatedbecause they're onsite.
So it just creates a good, youknow, a good relationship
between the customers and a goodrelationship when the
technicians and managers andDeb, our, um, our technicians
(22:04):
take a lot of pride in the workthat they do.
They're highly skilled.
And one of the benefits ofhaving a primary technician, uh,
attached to a facility is thattechnician then goes into this
building, learns the ins andouts of the building.
And then it kind of becomes, youknow, his building.
And he takes pride thateverything works correctly, that
(22:26):
everybody's comfortable insideand that pride and that sense of
ownership really, uh, benefitsthe customer a great deal.
And, and again, as Tom said,when, when our guys come in,
they're kind of the hero, youknow, uh, cause they're the one
that's going to give you airconditioning or give you heat if
you're cold.
And so, um, again, it's, it'sthe same face each time on most
(22:47):
occasions.
And so, yeah, so they really,they enjoy that ownership, uh,
of having that, that agreement.
They take pride in theiragreement and, and, and how
effective the, the systems run.
So it really does work well, youknow, particularly in a
manufacturing environment whenyou've got a lot of different
systems and, uh, doing a lot ofdifferent things.
(23:07):
And so it does work out reallywell.
We had the opportunity once togo into a school, it was, uh, an
Annapolis public school that hadbeen sold a private investor,
and he was putting businesses inthe school and he had called us,
he wasn't our customer at thispoint and called us to come give
him a price to replace thisboiler system.
(23:30):
So we sent a project manager anda service technician that is
familiar with boilers andcontrols of them down there to
take a look at this.
And ultimately what happened wasour service technician looked at
the system with our projectmanager and said, we don't need
to replace this barter.
We just need to repair it andadjust it and set it up
(23:51):
properly.
So we did talk to the Castro andsaid, give us a chance to look
at this and go through itbecause we don't think you need
to replace it.
We think that it's functional ifit gets set up properly.
And so our technician spent, Idon't know if it was two days,
three days down there goingthrough the system and told them
what they needed to do.
And they allowed us to performthe services and the system
(24:14):
worked properly.
So they didn't end up having tochange their boiler.
We didn't end up selling them aboiler, but we did get the
contract work at that facility.
After that, we now perform theirmaintenance and the minor
repairs that we needed to do.
But that boiler is stilloperating today because we
repaired and maintenance.
And when you go keep itadjusted, right?
(24:35):
So we could have gone and justsold them a boiler, but that's
not our philosophy.
Our philosophy is, you know, dowhat you need to do, not what
you don't just sell parts,materials, equipment, right?
You sell the customer what theyactually need and performance
services that are actually need,because we know if you do that,
you've got a customer for a longterm.
And that's what we really areabout as longterm.
(24:57):
Yeah.
We pick and choose our customerstypically because we want that
relationship.
If somebody is calling us justas a competitive bid, you know,
we're, we're not interested, butwe will go out and talk to them,
see what their needs are.
And if we can do something forthem, we will, but we're about
relationships.
We don't want to talk to you onetime to a job and leave because
we really want a long-termrelationship that we can count
(25:21):
on and we can schedule and beprepared for
Speaker 2 (25:26):
Sure.
Um, you know, I know one of thethings that we haven't touched
on, uh, David, is your plumbing.
Talk to me a little bit aboutyour plumbing division.
Cause that's not somethingyou've always had.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
No, that's right.
We added our plumbing divisionabout six years ago and, uh, we
have about nine guys involved inplumbing.
We do service plumbing, we doplumbing installation as it can
be anything from toilets tofaucets to, uh, to drains, um,
outside, uh, leading to sewerdrains.
(25:59):
Uh, we also have a division thatdoes, uh, drain cleaning with,
uh, hydrogen and other types ofgenerous.
They can clean grease traps and,um, and other drains it's been,
uh, it's been a great, uh,addition to our suite of
services because it allows us,uh, to offer our customers not
(26:19):
only HPAC and control work, butnow you can add planning in as
well.
And so it gives our customersthe ability to have a single
source to reach out to, uh, fortheir facility.
And, um, it's, uh, somethingthat continues to grow and, and
we're quite proud of it.
We've got a great group of guysthat are in that division.
We do have a project division.
(26:41):
Um, we have about people in theproject division as far as HVHC
is concerned and, and piping.
And then we also have theplumbing division that has some
project installers as well.
So even though we typicallydon't get involved with new
construction, we have theability, but we typically don't
get involved with that becausemost of our personnel are
(27:03):
technicians and trained andhighly compensated and are in
basically vehicles.
And so we don't compete well innew construction typically, but
we do have a team that is highlyskilled and capable of
installing new equipment andreplacement.
We do it all the time for ourcustomers.
We replace equipment.
We've got gentlemen in thatdivision, I've been with company
(27:26):
again, you know, 15 to 30 yearswith lots of experience and
knowledge out there.
So we have the ability to changeout equipment installed
equipment.
We do have our own sheet metaldivision in the back.
We can make growth curves, wecan make duct work.
We can do a lot of things.
