Student of Success
Randy Brown
President, Clearwater Home Improvement
Mystic, Conn.
Born March 18, 1976
A fourth-generation remodeler, Randy Brown demolished his first plaster wall at age 7, helped build a six-bay garage before he hit adolescence, and launched his business in his early 20s. But for all his precociousness, Brown couldn’t disguise his baby face when he first met Charlie Ackles, a few years ago.
Ackles, who is 53 and is the general manager of Clearwater Home Improvement, recalls being “taken aback by this young guy.” Brown, though in his mid-20s at the time, “looked like he was 18. ‘I have to be honest,’” Ackles recalls telling Brown, “I don’t know if I want to work with you.’”
Ackles quickly retracted those words. Within minutes, he realized that Brown had “maturity and business sense beyond his years,” demonstrating an inside-out understanding of roofing, siding, and window products; a broad skill set that ranged from operating an excavator to developing land; an unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction; and a ready acknowledgement that he didn’t have all the answers. Ackles, who had spent decades in sales with General Motors and Hewlett Packard, says Brown told him, “‘You’re the expert in sales and marketing, and I’m going to learn from you.’ That’s the key to his success,” Ackles says. “He’s willing to listen to people who have more experience.”
Brown’s willingness to learn has paid off. Today he also owns a commercial showroom and two other divisions: Clear-water Builders, which builds speculative and custom homes in the half-million-dollar range, and At Your Service, a rubbish-collection business launched last year. Although he, Ackles, and a secretary are the only full-time employees, he expects total revenues to top $3.5 million this year.
The story of At Your Service is classic Brown. “I needed dumpsters,” he says. “I had bought a dump truck, but it could only go to one job for the day and was wasting fuel.” Clean jobsites are a Clearwater hallmark, so rather than tolerate construction debris, Brown bought his own dumpsters, which he then also subcontracted to others.
“It’s a beautiful thing,” he says. Not only does At Your Service bring in around $250,000 a year, but the three divisions are diverse enough to offset one another’s slow periods. “One washes the other’s back.” Ackles calls Brown “a multitasker like you wouldn’t believe. He’s extremely smart and always coming up with new ideas.” One example is the live radio show that the two men do every few weeks —kind of a Car Talk about home improvement — that has won them local fame as “Randy and Charlie.” A television commercial is next for the duo.
For all his entrepreneurial success, Brown’s greatest source of pride is his reputation, which also extends to his longtime subcontractors, most of them Ecuadorian. Home improvement contractors have a seamy image, he says, and he has seen his share of “drunks and beat-up trucks,” incompetent work, and abandoned jobs. From the very beginning, he says, “I would do the job from sunup to sundown. I would be there when I said I would be there.” Honesty and reliability “came to be the big thing” distinguishing Brown in the eyes of homeowners and suppliers. “I always tell customers, ‘If there’s a problem, call me. We’ll address it.’”