Good Neighbor Podcast Northport
Bringing Together Local Businesses and Neighbors of Tuscaloosa and Northport!
Good Neighbor Podcast Northport
Dustin Schollian: Innovating Handyman Services and Holiday Lighting at PMR Pros and Tis the Season Lighting in North Jefferson County
Ever wondered how a steel mill worker transforms into a successful entrepreneur, capturing the spirit of the holidays with dazzling light displays? Join us as we sit down with Dustin Shollian, the innovative owner of PMR Pros and Tis the Season Lighting, who shares his incredible journey from a gritty steel mill to the forefront of North Jefferson County's handyman services. Dustin and his brother-in-law's unique use of a man lift sets them apart, allowing them to tackle everything from tree trimming and gutter cleaning to creating spectacular Christmas light installations. Listen in to discover the core values driving their business, their commitment to professionalism, and how they ensure every customer is satisfied.
In this engaging episode, Dustin opens up about the trials and triumphs of the handyman profession, shedding light on common misconceptions and the importance of honesty and transparency with clients. Learn about PMR Pros' exciting growth plans, including expansions into landscaping and remodeling, and get a behind-the-scenes look at their booming Christmas light installation service. Dustin also offers a glimpse into his creative process for designing festive light displays and shares how he balances his demanding work life with cherished family activities. Tune in for an inspiring conversation full of practical insights and heartfelt stories that underscore the power of dedication and innovation.
#GNPBirmingham #HandymanServices #EntrepreneurStory #SmallBusinessSuccess #HolidayLights #ChristmasDecor #PMRPros #TisTheSeasonLighting #ProfessionalismMatters #TreeTrimming #GutterCleaning #HolidaySeason #NorthJeffersonCounty #SmallBusinessGrowth #CustomerSatisfaction #WorkLifeBalance #FamilyBusiness
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This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Patricia Blondheim.
Speaker 2:Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. I'm your host, patricia Blondheim. We have good neighbor Dustin Shalyan, and Dustin is the owner of PMR Pros and Tis the Season Lighting in North Jefferson County. Dustin, how are you today?
Speaker 3:I am wonderful, Miss Patricia. How are you?
Speaker 2:I'm doing great, Thank you. Can you tell me a little bit about PMR Pros? And you have the DBA Tis the season lighting. I think we can kind of weave that together. Just give me an idea about what it is y'all do.
Speaker 3:Yes, ma'am, we are a small company here in North Jefferson County out of Warrior and Gardendale, pmr Pros is. It's a handyman business. We do a little bit of everything. We more specialize in being outside. We own a man lift and so we do a lot of tree trimming, gutter cleaning, a lot of landscaping work. We do do some electrical work, ceiling fans, we may install an outlet, maybe some troubleshooting. The majority of the work we do is outside. So anybody that needs like the honeydew list in their yard, that's kind of where we excel. Tis the season lighting, that's our professional Christmas light business. We started that a little over a year ago and my brother-in-law and I are both electricians, so Christmas lights kind of fit perfect for us and so we install professional grade lighting, install design, warranty and then take down and store and so that's been a fun one in the fall every year. We really enjoy doing that.
Speaker 2:Can you share the story with our listeners about how your property maintenance business got started?
Speaker 3:Yes, ma'am. So my brother-in-law and I worked in a steel mill. I was there 16 years, he was there 10. And our children and our families are a priority.
Speaker 3:And as we worked in a steel mill rotating shifts, nights and weekends and holidays, you know, it really got to us and he and I both talked about it for a while and it's like, hey, we need to do something, let's figure something out, let's find something. And you know, we kind of went out on faith and we found a man lift and we said, hey, we use man lifts all the time. There's nobody in the area that has a man lift for hire. People need man lifts all the time to change light bulbs way up high, or maybe they got some small tree trimming jobs they want done. They don't want to hire a big tree company. I said, why don't we try it and see what happens? And it just kind of has evolved from there and that's kind of where we got our start.
Speaker 3:And then Christmas lights came along because we had the lift. So it's perfect for that. And then, as more people have kind of gotten to know us, it's gotten into hey, what else can you guys do? Can you install fans, sure, change out lights, absolutely. What about landscaping? What about you know? All the different things outside of the house.
Speaker 2:And so things have continued to evolve with our business as we grow. Now you distinguish yourself and set yourself apart by how you present yourself, so can you tell me a little bit about your company and the things that you value kind of you know your mission inside the company.
Speaker 3:Absolutely yes, ma'am. So you know our goal is to try to help everybody as much as we possibly can. You know we want to. When we meet a customer, we're going to do our best to look professional because we are professionals and we're going to act professional. We want people to be comfortable with us around their home and around their, their things and and trust us to do a really good job.
