Editor’s note: James Amato is manager of strategic business development at WRAL Digital Solutions.
RALEIGH — WRAL TechWire’s new LimeLight platform provides the WRAL TechWire audience with meaningful ways to share praiseworthy news and updates statewide. We have been blown away with the submissions so far. When we launched the platform we tried to challenge the status quo of how success is defined.
If you’ve seen our advertising you’ve been asked things like: Did one of your employees close a big deal? Give them some recognition. Did your team make a big impact in the community? Share the good news. Did your friend just launch a startup? Get the word out.
This is the first of an ongoing series of columns that answers a question of a different kind: Does your Chief Executive have a vision and pursue it with excellence, ascending the heights of your industry or better yet, life? I’m hopeful that addressing these questions will help you glean something wise and inspiring to reinforce your climb–we are in this together.
We get started in the home with Majestic Kitchen & Bath CEO Scott Byers who is among our featured WRAL TechWire LimeLighters.
“A drive to lead a growing company during a time of significant change and disruption in the industry…”
In June, the regional business newswire was abuzz with word of the management team of Majestic Kitchen & Bath buying out its ownership. The 30-year-old company had hired Scott Byers from EDM Americas just under three years prior.
James Amato
So why buy the company out?
For Byers it was his drive to lead a growing company during a time of significant change and disruption in the industry, which hadn’t changed much in several decades, and the opportunity to fulfill his vision to make Majestic the most professional trade partner in its industry.
According to Byers, disruptive technology and innovation in home building are being emphasized increasingly and more can be done on the part of everyone in the field to facilitate seamless partnerships with clients and suppliers, optimize production processes for greater cost-efficiency, and grow market share and reputation as a trusted trade partner.
“The market is changing dramatically. New construction used to be dominated by local firms striving to meet the needs of the local community but now the majority are built by national firms for a population of new North Carolinians from all over the country,” said Byers.
“I want to ensure that work being done locally is “of the highest caliber while being as affordable and accommodating as possible,” he continued.
“It’s really something to be able to see your product and point to it.”
Byers’ passion for the home building industry is magnetic. “It’s really something to be able to see your product and to point to it. My kids know too and can point out a Majestic countertop and understand not just the importance of the beauty and craftsmanship of that element of a home but the inherent goodness of that thing we did around which families gather.”
Asked what COVID-19 has taught him, Byers imparted, “the epicenters of a home are the kitchen and bath and people are thinking more about them as they work and parent from home. Countertops specifically being a big part of our business, COVID-19 continues to encourage us to consider that countertops don’t matter if there isn’t any food on them.”
Since 2017 Byers has worn many hats at Majestic Kitchen & Bath including President & CEO, investor, and now owner. Asked about what he has come to value most about his experience Byers cites, “the authenticity of Majestic’s workforce” of which he’s both led and been part. “I really enjoy the genuineness of our people and how they work as a team, which is a core value of ours. We recognize that there is not a larger, more important purchase that a person makes than buying a home and we want to be a resource and partner for home owners for the life of their home,” said Byers. “Our people take pride in their work and to deliver certainty in terms of quality and schedule because we know we are bringing joy to others as part of their home ownership.”
Like many executives in North Carolina, workforce remains a key focal point. Asked about his needs Byers imparted, “We need to get more people interested in the trades, specifically those that support home building and provide a meaningful experience to people. We need high tech skills and an ability to navigate technology to reinforce practice, efficiency and effectiveness and ultimately, we need to deliver certainty for our clients.” Byers continued, “Liberal arts- type knowledge is integral to us also and is needed to analyze, problem solve, and to help or mitigate challenges and risks. We need people whose paths are multi-disciplinary.”
Lessons I Learned from Scott
- Plan for any scenario. “The unexpected will happen in business as it will in life,” Byers says, “plan accordingly, especially financially. Tariffs, hurricanes, pandemics and the like do not discriminate. Don’t let them stand in the way of achieving your goals.”
- Surround yourself with great people. What lies within the hearts, minds, and wallets of the people in our corner are all important to the success of a business but more important is the way a leader can fill all of those belonging to the people they hold most dear.
- Be Real. Don’t get too caught up in potential. Focus on the opportunity as well as the constraints of every situation. You have to realistically assess risk and reward to achieve a reputation for delivering certainty and positive outcomes to your clients.
- Perspective taking is a must. Strive to take the perspective of your clients and you will soon discover that there are no “difficult” ones. Byers imparts, “We understand why people want to participate in a build process, why their expectations are high, and we encourage them to expect perfection. It’s our job to deliver certainty to that expectation!”
- Partnership is Key – Scale is a requirement of success. Partners within the homebuilding process that can deliver are key. It’s the same in healthcare, life science, and tech. We are a partner and seek great partners to scale our business.
WRAL TechWire would like to thank Scott Byers, CEO of Majestic Kitchen & Bath for his leadership and willingness to be the first to share his experience with us for this WRAL TechWire LimeLight Special Feature: Ascending the Heights. You can learn more about Scott by visiting his profile and bio on WRAL TechWire LimeLight.
If you enjoyed what you read, please consider leaving a comment below and check back with us for more soon. If you are a Chief Executive and would like to be featured or know one who might, please contact James Amato at jamato@wral.com.
