My name is Billy Caldwell. I was born and raised in Memphis Tennessee and grew up just off of the University of Memphis campus. I graduated from Messick High School in 1974. My high school sweetheart (Gwen) and I were married in 1976. We have been married for 40 years. We have 2 sons Grant and Bart. Bart is my partner in the business. He is our youngest.
I was employed as an Air Traffic Controller from 1987 until 2012 with a mandatory retirement age of 56, which seemed like a good idea until I reached 56. The last 10 years I was a crew manager.
This experience has given me the skill set to manage projects. Bart, who went to Briarcrest High School was living in Cleveland Tennessee attending Chattanooga Tech and became a welder. He worked his way through school as a white-water raft guide on the Ocoee River, and in his off time, rock climbing, kayaking and fly fishing. He worked as a welder for 2 years for a machine fabrication company.
In Summer of 2012, after I retired, Bart expressed interest in returning home to find work as a welder here. We decided that we could start a business in the trades since he was taught how to read plans, hold to schedules and that quality was of the utmost importance. I had experience as a scheduler and a time manager. There was still more to learn though.
When considering our potential, we looked for an opportunity to provide a different option, focusing on customer service and quality. Many people in the Memphis area had not had favorable experiences dealing with pressure washing companies. This, we felt, was an excellent opportunity to be different and offer customers a positive experience. Where service and quality was of the greatest importance.
Finding quality pressure washing companies that were willing to change the way things were to be done became our biggest obstacle. We decided to hire based on character instead of experience. We found people that were willing to do things a certain way, where attention to detail came first. “If you do it right the first time, you don’t have to do it again.” That is why our customer ratings are so high. You can teach people to pressure wash. It’s difficult to teach character.
Then our customer base began to build. We won awards from Angie’s List and Home Advisor as well as an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.
It has been a positive growing experience. A large part of our business has become repeat customers and referrals. We will continue our focus on customer service and quality and continue to warranty our work. We are looking forward to building our own brand and establishing a family legacy.
We offer what few pressure washing companies in the Memphis area do. We focus on the customer’s opinion of us, and not the customer’s check.