Speaker 3:You know, one of the things that we really pride ourselves on is family, and you know our families come first, and so if our children have something going on, you know that's the beauty of it and if anything comes up, that's family related. You know family comes first. And for our customers, you know we really really really try really hard to make sure that everything is done the way we would want it done, not hurry up, get the job done and leave. You know we're a little OCD about things sometimes and we really really want to try to make sure that everything is perfect. And if the customer is not happy, then you know we do everything possible to make them happy.
Speaker 2:Okay, dustin, can you tell us about any challenges that you face or maybe misconceptions that people have about the service that you offer?
Speaker 3:Yes, ma'am. So you know, a lot of times people hear handyman and you know they think Uncle Joe's cousin Bob, that you know, comes over and just you know he can just kind of do a job or he gets it good enough, and you know, and that's not really what we are. You know the term handyman has been probably misused a lot. Someone that's a handyman that can really do everything doesn't just mean one person. When you take a group of people who do handyman work, they can pretty much do it all.
Speaker 3:And the good thing about our company and where we stand is if there's something that needs to be done, we're going to be upfront and honest.
Speaker 3:If it's something we can't do, we're going to do our best to find you somebody who can, and so it's somebody that we trust, it's somebody that we've worked with before, it's somebody that we know, hey, this guy can do it.
Speaker 3:We're not going to be the people that come out and go sure, we can do that, and then your door doesn't shut or your lights flicker or something's just not right. We want to make sure that everything's taken care of, and there has been times in the past where we've just had to be honest and upfront with the customer and say this is not something we feel comfortable doing and we're not good at it. We'll have to find somebody else for you. And I think that kind of sets us apart, because some people just go in there and go, hey, let's try to do the job and let's get a check and go home, and that's just not where we're at. We want to make sure the customer is happy because at the end of the day, if that customer is happy with the services we provide whether it's us doing the job or recommending somebody else the hope is that customer will refer us to other people or maybe use us for a different project later on down the road.
Speaker 2:The majority of work that homeowners need is in the property maintenance area. It's not. You don't need the full contracting firm right. There's a constant flow of just needing help with things that you don't feel like you can do at quite the level that you want it to be done for your own home. So having having a qualified sort of I think of you as a clearinghouse for qualified contractors to come in and take care of those things that just that just happen, that just need to get done, what, what future goals or plans do you have for growing or expanding your business?
Speaker 3:So as we continue to grow, you know we find ourselves connecting with new people and so over time, as we build a clientele and we build trust and as we continue to grow, there's going to be a lot of opportunities for us in the landscaping world, in the tree trimming world, and maybe even some in the remodeling world and renovation world as we begin to bring those new teammates on board, especially coming into 2025.
Speaker 3:I mean, that's our goal as we get through the spring is to maybe look at trying to hire and really finding the right people, not just somebody we send to somebody's house and go, oh, I think they did a good job. It's going to be us, it's me and my brother-in-law. We are the ones that are at the house doing the work and so finding some helpers to do that and then as we, as their skill set comes out, and then expanding our business through them. I think that's going to be key. Now, as we get into the Christmas light season, you know that continues to grow every year and gain momentum, and so you know, being doing doing Christmas lights for us uh has been, has been a lot of fun, and as we continue to take on customers with that and get bigger and bigger projects. Uh, that area is growing as well.
Speaker 2:Game changer, who does design? You know Christmas lights, I'm thinking. You know great, huge displays, I'm thinking huge creativity. Are you under your own direction?
Speaker 3:So most of the time we meet with the homeowner and you know, everybody has an idea, everybody has a plan. And sometimes when we meet with homeowners they're like, well, I don't know what you suggest, and you know, for me, let's do the Griswold effect, let's make it huge, let's put lights everywhere, and sometimes that's not in a budget. We have customers that add on every year to get to the point of the Griswold effect, and sometimes that's what they have to do to be inside their budget. But every customer is different and so every customer has a vision. Every customer some don't know, and we have to kind of try to guide them in that direction. Every customer, some don't know, and we have to kind of we try to guide them in that direction.
Speaker 3:We try to find what works best for them the colors that are out there, other than outlining the house. Do we do the roof line? Do you want bushes? Do you want railings? You know all the different things that we can do, and everything we use is professional grade. It's all high quality stuff and so it's going to last for years and years, and that's what really excites customers. And then the sheer beauty of it when you plug it in at night and it lights up the world. They absolutely love it.
Speaker 2:I mean, you're using the well-insulated cords, the LED lighting, so it's not, you know, sucking hours out of your meter. Yeah it, uh. That's part of the business I want to be involved in. I think that would be a lot of fun.
Speaker 3:Yes, ma'am, it is.
Speaker 2:Well, and so what do you do for fun? What do you do for fun when you're not working?
