How do we define success?
Success at C&M is meeting or exceeding our team’s forecast for business, which is accomplished only in accordance with our Mission and Core Values Statement. Our primary emphasis is on achieving continued profitability which permits us to service customers in the highest manner, provide a positive and enjoyable work atmosphere, and be able to contribute to the community. “Success at the Success of Others at the Expense of No One” is one of our cherished mantras.
C&M’s business growth is driven by experienced forecasting and budget analysis, which are the two of the requirements for business development. The expansion of our client base could not have occurred without doing this. A forecast and a budget were intact before I opened our doors. I knew what I wanted to achieve before there was a C&M. We had a road map and we still make that road map every year. In the beginning, I was always the map builder, but today, the roadmap is the result of a team effort. Though C&M is considered a small business by most standards, it has always been managed and developed as if we were a large corporation. We use the most competent accounting and legal firms available — those that cater to larger clientele. They bring their expertise in our industry to us and help us make more efficient long-term and tactical decisions.
To secure new business requires C&M to bid on projects. We couldn’t remain in business if we were not highly competent and competitive in the bidding process. And, we would not be an industry leader today if the value that we offer were not cost-efficient and in many instances, the lowest bid. What our customers expect and receive from us is above the standard expectation of a bid. We sell value. This is the standard for which we are known. At C&M we don’t consider ourselves a typical bidder; we are incredible sellers and service providers.
Our success is multi-faceted!
There are many elements that can be attributed to the growth, reputation, and success of C&M Restoration during the past 20 years. First, I had an outstanding education, receiving a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Missouri – Rolla. In 1988, I began to work for a concrete and masonry restoration business in Kansas City and had the opportunity to learn about the industry and about fundamental business practices from several highly knowledgeable individuals. Discovering best practices I thought were outstanding, I was also witness to behaviors and policies I believed were detrimental to the employees and the business as a whole.
As a typical entrepreneur might do, I decided I could exceed what my employer was accomplishing, so I struck out on my own. Before the company’s incorporation in 1995, I had decided to found my business based on the ideals of good business practices that included ethical behavior, honesty, service, quality, safety and following the Golden Rule. There were extensive business forecasts and planning, too, but my foremost intent was to establish a foundation of core values that would be followed from Day One. In 2015, we stand strong, secure and profitable as we maintain a trustworthy commercial concrete and masonry restoration contracting operation that meets and fulfills the needs of our clients, respects our employees, and participates in the community in which we work and live.