Um, we have a plasma cutter forcustom cut, uh, materials as far
(27:49):
as whether it's duct work ordiamond plating.
Um, cause we do a lot of customwork for our refrigeration
division.
We can make panels for walk-incoolers, Frasers coverings, door
flashings, lots of things.
So we, we got a wide, uh,ability to service our customer.
Um, so want to make sure that,you know, we're not only a good
(28:13):
service company and maintenancecompany, but we do have the
ability to put a new equipmentand replace equipment.
And we do it in a very highlyskilled, uh, right.
I'm proud.
I'm always proud to walk into alocation and look at what we've
done to say.
Yeah, that's basically, if wefind an issue like that, we take
care of any issues because notonly do you do a good job, it
(28:34):
looks good.
We that's another thing we werealways preaching to our guys,
make sure you perform well.
And when you're done clean upafter yourself, cause if you
leave anything hanging around,laying around, it doesn't look
good.
That's what the customer sees.
And no matter how good a job youdo, you're leaving a bad
impression.
If you don't leave the job,plain tidying needle straight.
And so that's something that weare always pushing out to our
(28:55):
guys, make sure you're not onlydo the good job at cleaning up
after yourself and smile thecustomer and say, thank you when
you leave because we aren'there.
Right.
Speaker 2 (29:04):
Right, right.
That makes perfect sense.
Now, um, given the, you know,have you added any new products
or services lately besides theplumbing division as far as you
know, cause I know we've had theCOVID and that's affected you
guys as far as maybe the abilityto go out and service some of
(29:26):
your clients in the same way oryou know, doing a little bit
different.
Um, what, uh, what kind ofthings do you have going on
there?
Speaker 3 (29:34):
Well, we've seen a, a great deal of interest in air
purification.
Um, since basically the middleof March, uh, the technology has
been around for several years.
Um, but it was a little bit morein the background, but then of
course, due to the pandemic,it's really been pushed to the,
to the forefront and we haveinstalled the ultraviolet light
(29:57):
systems as well as, uh,ionization systems into our
existing clients, uh, propertiesas well as, as new customers to,
uh, to provide, uh, airthroughout the duct system that
is being purified either, eithervia ultraviolet light or by, uh,
an ionization process.
(30:18):
And, uh, we have also reallytried to expand and notify our
customers about touchlessfixtures, uh, in the plumbing
world.
You know, you've got touchlessfaucets, touchless, hand dryers,
touchless, soap, dispensers, um,and some, so those also are
another option again, in this,in this kind of new environment
(30:41):
to, um, to have again, less,less touch points in a restroom.
And then with the, uh, airpurification of course, to, to
clean the air, uh, 24 7 aroundthe clock, you know, in a
facility.
Speaker 2 (30:55):
Sure.
Well, and obviously that's,that's, uh, you know, we all
want to stay safe and healthy,so that's super important.
Um, is there anything else thatyou'd like to add to today's
conversation?
Anything that I might'veforgotten or
Speaker 3 (31:09):
I've got one thing I think Tom touched on it, but
what I would like to tell peopleabout is our, uh, project sales
managers, our project sales repstruly are, um, really, really
brilliant when it comes todesign of systems.
Um, they have taken, taken ontasks or problems.
(31:31):
Um, they vary everything from,um, you know, air air exchanges
in, in a manufacturing facilitythat has, you know, smoke that
is produced from a productionline, whether it's like welding.
And, you know, we've dealt witha company that had a lot of
welding in a facility and theyneeded to exhaust, uh, that,
that smoke in that weldingmaterial sufficiently, what they
(31:56):
had was not working.
Again, our team came in designeda system that could capture,
capture those fumes and thatsmoke and exhausted to give the
employees, you know, better andcleaner air.
We've done paint booths, we'vedone clean rooms.
Um, they are, they just betweenthe group, they are incredibly
talented that, um, they almostkind of liked the challenge, um,
(32:19):
of give us your problem, uh,with, with an air quality or, or
a temperature issue or, or ahumidity issue.
And, and the team, you know,will come together and put out a
product that, uh, they will,that will solve the problem.
And, um, and I know Deb, you'veworked with us to really try to
bring that out.
(32:40):
Like tell me more, those are,those are great stories.
And you know, our guys do it on,um, on a monthly basis.
It's kind of old hat to them,but, but they really do some
amazing things and we're veryproud of, of what they can do.
Yeah.
We do have a push on right nowto expand our plumbing division.
Um, we're, we're starting toinstall more and more piping and
(33:00):
that's everything fromunderground to, you know, water
supply, air supply, we'vepurchased the latest and
greatest equipment to installand service.
Um, whether it is during a seweror like I say, process pipe or
domestic pipe.
Um, so that is a big push.
(33:20):
We have gentlemen that arecertified in backflow training,
um, or inspection.
So we have the ability toinspect backflow preventers,
which every facility has and thecommercial facility out there.
They have a backlog of going inthere in their building and or
multiple.
So we have the ability not onlyto inspect them, but we also
repair a lot of companies don'trepair, but they'll come out and
(33:43):
inspect your backlog per vendor.