Speaker 3:I have three children, three wonderful children, that keep me busy, uh, between, uh, basketball, baseball, cheerleading, softball, golf, fishing, bowling it's seven days a week for us and so, but I wouldn't trade it for anything in this world. Man, my children are my life and my wife she works really, really hard keeping up with all of them as well, and it's a lot of fun, and what's really cool about it is all the hobbies they're into are the things that I love. So getting to fish with them, getting to hunt with them, going to play golf with them, or going bowling, or even just going and watching baseball, throwing baseballs in the yard that's what I do for fun and I love every minute of having the opportunities to do that with my children.
Speaker 2:Let's zoom out a little bit on your life and talk about a challenge that you've encountered that has maybe it's redefined you, maybe it's redefined your business.
Speaker 3:Yes, ma'am.
Speaker 3:So one of the biggest challenges, especially when you start a new business, is how to build relationships.
Speaker 3:You know, building relationships with people in your community is huge, and I live in the corner community and they have absolutely been great to me since I started the business through some handyman jobs, through Christmas lights. But then I take it a step further and I joined a networking group, and so the networking group allowed me to build these relationships that just sitting back waiting on my phone to ring would have never built, and so I've been very, very fortunate to have a great group of people around me, and I would make that suggestion to anybody that is new into business. You know, join a networking group of some sort. I know there's several here in the state that are really really good, and it's all about referrals and it's always about meeting new people, and the really cool part about it is is everybody's willing to help. They want to see you successful because, at the end of the day, when you're successful, you help them become successful, and so that that's really what has helped us overcome some hurdles over the last year, year and a half.
Speaker 2:That's the choice about business, though the more you give, the more you get.
Speaker 3:Absolutely Givers, gain Givers gain yes.
Speaker 2:So what's the one thing you would like our listeners to take away about PMR Pros?
Speaker 3:Well, pmr Pros is a small business, family-run business, and you know we pride ourselves on doing things the right way. In the PMR Pros side of things, the Christmas light side of things, whether it's landscaping, whatever it is, we're going to do it the way we would do it at our home. We're not going to do it just to get done, get a check and leave. That's not who we are. There's times where we've gone above and beyond. If we're doing tree trimming, we're standing back, going, hey, we need to get this one more, even though the customer didn't point that out. We may get the customer and say, hey, I think we need to get this one. We need to. We need to do more.
Speaker 3:You know, when we're hanging Christmas lights, we're cleaning out gutters too. You know people's houses get rolled. Kids throw softballs, baseballs in the gutter. We're already there, why not clean it out? Right? And so that's what we do different. You know we try to go above and beyond for everything that we do, and sometimes it's pointing out stuff to customers. Hey, you know, you got a little roof issue here. We saw it when we were putting up Christmas lights. You know anything that we can do to help the customer out. You know that's who we are, that's the type of people we are. It's not get it done quick and leave it's. It's make sure that the customer is completely satisfied and go above and beyond for them to make sure that they call you back. You know, hey, that we want to, we want to do business with him again. So that's, that's where we pride ourselves.
Speaker 2:It's all about relationships, right, answering the phone, arriving looking decent, looking good, looking like somebody that people would let into their home and have faith in, and then going past that surface into letting that whole idea define how you do business. Yes, ma'am, so how can listeners?
Speaker 3:learn more about PMR Pros and contact you if they need some work done around their house. Absolutely so. We have a website. Unfortunately, pmrproscom was already taken, so we chose call PMR Pros or you can reach us at propertymaintenanceandrepaircom so you can check out our website. We're also at PMR pros on Facebook and there's a link to our website there. We also have tistheseasonlightingcom. We also have that website available with all of our Christmas lights that we're doing and we're actually doing a giveaway now.
Speaker 3:I'm not sure when this podcast is going to air, but feel free to reach out. It doesn't matter if it's January, february. We'd love to have you on the schedule for Christmas lights, and you can see us on Facebook as well. We also have a Google profile. You can Google us at PMR pros and it'll pull all of our Google information up. So we have several ways we can also contact us. We have a couple of phone numbers. If you're okay with me giving those out, contact us. We have a couple of phone numbers. If you're okay with me giving those out, Sure, 205-260-5464. That's my contact. You're welcome to give me a call anytime and if I'm unavailable for some reason, 205-913-8222 is available. So either number will be fine and that will reach me or Tyson, and we'll be more than happy to talk. Come out, take a look, give a quote and kind of see where it goes.
Speaker 2:And I will link to that website in the description below. Dustin, thank you so much for coming and sharing PMR Pros with our listeners on the Good Neighbor podcast.
Speaker 3:Awesome. Thank you very much. Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor podcast Awesome. Thank you very much. Thanks for having me. 0148.