B.J. Werzyn has taken a dead-simple business formula and built it into one of the largest specialty remodeling firms in his area. “Anything that takes more than a day, we won’t do it,” says Werzyn, West Shore’s CEO.
That means West Shore has limited its offerings to windows, doors, and bathrooms. But that product line-up has hardly limited its growth. Currently, the company is in two markets with plans to open several more offices a year over the next five to 10 years. “Our 10-year vision is to be at $500 million,” Werzyn says.
To get there, Werzyn is making sure the company has the scalable systems—in terms of technology and training—to grow and maintain the repeatable seamless customer service it’s built upon. So West Shore replaced its limited customer relationship management system with a major investment in Salesforce to run its sales center, scheduling, work flow, procurement, costing, inventory management, and accounting.
It takes a similar approach to hiring, using a talent acquisition system that mimics its digital lead generation, complete with redirects from online recruiting sites that take applicants to the company’s career website.
“When we hire, we’re looking for someone who can take us to the next level, not just someone who can help us today,” Werzyn says. “We’re always showing them the five- and 10-year strategic plan, the organization chart of different opportunities. We put them on a career track.”
As the company has grown, its customer service approach also has evolved. Rather than operating on what it calls a customer intimacy model, Werzyn moved to an operational excellence model in which priority is placed on fast, carefree service. “When it’s all said and done, they say, ‘Wow, that was super easy.’ I think that’s what they want—just real simple with no disruption of their lifestyle.”