And let you know that it'seither failed or passed
inspection, but they may nothave the ability to provide
service.
And we do provide service andrepairs on backflow prevention
as well.
So we're, we put a push ontrying to, to work with that.
We initially worked within ourcustomer base to grow that
(34:03):
division, to keep it undercontrol because we didn't want
to really advertise anything tothe masses that we couldn't
produce, but we want to makesure that we kept it under
control.
And we have now we're in thegrowth now we're, you know,
growing that division and it's,it's a good division.
It's a good segment of theindustry to be in.
(34:24):
And our customers love it whenwe go out and talk to our
customer base and let them knowthat we have a plumbing
division, they're always tellingus, well, we didn't know that.
And we said, yeah, while we'vejust started here recently, but
it is available now, if youwould like it.
And typically we get a servicecall right then and there.
And, um, so, and that's the billwe want, we want to do more
(34:46):
business with our good customersand we want to provide them more
services
Speaker 2 (34:51):
And it's easy for them because they already have
the relationship.
They don't have to go findsomeone else that they might be
able to do the work and figureout if they can trust them or
not.
You know, it it's a win-winsituation for both
Speaker 3 (35:03):
This that that's worked out real well for us.
So we're about growth that we'rereally about controlled growth
and controlled growth with theright customer.
Speaker 2 (35:14):
Um, one of the things you mentioned was the backflow
and not all of our listeners,viewers will know what that is.
So could you just briefly tellme what that is and why it's
important?
Speaker 3 (35:26):
It's basically in place where the water system
enters your facility from, um,from where we're supplying your
water, whatever, whatevercompany that may be that
prevents water from thebuilding, re-entering the loop
that may get to other customerslocation.
So if you have some type ofissue in your facility where
(35:48):
something got into the watersystem and doesn't allow it to
back flow into the supply linesthat are coming into your
building, okay.
So what's a safety feature therethat you have to have, and it is
important because if there's anytype of problem with your
system, you don't want itentering the supply line for
(36:10):
everyone.
So it's, and you have that inyour facility.
You have, you have a backup orvendor in place for your fire
protection.
You have it in for one in placefor your domestic water, your
production water.
And if you have sprinkler systemthere's also on there for your
sprinkler system, they have tobe inspected once a year, uh, to
(36:30):
pass for the state.
And, um, we do that, providethat service.
And like I say, we also canrepair and or replace, or I've
the new, if they're going toexpand, we have, we have the
ability to do all the above.
Okay.
Speaker 2 (36:44):
Okay.
Interesting.
Um, is there anything else thatwe haven't covered today that
you'd like to mention?
I know that we've covered a lot.
You guys do amazing work
Speaker 3 (36:56):
Well, thanks, Deb.
Um, you know, we talked aboutskeptics really busy as we've,
as we've grown.
Um, we've, we've got otherthings in the works that we're
not ready to talk about justyet, because we want to make
sure that we have everything inplace to support it.
But, uh, you know, as Dave and Igrow along here, we're, we're
(37:16):
careful and make sure that we dothings properly and then we can
support what we tell you we'regoing to do.
And we have the manpower and theright people in place to do
that.
It's important to us.
You got to walk before you canrun.
Yes.
Speaker 2 (37:29):
Yes.
And, um, I also, uh, heard thatyou guys are proud sponsors of
the Indianapolis Colts.
Speaker 3 (37:36):
We are, we are indeed.
We are indeed.
Yes.
We take care of their facility.
And, uh, we hope to, uh, we hopewe can be in the stands, uh,
this season.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (37:50):
It's our boys here.
Yeah,
Speaker 3 (37:51):
It can be seen.
Yes.
Yes.
We know we have a goodpartnership with them.
We are a proud sponsors of theIndianapolis Colts.
Um, it is a good organization towork with.
They are very particular aboutwhat services we provide and our
provided and that's right up ouralley.
So it's been a very goodrelationship.
Speaker 2 (38:09):
Terrific, terrific.
Um, so if our viewers listenerswant to reach you guys, what's
the best way to contact you orthe best way to contact Basey
Speaker 3 (38:20):
Best way is, uh, by our website at[inaudible] dot
com.
That's a BAS E y.com.
Or you can reach us by telephoneat(317) 873-2512.
We'd be happy to talk to you,take care of what you need.
Speaker 2 (38:37):
And I assume you both are on LinkedIn as far as if
someone's interested in reachingyou that way, or if they need to
talk to you directly and not atechnician or what have you.
Yes, we are.
Okay.
All right.
Well, I want to thank all of ourviewers and listeners for
joining us today.
If you have any questions orcomments, uh, let us know, and
(38:58):
don't forget if you've enjoyedtoday's show, please be sure to
subscribe to our channel
Speaker 1 (39:04):
Buck room TV.
Thanks guys.
All right.
Thank you, dad.
Thank you for listening to theBuckaroo marketing new media
podcast.
If you'd like to learn moreabout B2B marketing for
manufacturing and relatedindustries, please visit us.
I go book route.com.
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