This Local Entrepreneur Started His Company with a Single Truck. Nearly 40 Years Later, His Business Has Grown.
by James Coulter
Gator Giles started his company, Gator Pressure Cleaning, in 1986. He started with one truck. Now, nearly 40 years later, not only does he have a fleet of trucks driving across America, but his business also offers more than simply pressure cleaning.
While Gator Pressure Cleaning, true to its name, offers pressure washing, it also offers plenty of other services including custom painting, solar, roofing, and HVAC (heating & cooling) services.
Prior to opening his business in 1986, he had gained experience in the field by working at his father’s company.
Gator became so good at his job that he decided to start his own company. It all began with a single job and by working a few odd jobs here and there, his success and fame preceded him, and his business grew to expand into other services he found his customers were in need of.
The first additional service he added was painting. Why? Because much of his feedback from customers inquired about it.
“When I started the company, they [my customers] asked me if I was painting,” he said. “They were like, why not start a painting company to go along with pressure washing. I was asked that many times. So, I took them up on it.”
Therefore, he included his painting services a few years later. And now, several decades later, he has trucks traveling across America to states like Texas, Oklahoma, and Tennessee for painting jobs. Last year alone, they painted 47 properties in Texas. Now, they have jobs waiting for them in Alabama and Tennessee.
“We have been successful and very blessed,” he said. “We are painting several jobs every day.”
Other services include roofing, both residential and commercial, solar panels, and HVAC. However, even many of his most loyal customers do not realize that he has more to offer than pressure cleaning. The fact he offers so much more amazes them, he said.
“The only thing we do not is electrical or plumbing,” Giles quipped.
“I listened to what my customers needed,” he said. “Also, I always tell my people to make every customer feel special. When you do that, you cannot help but grow the company.”
One way his company goes out of their way to make their customers feel special starts with the phone. When customers call, they can expect to speak to a live person and not just an automated voicemail system.
“In this day and age, for someone to pick up a telephone, you get a real person who answers the phone and will direct your call where it needs to be,” Giles said. “We respond to every single call or complaint.
Perhaps the most important factor towards his success has been his employees. After all, a company is nothing without its workers. And Gator treats his like family.
“I reinvested in people and that is what actually builds your company. You need a good team around you,” he said. “Some of my employees have been with me for over 24 years. Solongevity and keeping the same employees and having a familylike atmosphere builds success & pride in us all.
Gator Giles considers himself fortunate to have been able to start his own business and expand it as large as it has become. He has high expectations for the future moving forward, and he expects his business to continue to grow into the future.
“I am blessed to have great people working with me and fortunate to of started my business in 1986 as a young and eagerman. I grew up here and I surround myself with good people and employees who take pride in their work.”
