Jesse & Jolynn Holencik Have Transformed Their Family Business—Dramatically Growing It at the Same Time—Thanks to Their Willingness to Adapt, Improve, and Their Intense Focus on Being a Company Customers Can Trust.
by Bob Houchin
The future is bright for Holencik Exteriors, a 37-year-old Coplay, Pennsylvania, company. Owners Jesse and Jolynn Holencik are excited about his new era. They’ve been at the epicenter of its complete evolution. Over the last 17 years, but especially the last five, this married couple of eight years has devoted considerable time and effort into refocusing, expanding, and improving every element of the business from the office to sales to marketing and beyond.
“We’re so far ahead of where we once were,” Jolynn stated. “Everything’s better, and we know where we want to go. Now, we keep tweaking and changing a little bit with each year.”
Through all the changes and hard work Jesse and Jolynn have invested—both in terms of time, money, and emotion—they’ve steadfastly remained committed to delivering the absolute best work and service. “We get calls from people having us come out to fix other contractors’ mistakes,” Jesse explained. “People have come to know if they want the job right, they come to us.”
“We take pride in our quality roofs, but we also are a company you can trust,” Jolynn was quick to add. “In an industry where businesses come and go—and it can be hard to find someone to trust—we pride ourselves in always being here for our customers.”
For a couple so committed to the business and its future, it’s been an unlikely journey for Jesse and Jolynn. Neither quite anticipated that they would be operating a roofing and exteriors company.
From Student Teaching to Running Holencik
Jesse may have grown up in Holencik Exteriors, but he certainly never expected to take it over. “Ever since I was in the sixth grade, I really wanted to be an elementary school teacher.” And that’s what Jesse intended to be. He graduated college in 2000 with a degree in elementary education.
After completing his student teaching, Jesse accepted an opportunity to join the family business. “I thought, ‘Let’s give it a shot. I’ll try it out,’” Jesse explained. “And here I am. I started selling roofs, running the office. I learned bookkeeping. We grew as a company, and it’s been a team effort.”
Not long after Jesse joined business, Holencik brought their gutter business back in-house; previously they had been subbing it. But the quality of the subbed work didn’t meet the company’s lofty standards. Looking back, this strategic decision would be the company’s first step towards eventually becoming Holencik Exteriors; the name becoming official in 2013.
Today, both the re-roofing crew and gutter crew are full-time Holencik employees. “It didn’t take us long to decide to buy a gutter machine, hire the right people, and train them up. Then, the work started coming in,” Jesse added. “It helped that we always answered the phone.”
Early on, Jesse forwarded the office line to his cell phone. If a customer would call, an opportunity wouldn’t be lost. “People would tell us all the time they would call down the phone book, and we were the first to have a live person answer. They were astonished,” Jesse laughed. “We got so much work—and still do—just by doing that.”
“It seems funny, but it’s those little things that have always set us apart as a company,” he continued. “It’s the little things that make you look good in this industry. I mean, we just make sure to always show up when we say we will. That makes a huge impact.” Jesse and the family recognized the value of reputation, and they carefully cultivated theirs to their vast benefit.
Majestic Account Executive Turned Roofing Salesperson
If Jesse never planned to make the family roofing business a career, the same most definitely could be said for his wife, Jolynn. Prior to joining Holencik Exteriors in March of 2013, Jolynn was an executive with Majestic. “I worked with MLB front office staff. I worked with their marketing team, their vice presidents, presidents, even some owners,” Jolynn detailed. “Any type of need retail needed for inside MLB stadiums, that’s what I did.”
Such responsibility meant considerable stress and long trips away from home and her young daughter. When Jolynn found herself hitting a ceiling at Majestic with no more opportunity to advance, she took Jesse up on his offer to work in Holencik Exteriors.
“I told her we were growing something here. I couldn’t run all the sales leads by myself anymore. I needed another salesperson, and no one I could hire could match her education and experience,” Jessed bragged on his wife. “She didn’t just walk in here as the office manager. She actually ran leads for a year and a half.”
Jolynn found that she loved the challenge, and she relished the ability to create relationships with customers. “It took an adjustment, but it was a good one. It was an inviting position. People wanted me in their homes. We’d get to know each other. I enjoyed running three and four leads a day,” Jolynn said. “The only reason I transitioned into office manager is we had a need.”
Looking for the Next Level
Holencik Exteriors has had its ups and downs. Jesse, his brother Adam, and their team would hustle to make things happen, so they could always pay their employees and themselves. Still, business could have been better. And when Jolynn walked into the business and peeked at the books, she had a few questions.
“I wanted to know where all the money was. We were getting paid, and things were okay. But where was the cash flow? Why weren’t we making money every year? Strong companies need those things,” she explained. “I kept thinking there had to be more. I wanted to figure out what we needed to do to help this thing.”
