CELEBRATING 30 YEARS: FOUNDER AL CHAPMAN ON COMPANY HISTORY AND LEGACY
In honor of Integrated Building Systems' 30th anniversary, third-generation family business member, Marketing Manager Emily Chapman, sat down to interview first-generation founder, Al Chapman. In this interview, they discuss company history, family business dynamics, challenges with the company, and more.
Emily Chapman (EC): Tell me a little about the beginning of the company, what inspired you to start it?
Al Chapman (AC): To be honest, Chip was the real entrepreneur, the driver of starting our own company [Chip Chapman, current Integrated Building Systems President and co-owner; Al’s son and Emily’s father]. I was looking for a way to support my family, and without him, I likely would have found a job at another company. But his desire to start a business combined with me working for the phone company my whole life, it made sense. Chip knew marketing and sales, I knew operations, we thought we could make it work.
Three generations: Al, Chip, and Emily Chapman.
EC: What were some of the biggest challenges from the early days of the company?
AC: Well of course first, the challenge was to find advisors and financial backing, how we were logistically going to make it work. We had to sit down with banks and convince them we could do this. And we just spent time planning and finding an accountant to trust.
Chip and I had both worked with Bill Helland [current Integrated Building Systems Vice President and co-owner] at our last company, but we weren’t sure if he was going to leave to come work with us at first. But I knew his dad, Dick Helland, and he was a smart businessman, so I asked him to join our advisory board. Within a few weeks, Bill officially joined the company.
So, with a plan in place for how to run the business, the next challenge was: how are we going to win our first jobs? We started making calls, leveraging connections. Some longstanding clients, we started working with because I met people on a golf course. We won other jobs by volunteering to fix messy cabling that no one else wanted to touch – which made our customers our biggest salespeople.
After we won jobs, then the question was, who would do the work? At the beginning, it was mostly me, and sometimes Bill or Chip if needed. So, we needed to build a team. Joel Greff joined in the first few months, he became a Partner who worked in business development and service. I hired a great secretary, Phyllis Taylor. Then we found our first few technicians, Dennis Sparks and Ken Oliver. I had experience teaching, so we got them on board.
EC: It sounds like you really enjoyed making connections with clients and with your team. Would you say that is what you enjoyed most about the job? Or what else made you excited to go to work?
AC: I did really enjoy working with people and getting to know them. But what I really enjoyed most was asking questions, understanding problems, and finding solutions. I think that’s the best part of the kind of work that we do.
EC: Speaking of things I hope you enjoyed, what was your experience like working with your family? I know in early days of the company, your whole immediate family worked there, not just Dad but Aunt Scarlett and Mimi, too [Scarlett and Virginia Chapman, Al’s daughter and wife]. What were the benefits or drawbacks?
AC: I loved it. Really, in our first office, Virginia came to help, and our desks were just across from each other. She was excellent at managing right-of-way permitting. When Scarlett moved back to Columbus, she joined Virginia working in that area, then later I taught her some estimating.
I can’t really think of drawbacks, I loved having them all there. Maybe the perception of nepotism. But there was always the expectation that everyone carried their own weight. You couldn’t get by on just being a family member.
From left to right: Rebecca, Chip, Emily, Al, and Virginia Chapman.
EC: That’s for sure! I think when I joined, I wanted to work extra hard to prove I belonged here. Okay, so along the family business line of questions, how did the transition of ownership go? What was your experience leaving the company?
AC: I always wanted Chip as my exit plan. We have gotten different offers to sell the company over the years, and there have been times when we considered selling, especially at some low points. But for the most part, I really wanted it to be family forever. I wanted to “work myself out of a job,” and set it up so it could run without me.
Chip and Bill put together a plan to buy me out over five years starting when I retired in 2008, and during those years, I’d still come in regularly to work on the books and consult with them. That way I got to stay somewhat involved and see how they were doing.
EC: Reflecting on both your years working at the company, as well as what you hear from me and Dad now, what do you think has changed the most in 30 years?
AC: Well in the very beginning, our only goal was to survive, and that’s of course a lot different now. We just needed to grow a team that could manage without me, build relationships with clients that would make for repeat business, and get enough clients that no one client would make up more than 25% of our work.
I think with technology, things are always changing. Our approach has stayed the same, but I think we’ve gotten even better at it – recognizing where the future of the market is and going with it. Learning from trade shows, and even just digging into what clients were seeing and what they wanted. We learn as much as we can.
EC: I think now we have dedicated space to learn in our Tech Studios – we can test new things out in our office, and let our team and customers see how it works.
AC: Right. That helps a lot.
EC: Also, within the last few years, a big change is that we are now an EOS company. That operating system guides how we set goals, run meetings, everything.
AC: Oh yes, that’s different. I was a lot more old-school, maybe I just had to have my hands in everything. [laughs]
EC: Next question – what advice would you give to someone working at Integrated Building Systems today?
AC: Anyone working there?
EC: Yes, anyone! In the office, in the field, what would you say.
AC: Solve problems, and customers will follow. Learn what’s wrong and how to fix it, and you will get buy-in. Our best customers are ones we find innovative solutions for, ones that work for them. And show proof of concept.
EC: Okay, I just have one more question. What do you hope to see for the future of the company?
AC: Third generation ownership.
EC: [laughs] I could have guessed that! I set myself up for that one.
AC: The company has been good for me, good for your dad, for our family. Ownership is a burden and a blessing, but I would love for it to stay family forever. Fourth generation, who knows. Even if I’m not here to see it.
ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
Be sure to follow us on social media to celebrate our anniversary throughout 2023! We will feature flashback photos, client spotlights, employee anniversary spotlights, and more. Check out our LinkedIn and Facebook pages for the latest feature.
