Commercial Integrator August 2022 - 34

INTEGRATOR PROFILE Texadia Systems
ly encourages employee to learn, attend
trainings, attain CTS certification and apply
those skills to their work.
More than anything, Texadia Systems is
looking for people who are motivated. " [Being]
green doesn't bother us, " Payne says.
" If you have the right attitude and want to do
something with your life, then Texadia is a
place that you can have an opportunity. "
Burke adds, " You don't know where your
Texadia Systems has a true passion for service. Part of the integrator's ethos is taking
care of its people and giving back to the community.
Service Agreements
Since the start of the pandemic, Burke says
the business " ...hasn't grown, but has been
able to sustain. " As noted in CI's " State of
the Industry " report, hardware margins are
going down. " [The] internet is a killer; DIY is
a killer, " Burke adds.
However, one thing that Texadia Systems
has learned to do very well is handle cash,
and service is a major part of that.
" Service agreements are a big revenue
generator, " Burke notes. Between 4% and
7% of company revenues are dependent on
service agreements, which he anticipates
seeing continued growth in.
" Services are a huge deal for us and a big
differentiator with how we treat our clients, "
Payne declares. " The maintenance and service
agreements are extremely profitable. "
However, she cautions they can also be extremely
time consuming. " We've got a lot of
clients that may need us tomorrow morning
at 6:30am, and we'll be there, " she affirms.
Texadia Systems' Advantages
Being a smaller integration firm has its advantages.
" I'm faster, more nimble and quicker
to make decisions, " Burke says. " I don't need
seven people to go through to get a decision
made [on a project]. "
" Due to our service offerings, the customer
doesn't have to call three or four different
vendors to get it all done, " Payne chimes in.
Burke recognizes Texadia Systems as the
fully capable design-build-service integration
firm that is. Thus, he is sometimes
hesitant to embrace bid work, which, he
34
argues, means that integrators are judged
by a piece of paper. " We don't get access
to the clients usually, " he observes, " and
it's not the best process for integrators. But
[it's] part of the business process. "
" If I'm a good enough salesperson, and
I get to the client ahead of the consultant, I
think I can win that, " Burke says, comparing it
to going to the doctor and then having to see
another doctor to fix the problem.
" I don't need three people in the process, "
he declares. " I want direct communication
to the client. " Indeed, Texadia
Systems prefers to have long-term, tight-knit
relationships with its clients.
" [We] work on multi-million-dollar projects
for the biggest hospital system in north
Texas, " Burke says. " I don't like having a
consultant tell me how to design a conference
room. It's not that it's a waste of money
- it's a waste of time. " He continues, " It's a
bad process that somehow got sold into the
industry and has been accepted. "
Building a Career
" The successful businesses are the ones
that are going to take care of their people, "
Payne says. " We want to give everybody
an opportunity to get to some place where
they can be successful. " Many people within
Texadia Systems have started in one role,
and, now, they're taking on new roles and
new challenges.
Every new hire receives an offer letter
and a goal letter. The letters show how the
new hire will be financially rewarded at
Texadia Systems. The company also strongCommercial
Integrator AUGUST 2022
next talent is going to come from. It could
be a grocery store clerk, a single parent or
even a knock at the front door from someone
interested in your company. "
" [Our employees] want to learn, " Burke
continues, with evident pride. " They love
what they do. It's really rewarding. It makes
us look better, and [it] helps us be more successful.
And [they] appreciate it, as well. "
Burke adds that, if growth is important
to you and you want to develop yourself,
then Texadia Systems is a great company to
consider working for. " We spend a lot on
training, and it's important to us, " he declares.
Payne agrees, saying, " Everybody
touts quality, integrity [and] teamwork. But
if you want to do business with a company
that truly embraces and builds people up
- empowers people - then we're a great
company to work with. "
Payne cites an employee who started in
the warehouse and who worked his way
up to the accounts payable department.
" We're giving him an opportunity, " she
says. " We're sending him to do some
schooling and to do something that he
wouldn't normally do if he worked in the
warehouse at another company.... "
As you can tell, Texadia Systems takes
great pride in investing in its employees. " If
you take care of your people, they're going
to stay with you, " Payne declares. And Texadia
Systems proves it, with its team members'
company loyalty and their shared belief in a
common mission.
With the Great Resignation taking place
across all industries, Payne says, " I think
it's on the company that's investing in each
employee to look at itself. If that happened
[here], we would look at ourselves and
ask, 'Where did we go wrong in not giving
them the right responsibility or taking care
of them?' "
During the interview, Burke and Payne
mention a few " rubber-band employees, " a
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Commercial Integrator August 2022

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