Small but Mighty: Laura Engstrom & Alternate Design Plumbing Maintain 17% Growth Year after Year at a Strong Profit Margin with 3 Trucks
Laura Engstrom is the owner and general manager of Alternate Design Plumbing, in Orange City, Florida. Laura has been a longtime member of SGI, and if you’ve ever been to an Expo, and especially if you’re a plumbing contractor, my guess is you’ve met Laura. Her energy and attitude are truly infectious. And she’s always eager to help a fellow contractor.
Today, you will listen to Laura’s unexpected journey into the trades. Initially in the hospitality and home cleaning businesses, personal relationships pulled her into plumbing. She started on the phones and over many years came to run and buy Alternate Design Plumbing. Laura explains how the company survived the 2008 recession and a collapsing new construction market. Today, they’re exclusively residential service, and business has been very good. Laura said Alternate Design Plumbing has grown 17% year after year—and at a healthy profit. And 2020 was their best year in a very long time. She’s managed this growth, profit, and success with only three trucks. Laura and her team are proof that trucks don’t matter; what matters is the sales and profit those trucks generate.
Welcome to The Successful Contractor Podcast, Powered by Success Group International (SGI). A show for residential contractors about residential contractors… We chronicle business journeys, share insights, and celebrate successes in this wonderful industry. Thank you to our sponsors:
Placement SEO- This message is brought to you by PlacementSEO. As an SGI member, you can receive a 100% fully optimized website that’s hosted for free! Have a website you already like? PlacementSEO can dramatically boost your presence on Google free for 90 days. SEO generates 90% more clicks than Local Service Ads and PPC. Visit your sgileads.com for more information.
Rheem. Brothers Richard and Donald Rheem founded Rheem Manufacturing Company in Emeryville, California in 1925. The company has produced a number of cutting-edge products in its 89 years of operation. Today, Rheem is North America's only manufacturer of HVAC, water heating, pool/spa heating, and commercial refrigeration solutions. For more information, go to rheem.com.
Greensky- Greensky. The GreenSky® Loan Program is a leader in home improvement financing. Trusted by thousands of contractors in the U.S., we provide consumer financing options to help you close more sales and grow your business. For more information, go to greenskycredit.com/sponsor/sgi
Learning Alliance. Tired of trying to figure out what you should train your team on every week? Do you struggle to be the dynamic trainer that elevates your team’s performance while making happy customers? SGI’s Learning Alliance now offers its members a turnkey, 26-week training schedule with a high-impact sales and communications video for your frontline employees. Turn them on once a week and watch your team transform! Training can be as easy as clicking a mouse. To download this training schedule, SGI members, simply go to the Learning Alliance tab of your SGI HUB website; then, click on Learning Alliance videos. You’ll find it there. Of course, your coaches are on standby if you need any assistance.
The Successful Contractor Podcast is a part of the Success Group International family. SGI is the largest, member-owned ‘best practices’ organization for independent, residential-services contractors. SGI provides its members a competitive edge through proven, proprietary management tools and expertise, marketing programs, training, and group buying power, along with a highly active and eager-to-help membership. For more information about Success Group International, visit www.yoursgi.com.
