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Local Living
A community podcast for Palm Beach to Parkland.
Local Living
Meet Scot Burris: StormSmart is Revolutionizing Home Storm Protection
Scot Burris, CEO of Storm Smart, shares how their hurricane protection products not only safeguard homes during storms but enhance everyday living through innovative screens that offer year-round benefits. Storm Smart has protected over 100,000 Florida homes with custom-designed, manufactured, and installed products that withstand Category 5 hurricanes while providing lifestyle advantages throughout the year.
• Storm Smart celebrates 30 years in business with expansion from Southwest Florida to locations across the state, including Palm Beach
• Their signature Storm Catcher screens function as "bulletproof vests" for homes during hurricanes while providing everyday benefits like rain protection and temperature control
• After living through Hurricane Ian, Burris redefined his company's mission: "We save lives through carefully custom designed, manufactured and installed hurricane protection products"
• The company employs 450 people with in-house engineering, manufacturing facilities, and installation teams to ensure quality and long-term support
Visit stormsmart.com to learn more about protecting your home.
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Welcome, welcome everyone to Local Living. We are a community podcast for Palm Beach to Parkland. I'm David Conway, I am the publisher of the Living Magazines of South Florida and I am also your host for today's episode With us today we have the CEO of StormSmart, scott Burris. Scott, welcome to the podcast. Well, glad to be here. Thank you, david. I was really looking forward to having you today. You know, it seems like for a while, for a long time, I had never seen the name Storm Smart here on the East Coast. Now I seem to see it all the time. You guys are obviously blowing up. Tell the listeners a little bit more about your business.
Speaker 2:Storm Smart is actually a 30-year-old company this year, but we were born and grew mainly on the southwest coast of Florida and then, about two years ago, we started to put our footprint on the ground on the east coast, there in West Palm, and we've really been focusing here this year on building out the business and taking care of homeowners and the residents of your footprint. Make sure they're protected if they get storms like we've gotten over here the last couple of years.
Speaker 1:So I realized, actually through talking with a colleague and friend of mine, the Coens, beverly and Dave Cohen, by the way I had mentioned that you were coming on the podcast actually prior when you became a client. They wanted me to tell you how great your product was. I guess it's not just windows, they've talked about something, some screens that you do, of some kind, that are somewhat unique. What are those?
Speaker 2:So we provide the full home protection for hurricanes. So your traditional hurricane impact windows, your aluminum shutters, but our primary product is what we call our storm catcher screen, and it's a product that we developed in-house 25 years ago and have evolved over the last 25 years, and now there's an entire hurricane screen industry out there that we like to think is trying to catch up. But if you look at our company today, over 100,000 homes are protected in Florida by StormSmart's StormCatcher screens, and the benefit of the screen is, instead of having an aluminum roll-down that you only use during hurricanes, our screens are really. Our customers buy them to protect from storms, but they use them year-round for more lifestyle purposes, so it gives you an investment that protects you but also enhances your life.
Speaker 1:So these screens? Are they in addition to storm windows?
Speaker 2:So the screens are used to cover windows, doorways, but primarily people use them on the back of their homes, on their lanai or their porch, and we put them around the outside of the lanai. So in essence, if you lower those screens, your lanai is protected. If a storm's coming, you don't have to move the furniture out of the way. But probably more importantly, throughout the year, if it's raining outside at our house, we'll lower those screens and the lanai stays dry. If it's 105 degrees in the summer night, we lower those, we open the sliding glass doors and our Harlan and I will cool down to the house temperature in about 20 minutes and we probably eat outside three to four nights a week in the summer and we use it for lifestyle. But we know, when Mother Nature unleashes its wrath, that our home is protected up to a Category 5 hurricane.
Speaker 1:So I had read StormSmart. You're not. I mean, you are local. You're homegrown here in South Florida, southwest Florida, but you're not a small company anymore. I think you employ over 400 people, is that right?
Speaker 2:Yeah, we're right at 450, if I remember from Monday. I know it changes slightly each week. You know, if you look at the company started here in the Fort Myers area. We now have branches in Naples, Fort Myers, Sarasota, Bradenton. Recently we entered the Tampa market. We have a branch over in Lake Worth, on your side of the coast, and we're now aggressively moving to move north and south from there. We want to make sure everyone who's living in South Florida is properly protected.
