As a standout leader in pipe lining and re-piping in the state of Florida, Rooter360 has been an influential force on setting best practices in the market. As CEO, William Gardner has been a crucial driver of this initiative, ensuring that Rooter360 remains a pacesetter despite constant development in the space. On the back of his recognition in 2023’s Most Influential CEO Awards as the Most Influential CEO – Miami (Plumbing Solutions), we spoke to William to find out more about his leadership ethos and plans for the future.
Industry leaders thrive through innovation. A drive to do things differently. To do things better. That’s the case regardless of industry, whether it be construction, or banking, or technology or any other multitude of sectors. No matter the size of the business, innovation and constant betterment should form the foundational elements of its operation. To do otherwise in this rapidly moving world could lead to stagnation, especially now that it’s easier than ever for potential clients to access any of your competitors.
However, there’s no worry of stagnation when it comes to Rooter360 and its work, with a reputation built through integrity, accountability, quality, teamwork, and innovation. William discusses how these values have forged the company’s success since its establishment. “We have created a quality process that allows customers to fix without trenching or replacing pipes, leaving the home better than we found it. Our values guide our processes. With integrity, we are honest about our performance. With innovation, we are always looking for new ways or technologies to apply. There’s accountability from each department. They all have their own process to do good work and if something goes wrong, they take accountability for it. When you combine all these three, there’s quality. These values have remained unchanged and are the bedrock for our growth through word-of-mouth referrals.”
A key question to address is how William views the role of CEO when it comes to inspiring and influencing those he manages and oversees. In this post-COVID world, it pays to remain flexible and dynamic – open to all opportunities, with the business agility and reactivity to capitalise on those opportunities. While that may seem to be less necessary in this particular industry, the overall market necessitates such an approach. As they say, you can never be too prepared when it comes to facing challenges.
Luckily, for William, challenges have been relatively easily overcome, with the most pressing of those being a need for skilled labour in a market that is experiencing a limited pool of talent across the board. This is compounded by the fact that Rooter360 simply doesn’t operate in the same way as its peers. “Our biggest challenge has always been finding skilled labour; this type of jobs is very specific and needs attention to detail – it takes time and experience. Now, we know that this takes time to provide the training needed before sending them to a job.” Naturally, one of the key pitfalls of being innovative is that most new employees will need to be trained in the techniques that have distinguished Rooter360 from its competitors. But the techniques utilised comprise just a small part of what has differentiated this company from a competitive landscape, as William goes on to discuss.
“We primarily serve single-family homeowners and multifamily projects. Our distinctiveness lies in our end-to-end process, from when we answer the call, our branding, sales process, and installation. Additionally, we offer the strongest warranty in our market.” This customer-centred process helps ensure that Rooter360 sees a significant referral rate through positive word of mouth, as touched on early in the interview.
William continues to talk about how he approaches management. “Running this type of company, I prioritise fairness and employee incentives. As the company wins, so do the employees, ensuring that employee success aligns with company achievements. Every team member plays a pivotal role for the entire process, from initial customer contact to job execution and logistics. I’m a conductor orchestrating an orchestra; I don’t play any specific instrument.”
With this leadership style firmly in place, the future of Rooter360 looks towards expansion, with William hoping to enter promising new markets. Here, he concludes by describing those future plans in more detail. “My plan is to focus on market expansion as we currently cover all of the South Florida and Orlando areas. In 2024, our plan is to get to the Jacksonville and Tampa areas to be able to cover all of the state of Florida. When it comes to summarising my career so far, I’ve been fortunate with many mentors in my professional life. I’ve played important roles in companies that scaled from 5 million to 30 million and from 30 million to 50 million. This is the first time where I started from 0 and I feel confident to continue to grow.”
All things considered, it’s easy to see how William has become a known and influential CEO, with a mission dedicated to providing client-centric services that are, from the outset, different from any other option on the market. With an approach defined by fairness and recognition, he drives his team towards greater success regardless of challenges and industry uncertainty. A well-deserved success by all regards, with a future that is as ambitious as it is achievable. If you need plumbing solutions, look no further than Rooter360.
For business enquiries, contact William Gardner from Rooter360 via email – [email protected] or on their website – rooter360.com
Address: 11511 Interchange Circle South, Miramar, FL 33025
Telephone: 866-843-4738
