Working as a Team
By K. Schipper
STERLING, Va. – The motto of Holloway Company Inc. is “Making Dreams Reality,” and owner and general manager Ted Tidmore has gone a long way toward realizing his own ideas by doing outstanding work for his clients.
Starting as a sole proprietorship while still in college, Tidmore has grown the business to more than 50 employees, with an emphasis on residential hardscape and a commitment to quality.
“Early on the company focused on keeping the schedule full all year in order to retain the most-talented employees,” he says. “Today, the firm’s goal is to create jobs that impress clients, passers-by and other contractors”.
“We’re a Team”
In one respect, Tidmore isn’t far from where he started. A native of Maryland, he enrolled at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., where he pursued his business degree – and the experience that led him to start his own company.
“I worked through college for several different landscape firms, and I learned something from each,” he says. “I love being outdoors, and the design aspects of the projects – plants, colors, textures and curves – make it all interesting.”
And, he adds, when work is interesting, it’s fun and also easy to devote the time to make it a success.
Tidmore launched his own business in 1993 in the Reston, Va., area and he’s remained centered around Dulles International Airport. The company was incorporated in 2001 and relocated to Sterling (Arcola area) five years ago.
“Loudon County is one of the fastest growing counties in the country,” he explains. “It’s a great area with a lot of work being done. Northern Virginia is a very good area for the entire building industry, and as it has continued to grow, so has Holloway.”
Key components of his company’s growth are finding good employees, good clients, and the company’s commitment to doing an extraordinary job every time.
“Our success comes from our outstanding employees, whether it’s the office staff or the crews in the field,” Tidmore contends. “We give an unmatched level of customer service. A lot of the staff is family and their level of devotion and trust has definitely helped us grow.”
For instance, Tidmore employs his mother- and father-in-law and a sister-in-law. However, those family ties extend out to the rest of the crew as well …and Tidmore is extremely careful in the people he hires.
“I look for people who can do their jobs the first time,” he says. “We don’t want to have to do it again. We want people who impress the clients. We want people who look out for us and for one another. We’re a team.”
He adds that when he does bring in new employees, they are trained to the level of quality he expects. Because the crews work to that level every day, once attained they maintain it.
A few of his employees have been with him since he first started the business, and several have more than 10 years experience with Holloway Company.
Tidmore is also employee-oriented. The employees enjoy group outings throughout the year such as day cruises in Washington, bowling parties, barbecues and holiday celebrations, and he never takes his staff’s dedication for granted.
Tidmore currently runs six hardscaping crews and six deck crews.
“When I say a deck, that’s decks, gazebos, pergolas and porches,” he explains. “The hardscaping crews build the patios, retaining walls, ponds, fireplaces, outdoor kitchens and so on.”
And, Tidmore says it’s not uncommon for the company to do phased projects where a deck or porch might be the first component, and is then followed in subsequent years with an outdoor kitchen, a water feature or landscaping.
“Of the two designers I have on staff, one focuses mainly on porches and decks and the other focuses mainly on hardscaping,” he adds. “However, I design at least half of the projects.”
Eye on Quality
His company may have grown since the days when he was doing most of the work himself, but Tidmore says his personal desire is to be out of the office as much as possible.
“I like to be out there talking with clients, seeing and hearing what they’re looking for,” he says. “I also like to be on the jobs, see how it’s going in the field, and keep an eye on the quality we put out.”
He acknowledges that clients today seek something different – and often more sophisticated – than when he started.
“Today, our clients are looking for an oasis in their backyard,” Tidmore says. “When they get out of rush hour, they want their own spot where they can sit back and listen to a creek running or sit in front of an outdoor fireplace. They like features that make it their own private resort in their backyard, enjoying it with family and friends.”
He adds that about 80 percent of his business is residential, although the company’s commercial clients seek out Holloway Company for the same reason: high-end quality.
