A popular term in the business world nowadays is “culture.” Businesses want to establish their culture, build their culture and show others their culture. And of course, culture’s all about marketing what matters to you, so others want to buy from you. But at Neemann & Sons, culture’s a bit different. It’s not something they sat down and argued about, or fiddled over or even took down notes. The culture began way back in 1981, when Terry started Terry Neemann Roofing, right here in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Since then, they’ve added a few members onto the team… both on the business side and the personal side. Terry’s wife Chris came on, mostly to keep Terry in line. When they had their sons, they added on three more team members. These days, Trevor operates the commercial roofing; Travis is project manager for residential roofing and Trent manages the gutter division. Soon, they became a family-owned and operated business. Their culture was expanding.
Things started out simple at first. They ran most of the work themselves as a family. They didn’t have much experience with an online presence, marketing or “establishing a culture,” but that didn’t seem to make a difference. With the quality of work they put in, the effort they made and personal connections, Neemann & Sons grew simply through word of mouth. The culture wasn’t something they had to establish. It was just them. The values instilled in the family were the same exact ones used in growing the company. They focused on implanting work-ethic, pride and trust in their efforts, and soon enough it seeped into the culture. But, they soon realized they had grown so big that they couldn’t stay where they were. They had to expand.
Insert: JL Exteriors. JL Exteriors had been around since 2002, but Neemann & Sons had known the owner, Lance Roach, for at least 20 years. The company focused on siding and windows, which they knew would be a great asset to the work at Neemann & Sons. Even though they’ve done siding and exteriors for years, Lance had the expertise necessary to grow the team. So in September, 2018, Neemann & Sons officially acquired JL Exteriors. Both Lance and his office manager Kylie Dedick joined the team in full-time positions. These days, it’s challenging to find hard-working employees in the construction field, so they knew the team from JL Exteriors would make a great fit.
With more resources, man power and Lance running the siding crews, Neemann & Sons can now expand into specialized areas—everything exterior imaginable for both residential and commercial. This includes roofing, gutters, siding, windows and more. Not only is this a huge step for the company, but it’s an even bigger step for the community. Now, anyone in the area can come to Neemann & Sons for their exterior needs, and walk away satisfied with the project. With a local business, the Lincoln community knows exactly what to expect and can trust in a job well done every single time.
This was the biggest reason Neemann & Sons chose to add JL Exteriors—they knew it would be a good culture fit. And not the “poster board on a wall” type of culture, either, but the real, valuable, in-the-bones culture. This type of culture values work ethic. Neemann & Sons expects team members to have work ethic that doesn’t quit until the job is done, and done perfectly. They want the team to compete to be the best, work hard and communicate well. This puts pride, care and quality into every single project. They don’t want to simply put in the hours and walk away with extra energy; Neemann & Sons wants to leave it all out there until the customer is happy. JL Exteriors held these same values, which is why Neemann & Sons wanted them on the team.
These values keep customers coming back because they trust Neemann & Sons’ credibility. They aren’t here to make a quick buck and leave shortly after. No, they want to make an impact on the community they love. Nowadays, too many outside roofing companies say they’re local, when in fact they’re really not. Neemann & Sons started in Lincoln, work in Lincoln, care about Lincoln and plan to stay in Lincoln. Customers trust them because they’re with them every step of the way, building the community one project at a time.
As things have grown, the company has definitely had to adjust a bit. Times are changing and businesses must adapt, both through acquisitions and technology. They’re proud of the word of mouth business they’ve gained and the loyal customers they know, but they want to share more of their efforts with the online community. So, they’ve upped their digital game. Terry even got his first email address last year! But even with new employees, resources and changes, they still hold true to the values that started Neemann & Sons—the values that run their family.
Neemann & Sons is excited to welcome the JL Exteriors team into the family. They know they’ll make a great fit with their work, expertise and values. For now, they’re ready to get things going and see what happens. No matter what comes next, one thing’s for sure: with their culture in place, there’s no stopping them.
