06/15/2004
Craig Myers' entrepreneurship was born out of a desire for a change.
For 20 years he worked as a fleet mechanic for U-Haul and UPS at night, soliciting projects he could work on during the day out of his home. Eventually, however, the itch to get away from the house -- and to spend his off-hours doing something different than the automotive field -- spurred Myers and his brother-in-law to start their own business.
Myers had always been interested in building things, and the partners figured building fences and decks would satisfy the yen to build while taking them to a variety of worksites -- during the day.
In 1996, they opened A+ Quality Fence and Deck, which constructs all manner of fences and decks.
"It was tough to get established," Myers concedes. "For the first three or four years, we just barely broke even, and I was still working at UPS full time at night."
But the partners were committed to working hard and providing professional service, and they soon built a reputation as solid as their woodwork.
"The biggest thing for us was doing quality work, showing up on time and keeping our word to our customers," he says. "Once you get good customers who are happy with the job you did, your name gets out and it helps build business."
Today Myers is the sole owner of the business, which employs 15 people. He joined NFIB almost two years ago.
"I realized the need to protect small business," he says. "Through NFIB, we gain strength in numbers. It gives us more of a voice."
Myers says the key small-business issues affecting him are those pertaining to workers' compensation, taxation, insurance costs and government regulation of business. Being allied with NFIB, which fights on the behalf of small-business owners, takes some of the pressure off him and lets him keep his focus on running his business.
"We built this company wanting to provide good work for our customers," Myers notes. "I'm not out on job sites anymore, and I get great satisfaction from seeing things accomplished in a way that's consistent with our mission. Hearing customers say they got good service and that we did a good job gives me a really great feeling."