“When I meet with someone, I first ask what they’re looking for,” he says. “Some know, some don’t. I give them some ideas and run with the ones they like. I design to that, and then throw in some bells and whistles they may not have considered, such as a misting system or a running creek. “
He adds that the main goal is to provoke some thought in the company’s clients and upgrade the expectations of what they could have. And, Tidmore understands that not everyone can do everything in a design right away.
“Even if we have to take a multi-year approach, we can get the bones in place and phase it in,” he says. “A lot of people like the fact that we’ll phase a project and work on their dream together while keeping our jobs competitively priced.”
Tidmore is very conscious of the fact that word-of-mouth remains his best marketing tool. He notes that it’s not always for the work the company does, either.
“Some of our best referrals are clients who shopped with us and then went with somebody else for one reason or another,” he says. “They call us back later to finish the job because they weren’t happy with the product or the quality they were getting.”
To make sure that doesn’t happen with Holloway Company clients, Tidmore says he’s happy to replace defective products from suppliers and all the firm’s work comes with a warranty.
“If we have a problem, we always make it right,” he stresses. “We’re here to stay, and if we have a happy client, they refer us to other people. During slow times in the industry, that has always worked in our favor.”
More than Pictures
While great design is a Holloway Company staple, Tidmore believes it takes more than that to get a job done just right. Over the last three years, the company has developed a 24,000 ft² exterior design center on part of its 1.6-acre site to complement its 2,500 ft² office facility.
“Our design center has patios, decks, a gazebo, waterfall, creek, outdoor kitchen, fireplace, fire pit, fountain, putting green and numerous other things,” he explains. “It allows the client to come in, walk around and select the materials they like. It’s a touch-and-feel experience rather than just looking at a picture.”
The design center also offers a full line of high-end outdoor furniture, barbecue grills and other garden and yard accessories. Tidmore says those items reflect the fact that many of his clients purchase these items to compliment the project Holloway has completed at their homes.
Landscaping is also on display at the design center. Tidmore says he works exclusively with local nurseries and growers to get the best plants for the area.
“We buy most of our products directly from the manufacturer by the tractor-trailer load,” he says. “What that means to the client is we don’t have many issues with products being out of stock. We do not have to rely on suppliers.”
Still another Holloway specialty is outdoor lighting packages. Tidmore feels it’s just another facet of doing a complete design for clients.
“It’s not just putting lights in the ground,” he says. “It’s a matter of highlighting key features of the home and the landscape.”
This is an additional service that the company can focus on during the season when the weather in northern Virginia inhibits other types of outdoor construction.
In the off-season, pending weather, the company continues to build projects that don’t have many concrete elements, and it even does snow removal for corporate clients.
Tidmore also has his crews doing interior renovation work during that time.
“We tend to work with clients we’ve worked with before and build high-end, custom basements,” he explains. “For instance, this year we did a 2,000 ft² basement remodel for a long-standing client of ours that included an 800 ft² multi-tiered theater, a large bar area, steam shower, sauna and a 500-gallon salt-water fish tank.”
Because his employees include some very skilled carpenters and tile installers, he says bathroom and kitchen remodels are great projects to undertake, but only during the off-season.
“Holloway is a Class A contractor in Virginia, and we have vast experience in all aspects of construction,” says Tidmore. “But, we prefer to be outside.”
Nor does he see his bread-and-butter work slowing down anytime soon. He says amenities such as decks, patios, porches, and outdoor kitchens are now seen as necessities, rather than luxuries.
And, where people are committing to staying in their existing homes, he says the desire is there to add features that improve their properties’ livability.
“We’re just trying to maintain a modest amount of growth,” Tidmore says. “We’re not looking to double our size, but we want to remain one of the leaders in the northern Virginia area and develop a reputation nationwide for quality.
“We’re always raising the bar of what we’re doing by adding new and interesting products,” he concludes. “We’re always rising to the growing expectations of our clients, and we look forward to continual growth.”