That was when Jesse mentioned he received a mailing about a Profit Day meeting in nearby Philadelphia hosted by Roofers’ Success International (RSI). The two decided to go. “We went in knowing what it was going to be about. You don’t get a days’ worth of information without someone asking for something,” Jesse said with a smile.
The couple liked the presentation but didn’t join that day. They wanted to talk with Jesse’s dad and partner, Mark. And they wanted to think it over just a bit more. Intuition told them it was the right choice for Holencik Exteriors. “We felt like we had gotten this far; it was time to get a little help to take us to the next level,” Jesse explained. He called the RSI offices; they joined the group; and Mark, Jolynn, and Jesse found themselves in Sarasota, Florida, in November of 2014, attending an Executive Perspective meeting.
Getting Priced Properly
Executive Perspective was a bit of an information overload, but the Holenciks left with a host of ideas and plenty of motivation to get started with some critical changes. “Some of the stories you hear at Executive Perspective, it’s eye opening. There are people just barely getting by,” Jolynn reminisced. “We weren’t in that position. Business was good. We knew we could make it better.”
They realized they could make it better by improving Holencik Exteriors’ pricing. “We were ahead of the game a bit because—unlike many roofers—I’ve always liked repair work,” Jesse urged. “We’ve had a full-time repair person since 2005. You can sell them and do the work right away. And the margins are higher than on replacements. Why wouldn’t we do them?”
But their repair pricing needed to be boosted a bit—but not terribly. Jesse took a month or two to customize the StraightForward Pricing guide. Thankfully, it wasn’t a foreign concept, as the company already had a menu-style pricing system in place; so the transition wasn’t difficult.
Replacement pricing was another matter entirely. “We were way too low, in my opinion. At least 10 percent on some jobs and as much as 15 to 20 percent on other projects,” Jesse admitted. “It was definitely a nice boost when we raised them. We were confident we could raise them. We’ve always believed we provided a great product people could rely on.”
Jesse determined if they were going to increase pricing—even with the incredible value Holencik Exteriors had come to represent—it would be wise to invest in training to help communicate that value to their customers. Jesse attended the RSI sales course, and Adam joined Jesse at the RSI technician course. The information allowed them to rework their presentations and increase the level of value customers saw in Holencik.
Redefined Roles
“Coming off 2014, we were doing well, but I think if we were honest, we’d say we were making money by accident,” Jesse continued. “We went through this retail transition knowing that we wanted to have a more organized and streamlined process. That’s what we were getting in place.”
Getting more streamlined meant Jesse and Jolynn needed to hire. “We were running everything at the time—answering phones, running appointments, keeping the office,” Jolynn remembered. “It was too much to be effective.”
The couple brought in a salesperson to replace Jolynn in the field. She would now become the office manager. As office manager, Jolynn quickly hired a client care representative, understanding the importance of having a full-time person dedicated to answering the phone and booking appointments.
Maybe the biggest change in the company’s dynamic involved Jesse slowly redefining his role. He rationalized if Holencik Exteriors were to grow, working in the field all day, every day wasn’t the best use of time. When the time felt right, he too joined Jolynn in the office. Together, they could better manage every element of the business.
Change the Culture
Not all changes came as quickly. While Jesse and Jolynn were eager to push the company forward, some employees had grown comfortable in the way things were. “When we started doing uniforms, we had some issues. There was a little bit of pushback,” Jesse said. “But we told everyone—we needed to make these changes. Now, it’s not an issue.”
Change was gradual for Adam, Jesse’s brother. “As he started going to Expos with us, and we all started meeting other members, it opens your eyes to what this business could become.” Jesse said. “Adam started out always just selling the minimum, and now his average ticket is over $1,000.”
Jesse and Jolynn pointed to Adam as a large reason the transition went smoothly. “We were really lucky that Adam had so much experience and was so reliable for us,” Jolynn gushed about her brother-in-law. “He could do all of the work. He was a rock for us back then.”
Tickets will likely continue to rise, as Adam and the other technicians recently adopted the RSI roof inspection. They’re truly taking their time and evaluating every bit of the roof—and educating the customer. Through education and communication, customers feel empowered and are much more willing to invest in their roofing system.
“When you come home [from Executive Perspective], you feel like you have to implement everything right away. But so much of what you need to do is change the culture of the company. You have to get everybody onboard. Sometimes it takes a little bit of a fight,” Jolynn said and chuckled. “When everyone changes their mindset, you can accomplish a lot. More than you realize.”
Home Grown Techs & (Almost) Daily Training
“The secret sauce to success in repair work is being able to articulate the problem, show customers a picture of the problem, and then show them that you really care about what’s going on,” Jesse explained. “Then all you have to say is, ‘Do you see that crack? Do you think that’s something we should repair today?’ If you’ve done a good job educating the customer on the issue, you will sell the work.”
