One of Florida\u2019s largest painting contractors, Service Contracting Solutions (SCS) is celebrating 40 years in business. It boasts a team of specialists whose combined understanding of architecture, engineering, estimating, financing, and project management guarantees a full-service perspective on every project.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n We sit down with the Co-Owner & President of SCS, Liz Perez-Lavin, to discuss the history of the business, current growth, and the company\u2019s investments in software. As a woman working in a historically male-dominated field, Liz shares valuable insights and reflections as to how she has navigated such challenges and continues to lead SCS through a period of great success.<\/span><\/p>\n The business specializes in commercial painting and waterproofing. \u201cThe main distinction is that painting is for aesthetics, whereas waterproofing is required to ensure structures are water resistant and remain unaffected by water for years to come,\u201d Liz begins. \u201cWhile you might see waterproofing in basements across the country, it\u2019s particularly common in Florida because of the subtropical climate and unpredictable weather.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Dream team<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe specialize in commercial projects, whether it\u2019s for general contractors who make up a large portion of our customer base, or directly for hospitals, municipalities, and colleges, including repaint and remedial work, as well as industrial coatings.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe aren\u2019t family-owned, but we\u2019re in our fourth generation,\u201d she continues. \u201cWhat I mean by that is the company has been purchased and sold to employees multiple times. Personally, I started at SCS as the Controller to manage communication between the office and the field, with my experience in the field bringing a different level of empathy to the role. Similarly, my business partner, Burt Whitenight, began as a Project Manager. We\u2019ve worked our way up over time, becoming minority partners in 2011 and owners in 2012. I was named as President and Burt is the Executive Vice President.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOne of the most interesting things about our business is that two people who couldn\u2019t be more different can come together to do great things. I was born in Chile, I\u2019m Hispanic, I\u2019m fairly short, and I am female. Whereas Burt is six-foot-four, from Pennsylvania, and we even support rival football teams! We come from very different backgrounds, but when it comes to values, we couldn\u2019t be more aligned.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe also added a Director of Operations, Jason Fike, to our board, who we then promoted to Vice President of Operations in 2019, completing our leadership team,\u201d she continues. \u201cHowever, we wouldn\u2019t be anything without our incredible people. One of our core values is creating an unbeatable, supportive team, and I see our people support each other every single day.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s clear that Liz is passionate about her employees, which translates to the training and education of such individuals. \u201cWe\u2019ve tried to hire experienced people in the past, but it\u2019s becoming increasingly difficult to hire skilled personnel, especially in Florida,\u201d she reveals. \u201cHistorically, a push towards attending college versus working in the trades has led to a shortage of newcomers to the construction industry.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSo, we\u2019re tasked with encouraging people without experience to join the industry and provide them with the training needed to be successful in their role. We are designating people within our company as trainers to support newcomers and we\u2019re in the process of merging our classroom training with field experience to create a holistic training program. It\u2019s important to have both aspects because there are so many additional factors to consider when working on a job site.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cFor example, we recently completed Uline\u2019s newest distribution center in Naples, Florida, which is nearly one million square feet. It takes 2376 steps to walk around the entire site, which is equal to one-and-a-half miles. You can imagine that someone without field training or experience would be completely overwhelmed, having gone from spraying a small wall in the workshop to then painting hundreds of square footage.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Turning to investment, SCS has completed a series of software investments in recent years, with a particular focus on enhancing efficiency. \u201cWe\u2019ve onboarded a Software Implementation Manager, who is constantly searching for new software to increase our productivity and efficiency,\u201d Liz explains. \u201cWe\u2019re using a platform to manage all our extra work on job sites, for example, which allows us to upload photos and other information, which is then all stored in one place, making it easier for us to track.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re also super excited to soon implement Arcoro, an HR management software, which is going to transform how we monitor people,\u201d she adds. \u201cIt will be particularly valuable with our new training program, as it will enable us to better monitor and evaluate progress. It means we\u2019ll have one accessible place for our employees and trainees to directly see their feedback.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Throughout our conversation, it becomes evident that while Liz is passionate when talking about her team, this confidence disappears when talking about her own career journey. \u201cI worked for my dad\u2019s painting company, often being the only woman on a job site, while I studied for my accounting degree,\u201d she recalls. \u201cNot to mention I had my first daughter three days before finishing high school, and my second daughter three years later, one year before graduating college.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI certainly didn\u2019t sleep much in that crazy time,\u201d Liz laughs. \u201cI was on a scholarship at my university, so I had to take full credits. My Mom taught classes at night, and I would go to night school on the opposite days so she could watch the girls. My Dad and sisters were also incredibly helpful, and I wouldn\u2019t be where I am without their support; when they say, \u2018it takes a village,\u2019 it really does take one!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Commitment to growth<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMy parents raised me to be independent, courageous, loving, and strong. They always told me that you can be strong and direct, but that doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re not caring and nurturing \u2013 you can do both. It\u2019s important to look at who\u2019s at your table and think about the people you\u2019re surrounding yourself with. I\u2019ve always aligned myself with people who are supportive, honest, and constantly working to better themselves. That\u2019s why I love working with Burt because he\u2019s so supportive and always champions me.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou can be a badass, fierce woman, but still be kind and thoughtful,\u201d she summarizes. \u201cWe need to set examples for younger women and girls entering the industry. I always find ways to be courageous, for example, pushing myself out of my comfort zone. During the pandemic, I achieved my MBA at the University of Florida with the goal of bettering myself as a leader and preparing for the future. One of our values is commitment to growth, and obtaining my MBA was my way of demonstrating that value at a personal level.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Liz\u2019s story is truly inspirational. Not only has she grown within her career, but she did so while raising two children and fulfilling her commitment to education. As our conversation turns to the future of the business, she concludes: \u201cTo put it simply, we\u2019re looking for further growth, not just in terms of revenue but in seeing our people grow. I\u2019d like to see us helping individuals to grow through our training program and perhaps even an additional US location, but we\u2019ll see what the future holds.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n www.servicecontracting.com<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Burt Whitenight \u2013 Executive Vice President
Liz Preez-Lavin \u2013 Co-Owner & President
Jason Fike \u2013 Vice President of Operations<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n![\"-\"](\"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2023\/11\/Service-Contracting-Solutions-V20-I6-Body-Image-2.jpg\")
Software solutions<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n