Facilities Services Group Watches Business Opportunities Expand as an INSTALL Contractor
Contractor: Facility Servcies Group
Client: Varied
Project Type: Flooring Case Studies
Their company had a strong bottom line…its service area was expanding…the staff was loyal. So why would Facility Services Group become a union flooring contractor? “We just naturally started as a nonunion shop and we were making a living. Getting work was easier. Our sales pitch was accepted more easily, and from a managerial position, it was easier to not keep a staff,” said Chip Grimes of the company and his partner and brother-in-law, Charlie Wills.
Growth of the Delaware Valley-based Facility Services Group– known as FSG – was steady. Its service territory grew to include everywhere from Boston to Pittsburgh to Charlotte, North Carolina. Contracts for hotels and Federal Housing Authority jobs– installing mostly carpet and tile –was steady. So why would becoming a union shop even warrant a conversation?
“We started getting into work with flash coving, specialty floors and other situations. One of our projects was at a YMCA in Philadelphia, and we met the local flooring union business agent, who said he could provide all the trained labor we needed to get this specialty work done, and done right,” Wills explained.
“We thought: ‘Oh no! Union! What’s going to happen to us? We couldn’t see any benefits,” added Grimes. Still, FSG made the commitment to give the United Brotherhood of Carpenters’ flooring program, called “INSTALL,” a try. Today, Grimesand Wills sum-up that benefit with one word: Training.
“We know now that everything starts with training. Now I can look at a sheet vinyl job with inlays and flashcoving and feel confident that we can do it. Or, if we don’t have someone on staff who can handle a special job, we can get someone with those exact skills with a phone call,” Grimes said. “Because of INSTALL, there’s a whole new range of manpower that allows us to win more work. As a non-union shop, we didn’t have that depth of manpower.”
The quality of INSTALL training is evident when the punch list is made.
“I can’t stand seeing our name on a punch list. We want to get in there and do our job right. Our guys are trained to achieve that, and we play that up. If we do get a punch list, it’s minimal or as a result of another trade altering our work.”
The foundation of FSG’s installation staff expertise is the training attained from the INSTALL curriculum. INSTALL stands for th International Standards and Training Alliance, a career-long training and certification program offered to floor
covering installers throughout the United States and Canada, which is based on the needs of today’s flooring products. Dozens of major manufacturers such as Milliken, Shaw, Pergo, Mohawk, Armstrong, and Mannington regularly have their
technical experts review and revise the INSTALL curriculum to reflect what is needed on jobsites. INSTALL Philadelphia & Vicinity is the Delaware Valley’s affiliate of INSTALL international.
“Because INSTALL officials take the steps to get their mechanics certified, we know they share the same work ethic and commitment we have as business owners,” Grimes explains. “Being a union contractor opens doors to more job opportunities and our jobsite failure is less than a tenth of one percent.”
And there are no more hassles of having to recruit, train, and manage employees. “Having our employees on an
hourly-based wage system rather than a piece-meal system takes away stress from the installer,” Grimes furthered. “Our guys will really listen to the customer, because they are getting the same rate regardless. That gives them freedom to be
detailed-oriented. They can do it the right way and not worry if taking the time todo it right will affect their living.”
Partnering with Industry Colleagues
Because of FSG’s reputation in the local construction industry, its offices are often visited by architects, specifiers, and facility managers looking for background material or research on flooring. Specifiers don’t hesitate, says Wills, to seek advice from him and Grimes, to make sure the flooring portion of their project goes seamlessly. And that advice is
sometimes taken personally – FSG is often the preferred contractor for area architects and designers for their personal residence flooring projects.
And, to keep specifiers up-to-date on flooring issues, FSG is a regular presenter in the INSTALL continuing education
program for architects and interior designers. For contractors, the men offer this advice: “You can get product training
at manufacturer seminars, but INSTALL offers a four-year training program. INSTALL mechanics work in the field and learn in the classroom – and it’s all real life experience that can’t be substituted.
When a nonunion subcontractor says he’s ‘certified,’ do you really know what that means? At FSG, we know that INSTALL training and certification means the mechanics understand their work, and they prove it everyday,” Wills said.
“If you want to invest in your future – the only way to go is union. Nonunion will cost you more money with callbacks and jobsite failures
and staffing hassles,” Grimes says. “Every INSTALL apprentice we hire, we’re investing in FSG’s future. We’re here for the long haul.”
About Facility Services Group
Facility Services Group is a full-serve commercial flooring company with headquarters based at 725-D Conshohocken Road, Conshohocken, PA 19428. For more information about FSG, contact Chip Grimes or Charlie Wills at 610-940-4370 or via fax at 610-940-4371.