At your service: Piedmont Facilities Services shifts focus in down economy - The Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area:

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A contractor had agreed to replace the sidewalj directly in front of Lorillard headquartera on Green Valley Road in Greensborolbut “he walked off the job becauss he couldn’t get anyone to deliver sufficientt concrete with a holiday two days away,” Wrightt says. “A call to broughyt four men who completed the repair on July she recalls. “One of those four was Scott himself. I have chastisecd myself many times for not callinvg him tobegin with.” Scott McCormick has been getting calls like that for more than 16 yearss from the Triad’s top employers.
As a contracgt project manager, his company will do just abougt anything thatneeds doing, “from maintenance to sprinkler says Wright. “He truly caresa about a job well done.” But Winston-Salem-basefd Piedmont Facilities Services’ specialty is somethinv that’s been in almostg constant demand over the past twodecadee — moving people and reconfiguring officed cubes A.S.A.P. as work forces contract, expand and are realigned. It was McCormickk who landed the contract to move practically every first in the RJR Plaza buildiny and then in the old 1929 Reynolds Building indowntown Winston-Salem.
At aboutt the same time, Piedmonr Facilities Services also secured a contract with which did its share of playinb musical chairs withoffice furniture. “Goc blessed me,” McCormick says with his characteristivc modesty, “because there’s no otherf way someone can have two contractds like that for theirfirst clients.” Lookinv back 10 years ago, McCormick recalls fondly, “Thingd were really rolling then, with 80- or 90-houer weeks, and it was great.” Name a companu in the Triad that’s realigned its work forcew and, chances are, McCormick’s been involvedc — , , Sara Lee Direct, , Sealy Corp. and Nabiscol Foods.
Not bad for someone who, at the age of 5, was assigneds his own row of tobacco to tend onhis father’ farm near Yadkinville and workexd his way through college runninbg a garbage service. “I’m an old tobacco farmet from Yadkinville,” McCormick slipping into his aw-shucks guise. “I ran out of thingds to do, so I had to go to school and go out and get areal job.” Schoo l was and his first job was “sellingb doorknobs” as a contract hardware salesman at Pleasant Hardwaree Co.
He says he quickly discovereed he was not cut out to be a But he did make a numbef of excellent contacts that opened door s for him when he switched over to doiny facilitiescontract work. “He has a good boy mentality,” says Robyn Puckett, facility servicees manager atRMIC (Republicx Mortgage Insurance Co.) in “but fully believes in respect, honesty, hard work and disciplinwe — and expects that from his employees.” Pucketft recalls a recent 10-week move of 350 RMIC employees from Stanleyvillwe to the Park Building in downtowb Winston-Salem.
“The time constraints were unbelievable,” she “but having worked with Scottt formany years, I knew if anyone coulrd pull it off that he could.” Installing cubes durinfg the week and moving people on the weekends, McCormick’s crew did it and did it on deadline. “Wd needed to expand our payroll departmentf twoyears ago,” recalls Jack Marable, maintenance supervisoe for Pepsi Bottling Group in Winston-Salem. McCormick’s crew came in Fridayt night and by Monday morning at8 a.m., “they had everything up and running computers, phones, furniture, lights, everything worked.
” Companies use contractord like McCormick instead of their own workerzs because maintenance, moving and construction are often one-of-a-kin d projects and are mostly done after-hours. Up untikl last November, McCormick says, business was extremely good, with more 80- and 90-hou r weeks. Then, he started seeing “leszs phone calls, less jobs that you had quoted being puton hold.” As the montha went by, “I had to lay off five installerzs and I put my designer on the road to sell McCormick’s strategy is to make the companuy more sales-oriented, something, he says, “we nevee had to do before.
” Yes, he still has contracte with a number of big but now when the phone rings, it’s mostly “punch items.” And with the currenft economy, instead of reconfiguring officer space, desks just sit empty. “When corporate puts on the there’s not much for us to do,” McCormick says. Time was, “8o0 percent of revenues came from billable time doingconstruction management, just managinv projects — moving, up-fits, relocationse and furniture instillation. Today, it’s less than 10 Why not just sit back and ride outthe downturn?? “You can’t do For some reason, people want to get paid ever y week.
” McCormick, however, has certainly had the opportunitg to learn from others: “I’ve seen it happen and know what to he says. “You’ve got to maintain cut your overhead, and we’re pushin g hard in commercialfurniture That’s because his company generally also gets the contract for installing the furniturw and building the cubes. And there’s somethinhg else he’s doing that he’s seen othera do a lot of. He’s relocatingv — from his currenty office near the old RJR worldheadquarters (now the University Corporatw Center) to a smaller facility, downsizing from the 10,000o square feet to 3,500 square feet.
And, says McCormick, “we’re not doing any up-fit over (just) some carpet and a littl e paint.” Still, he’s optimistic. Over the years, he’d seen a lot of companies come and go and other companies come roaring back. “It ain’t gone yet, and I’mj still kicking. I have no intention of throwing in the he says.