In 2003 my father Powell took an entrepreneurial risk with an empty building and a vision. This year, we filled the building. But the vision has grown. Twenty years ago, our focus was providing storage of hardcopy records. We do that better than ever before, though today it’s only a third of the business, a shrinking proportion. Along the way, our clients helped us realize they didn’t have a storage problem; they had a management problem. So our team developed solutions to help businesses manage their digital transformation. And our company has flourished.
Our team is the reason we can do these things. They choose to spend 1/3 of their lives growing with us, because they are fulfilled by our purpose. We recently asked them to put our company’s values into their own words in an annual survey. Several team members referenced innovation; “we adapt to our clients’ needs by coming up with a solution that better suits them.” Another reflected on implementation, describing their fulfillment “taking care of our clients and my team.” Others addressed the motivation that comes from our reputation for integrity; “our clients speak highly of us as a business.” Our culture is fast-paced, and expectations are high, though “our team always helps one another improve.”
Creating more of these opportunities for our team, their families, and the communities we work in is at the heart of everything we do. And we are never satisfied with the result. Last year, our management team resolved to find out what a ‘livable wage’ is in our community to ensure that our team exceeds it. So we got involved in the launch of the Thomasville-Thomas County Workforce Pipeline Study, found the answer, and did something about it. By adjusting wage ranges and adding team members, we’ve ensured that as we grow, our community does too.
The chance to share our values with more people inspires us to keep going. As we grew our daily operations and improved on our values, we also completed three acquisitions. That brings us to six in five years. Our economy is experiencing a seismic generational shift as baby boomers retire. They own and operate most of the privately held businesses in the US. SRS has experienced this firsthand, as Powell trusted me with the helm of the company he founded. But not all businesses have an internal candidate to continue building on the founder’s vision. We’re in a unique position to help those entrepreneurs write the next chapter of their business’ story.
Over the last 20 years of growth and innovation, our organization has cultivated a culture of problem-solving. We’ve discovered that we attract problem solvers, enjoy working together to find solutions and feel called to find new problems to solve. If you know of a service business that needs help with succession, see a need that isn’t being met in the marketplace, or have ideas on how we can serve you better – we want to hear from you. Because we’re 20 years in and just getting started.
Wishing you a Merry Christmas!
