Small Business Snapshot focuses on: A1 Quality Inspection
Mark Huckaby, owner of A1 Quality Inspection & Consulting Services, answers the questions for today’s Small Business Snapshot.”
What is the primary purpose of your business? The primary purpose of the business is to perform home & commercial inspection & consulting services for buyers, sellers, investors, and anyone else needing inspection services for most any type of building.
What is the business background of the owners? During my childhood and early teenage years, I pushed a lawnmower around my neighborhood to mow lawns for $2-$3 per yard. As a teenager, a friend and I detailed cars as our own small business.I learned residential construction working with my dad who was a remodeling contractor, so I offered this type service as well as home inspections as a side business while serving on active duty in the USAF and shortly after I separated from the military. In the early 1990’s, my older brother Scott and I operated Quality Builders of Rome. Then after I served for 15 years as a vocational minister, God opened the door for me to work with one of my best friends in the world, the same one I detailed cars with as a teenager.Then, while into my 6th fulltime year as a now Certified Master Inspector, with having performed nearly 3,000 inspections of all types, I took the opportunity to own the business that I fell in love with from day one.
Why did you start (or purchase) this particular business? I decided to become the owner of
this particular business because I sensed a calling and a leading by God minister in a unique way, by using all the experience and experiences I have in my life to serve people and grow a service company to be the choice inspection services provider in the NW Georgia, NE Alabama areas and beyond.
What makes your business unique? Our business is unique because while we bring decades of knowledge and skill regarding house and building components, materials, and issues, we’ve actually built buildings, particularly houses. We’ve dug and poured footings, framed, roofed, caulked, and painted, hung drywall, installed doors and windows, demolished, remodeled, and rehabbed. We are Romeowned and Rome-grown. We will travel as far as requested and we are veteran-owned and operated.
What do you enjoy most about your chosen profession? What I enjoy most about my business is meeting and engaging everyone: new customers, returning customers, investors, and realtors. I love serving. I love helping. I love knowing I have helped my neigh- bors in the community make one of the most important decisions of their lives (their home purchase or sale). I’m fulfilled when I know I’ve done my best to provide valuable information to buyers, sellers, investors, and realtors during the real estate process.
What has been the biggest or most interesting challenge to overcome as a small business owner? Our greatest challenge not to overcome, per se, because it’s not something that can really be mastered, is to confidently and diligently do our best to provide the highest quality service with integrity.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers? I would like for everyone to know that this business was started more than 20 years ago, we have performed over 10,000 inspections, and we strive to respond to every need. We might not be the cheapest, but we believe we are the best. My personal value is to glorify God in all we do (AND we are licensed in Alabama!).
SUNDAY, April 29, 2018