The Holencik Exteriors’ tech team does a good job of selling the work. Adam serves as the roofing supervisor, working daily in the field as a roofing tech and managing two others. The other two technicians came via an in-house promotion. One was on their roofing crew; the other their gutter crew. Both men were trained from the ground-up at Holencik.
“They’re intelligent guys who are reliable and willing to be trained and learn,” Jolynn emphasized. “It helps they have some charisma, too.”
Training at Holencik Exteriors is a continual process that never ends. Adam meets with his other two technicians every single day, except Monday, for at least 30 minutes. The topics fluctuate from technical training to sales training depending upon the need. One day they may be talking about slate roofs; the next day they’ll dive into flipping sales leads.
“I wanted to be sure to add this,” Jolynn stopped. “It doesn’t matter what time of day; our guys know they can send a photo to Adam with a question. Or our foreman can reach out to Jesse. Adam and Jesse are always available to them, and that makes all the difference. It helps those guys be more confident in what they do.”
Enhanced Sales Process
Prior to joining RSI and taking a deep look at enhancing the company, Holencik Exteriors performed well in the sales arena—even if they weren’t quite charging enough. “Oh yes, we always believed in sitting down with the client. For a long time, [our salespeople] have had a printer in their truck to print the proposal,” Jesse explained. “We used to tell people our presentation would take an hour. Now, we’re a little longer.”
It’s a little longer because they’ve enhanced the sales process a bit along their business journey. They’ve evolved with the times, as they now use EagleView to measure roofs based on aerial snapshots. “We still get in the attic,” Jessed stressed. “But EagleView makes the process quicker and safer for everyone. You’re not climbing on that steep roof.”
Once the measurements have been calculated, Holencik Exteriors’ sales professionals provide three clear options: a deluxe, premier, and optimum roofing system. “If someone wants to mix and match packages, we make it work,” Jesse shared. “We will customize the roof to exactly what the client wants. You have to make sure the numbers work.”
“When you’re explaining the benefits, there are some customers who you know are more technical. Those folks you really get into the materials,” Jesse continued. “There are other people who want to talk more about aesthetics and colors. We’ll focus on that if they want.”
Holencik Exteriors differentiates in many ways from its competitors. They offer an array of guarantees, and they offer financing. “Twenty percent of our business was financed last year,” Jesse said. “That doesn’t include credit cards. Financing helps a ton. We get business just because we offer it.”
Even in how Holencik Exteriors performs its tear-offs, they’re a bit different. Rather than tarping front yards and allowing their crew to throw materials to the ground, they have a an Equipter they carefully place next to the roof. It’s a far more efficient way to eliminating roof waste, and it dramatically reduces the chance of nails being left behind for a customer’s car tire to roll over.
Upon the successful completion of a job, a survey is immediately sent to the customer. Many of which come back. Holencik Exteriors also calls 30 days later to check on the quality of the installation and to ensure the customers remains happy. Lastly, they go back out to the roof one year later—just to be sure the new roof has settled properly.
The Future
“Roofers are so predisposed to putting on a roof and then running away from you. They see you as someone they can’t sell for another 20 years,” Jesse explained. “We disagree. We want to stay engaged with you. We want you to remember us.”
Jesse stopped and reflected for a moment and then continued by saying, “Talking about the company and where we are today. I still can’t help but think I had no idea we’d be sitting here today. I really didn’t think I’d be in this business. But I glad I am. Now, we’re trying to grow.”
Holencik Exteriors has grown. From $2.6 Million to $3.2 Million last year. “I’d love to be a $5 Million business. I know at that size manpower will be an issue at some point, but that’s a challenge I’d love to face.”
Jesse and Jolynn carefully craft their marketing plan each year, hoping to come closer to that targeted revenue goals. “We sit down with our marketing firm and we build our plan. We share with them what we like and don’t like,” Jolynn explained. “Inevitably the plan changes a bit based on call volume. You move dollars around a bit.”
Their ad dollars are tied up in a multitude of platforms: Google AdWords, direct mail, and a local lifestyle magazine. The bulk of their budget is earmarked for radio. “Our message is branding that focuses on how long we’ve been in business,” Jolynn said.
“Our spots are really cute. We talk about anniversaries because this is our 37th year in business. I say in it, ‘Jesse, do you remember our anniversary?’” Jolynn continued and laughed. “We get a great response from it. People call, text, and email us that they’ve heard our commercials. It’s a lot of fun. We enjoy doing them.”
“The point is we really emphasize how much people can trust us and count on us,” Jesse piggybacked on Jolynn’s comments. “Thirty-seven years is a long time to be in business, especially in this industry where so many companies come and go.”
“Our customers know we’ll be here. Just because you may not need a roof for another 20 years doesn’t matter to us. If we treat you right, your neighbor will use us. Your friends will. Then, one day, you will too.”
Thanks to Jesse and Jolynn’s dedication to excellence within the business, Holencik Exteriors is posed for at least another 37 years.