Windy City Equipment Service, Inc (WCE) is proud to announce that we have earned a position on the 2018 Inc 5000 List of Fastest Growing Companies in America.
Coming in at #1429 on the list, we join the ranks of some prestigious companies such as Intuit, Zappos, Under Armour, Microsoft, GoPro, Timberland, Oracle, GrubHub, among many others (at least that’s what the pamphlet said!)
To put this into perspective, there are approximately 29.5 million small businesses in the US so 1429 falls in the top 0.004 percent.
HOW DID WE GET SO FORTUNATE?
From our humble beginnings in a 2-car garage to our current 10,000 sq ft office/warehouse, Founder, Joel Zolin’s philosophy still holds true:
Honesty, Quality, and Communication
Seems simple, and maybe it is. Or maybe it’s so simple that it’s taken for granted and too often forgot in this over-complicated day and age. With service automation, electronic work orders, and complicated procedures, it’s easy to forget the fundamentals and focus only on the intricacies.
CEO, JOSH ZOLIN HAS A THEORY (THAT’S ME)
Service used to be regarded as good, honest work. But through years of blind costs, skilled-trade gaps, and technology-driven WO management, service has evolved into something that the majority of people now perceive as a necessary evil. Our job is to change that perception.
WCE has been a staple in the Phoenix area, to restaurant owners and facility managers, for over 15 years and has recently branched out to other areas of the state. With a growth rate of over 327% in the past 3 years, we have certainly established a presence within the industry. I credit my entire team for the company’s success and we couldn’t have done it without everyone who has ever put on that uniform. But there is one thing that I can comfortably take credit for. In 2013, I launched a public service not seen before in this industry – a YouTube Channel that touches on everything from minor equipment maintenance to industry-related vlogs. Which has since evolved into podcasts, behind the scenes footage, and blogs that are known worldwide.
When someone asks why I decided to reveal what most companies would call “industry secrets,” I simply reply:
Secrets, Secrets are no fun. Secrets, Secrets hurt someone.
CLEARLY, HUMOR IS NOT LACKING IN THE CULTURE OF WCE…
And I will go to the ends of the Earth to preserve that.
The real reason, however, is that people are often afraid of what they don’t know so they tend to resist it. And this fact has been exploited by many companies in the trades over the years. So the value is not just in the ability that my team possess, but rather in teaching people how to perform basic tasks themselves and help them understand how the service industry actually works. (Of course, some repairs are still better left to trained professional)
In other words, build trust to build business.
Some may disagree, but not enough to keep WCE off of the Inc 5000 List. And something tells me it won’t be the last time.
From a father-son business to regional powerhouse to worldwide resource. Don’t sleep on WCE.
Thank you to:
The entire WCE Team for making this all possible. Our customers for their continued loyalty. Our partners for providing us the tools to succeed. And our vendors for putting up with our sh*t and providing us the resources necessary to perform the service our customers deserve.
Josh Zolin, CEO
Windy City Equipment Service, Inc. An Inc 5000 company
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