Speaker 1:Now there's a lot of competition out there in your industry. You know, and you got, and respectfully you've got smaller, you know sole proprietor plus type of organizations that are are I guess they're resellers and then they sub installers. What do?
Speaker 2:you attribute your rapid growth to. I'll tell you a couple of different things. And you're right there's a there's a lot of options out there for consumers or how they're going to protect their home. We've always believed that we want to be here for the longterm and be here to protect and help our customers for the longterm, so we've invested in a few things that I think really differentiate us.
Speaker 2:Our products are developed by our in-house engineering team, so we're always looking to evolve and improve all of our products. We have three manufacturing facilities here in South Florida, so, as a customer, when you order through us, our engineers are measuring your home to make sure it's exact. We custom build in our manufacturing facilities the products, and then our installers are all employees of the company in essence, master craftsmen and so the install is custom as well, and probably just as important, given 30 years. If you need us next year or five years, or 10 years from now, we're going to be here to support you and to help you when you move to your next home where, hopefully, we've earned your business.
Speaker 1:And that's one of the biggest challenges for people that are considering a purchase like this right Is the company going to be there when?
Speaker 2:I need them.
Speaker 2:I think that's exactly it, because our products are like a bulletproof vest we put on your home and much like a bulletproof vest, they're designed to take the impact of the storm so your belongings are protected but, more importantly, so you and your family walk out alive and safe. But we also recognize, when those storms come, there can be some damage that our products take in protecting your home and we want to make sure we're there to make any adjustments we need to on the back end so you know your home's protected for not just this year but for the next 10 to 20 years.
Speaker 1:So, scott, tell us a little bit more about your journey. How did you end up at StormSmart? Tell us a little bit more about your background.
Speaker 2:I spent most of my career in home service industries, primarily in the Midwest, where my wife and I moved here from. We have six kids, we're very blessed with them and we had talked for a while that when we got to retirement age we wanted to move to South Florida which is pretty much what everybody up north says right, and it just happened by chance or luck or fortune.
Speaker 1:You came early because I'm seeing you. You're not there yet, right Because you're making me feel bad. If you are, you're far from retirement age, am I correct?
Speaker 2:I might be closer than you think, but I appreciate the comment so you can see the light.
Speaker 1:So go ahead. I'm sorry so you moved to South Florida.
Speaker 2:Yes, when this position opened up, stormsmart was evolving from a founder owner who was looking they're looking for someone to come in and run the business for the next stage and the privilege was there and I was very honored to be considered.
Speaker 2:And when I met the company and the employees and saw the passion they had for what they do and the purpose of their careers and their lives professionally, I realized this wasn't just a manufacturing company or a product sales company. It was a company that truly has an impact, both in involvement in the community but, more importantly, that we can actually have an impact in saving lives. And as I looked at that, my wife and I talked to it. We said this is probably the right move for us. And then when I got in, I've been here now coming up on four years. What I saw coming in is what I've experienced every day since To work in a world where on Sunday night you're excited about Monday morning is a great place to be in your life and your career. And I'm honored and humbled to be able to lead an organization like StormSmart.
Speaker 1:So you were in the home services industry generally for most of your career. Is there anything that you use in those past experiences? Maybe some challenges you had or some lessons learned that you didn't know then but fortunately you know now and you can apply in the business.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think my dad, who's now passed on, but was a great model for me. He always said you're either growing or dying in your career and your life, and if you don't have goals and dreams, then by default you're dying. And what I've always tried to do at every step of my career is always be learning, always be humble, always make sure you can look in the mirror and know this worked, and here's why, or this didn't work and here's why. I think a big piece is don't make the same mistake twice. But as I looked at StormSmart and the experiences from my career in the past, it's about being honest, extremely transparent, not just with your employees but with your customers. It's about promising what you can deliver and then actually delivering on it. It's about growing at a pace that you can sustain and deliver that same quality of excellence to your customers without growing too fast and also knowing the things that maybe you don't want to be in.
Speaker 2:I'll give you a quick example. We looked over the past few years at how to grow the company and one of the discussions was should we go into more of the lifestyle space, meaning awnings and sunscreens? And a lesson from the past had been know your core competency and what you're phenomenal at and focus there. And we made the decision not to go towards lifestyle but to realize we're a hurricane protection company first and to lean into that and let's focus on being the best darn hurricane protection company in the country and that's where we focus our efforts, where we focus our research and that's where we focus our growth and I think that's paid off well for us and being consistently excellent.
Speaker 1:So do you find that potential customers or people that are ancillary to your industry have misconceptions of any kind about your industry?
Speaker 2:I think if you've been through a hurricane, it resonates quickly.
Speaker 2:If you're one of the tens of thousands who move down to this beautiful part of the country every year. You hear about it, but you haven't experienced it and I would say you know. I'll give you an example for myself. I came down eight months before Ian hit us over here on the West Coast. Before Ian, I would have told you proudly how we custom design, manufacture and install hurricane protection products. After living through Ian personally and then working with our customers in the community afterwards, I had to change that, because Ian changed me, and what I now tell people and it's very heartfelt is StormSpot. As a company, we save lives, we save lives, and the way we save lives is we carefully custom design, manufacture and install hurricane protection products that can weather the worst storms on earth, and with that it gave more of a sense of purpose to me and I think it clarified really what we're about as a company.
Speaker 1:I can tell you my awakening came in 1992, I believe it was Hurricane Andrew. I spent most of the evening in the bathtub in the fetal position yes, hoping and praying.
Speaker 2:I hope your home was okay and your family was okay after that we all made it through, thankfully.
Speaker 1:So listen, just speaking with you this short time, I can tell you're a great guy to work for, so I can see how your leadership has led to the growth of the company. But I have a feeling you mentioned you have six kids. Yes, Working is not all you do. Tell us just a little bit more about you, scott. What do you enjoy when you're not focusing on StormSmart?
Speaker 2:That's an easy one when you come to South Florida and you get year-round beautiful weather. My wife and I love being on the water, so on our weekends you'll usually find us out, whether out with friends or going to a restaurant or going out to fish. Our focus is doing it on the water because it's a tranquil, peaceful area for us, and I'm probably never calmer than I am when we're out on a beautiful day, so most weekends that's where you'll find us. And then the other thing is we love to travel and love to go see friends. Go to see parts of the world we never had a chance to when we were younger, and with six kids who are now adults, any time we can get with them is a pleasure for us, whether at their place or, hopefully, when they come down to see us on a regular basis. Give an example Christmas. We had 13 of us in the house for Christmas and while it was crowded like a dorm room, we loved every minute of it.
Speaker 1:So do you have a trip planned now or are you planning a trip?
Speaker 2:now, that's odd you mention that, but we're actually planning a trip with two of our best friends on Earth to go to Portugal here at the end of the summer early fall.
Speaker 1:That sounds amazing and that's half the fun of the trip. Is the planning right?
Speaker 2:Half the fun and half the stress. Yes, we're working on it.
Speaker 1:So, before we go, is there one thing that you would like our listeners to know about StormSmart?
Speaker 2:We're a humble company. We recognize the responsibility we bear in protecting homes and families in South Florida 30 years in business, but also make everyone aware hurricane season starts June 1st and it'll run through November. The forecast for this year is another 12 to 15 major storms. They're calling for seven to eight named hurricanes, two to three major hurricanes. If you look at the last few years, we've been getting one to two major hurricanes a year on the West Coast and the East Coast. If your home's not protected, whether you choose StormSmart or someone else, please take the time now to get prepared, because you don't want to be reacting last minute trying to go find plywood or other quick options when you could take the time now to make sure your home and your family are protected if and when the next big hurricane hits us.
Speaker 1:So if somebody does want to reach out to you, what's the best way for them to do that?
Speaker 2:Probably the simplest is to go to stormsmartcom. And now, with May, we want to make sure everybody's protected, so we started on May 1st. We took a 10% reduction in the cost of our Stormcatcher screens to the customers to make sure they're ready, and also a 10% reduction in the price on our hurricane impact windows, so we want to make sure everybody's ready for hurricane season. It's a very busy time of the year for us now, so please contact us today so we can make sure that you're protected before Mother Nature potentially hits us this year.
Speaker 1:Scott, it's been a pleasure having you on the podcast today and really appreciate you joining us.
Speaker 2:It's been my pleasure, David, and I look forward to seeing you soon.
Speaker 1:Once again, everyone we were with Scott Burris. Once again, everyone we were with Scott Burris, ceo of StormSmart. Quite the gentleman, and I am sincere when I say you can see why the company is so successful with a man like Scott at the helm. Thanks again, Scott Folks, thanks for joining us. Once again, I'm David Conway, with Local Living, and we will see you next time.