NSM’s Bill Mixon: Reinventing the Business of CRT

“We’ve got to constantly evolve,” Mixon explained. “Organizations have to engage in continuous improvement to continue to be successful over time. It’s been a fantastic 30-year run. We’ve served over 2.4 million clients. Over half of those have been in the last five to six years. And in another five to six years, that number will be almost doubled.

“We have got to constantly try to adapt and change and listen. And, in the context of ‘what got us here won’t get us there,’ we embrace continuous improvement, and that will over time make us a better company. If you’re not adapting and changing, you’re probably going backwards.”

Mixon said NSM will embrace new technologies, business efficiencies, and workplace models, such as recruiting part-time employees. “The tools and the systems and the technologies that we have today in the business that we serve our clients with, many did not exist in the business six, seven, eight years ago. And they allow us to be a better provider of the services we provide. They allow us to be a better employer, and we have to constantly rethink how we can be best in class. It’s a constant quest for continuous improvement.

“We have several people in [our] business who specialize in what we refer to as operational excellence. And their job really is to identify opportunities for improvement in the business, people process and technology, and help us investigate those opportunities. If we believe in the opportunity, we invest in it, and then we follow it through to fruition. We have a team of professionals that do nothing but focus on continuous improvement inside of the business.”

In the immediate future, Mixon acknowledged the strain that the pandemic continues to put on CRT: “Supply chain has been a real issue for the industry. But I think we feel very positive about our strategy, the mission of the business, our people and our teams and the growth that we’ve enjoyed even during the pandemic.

“I think we’ve weathered the storm well. We’re bigger and stronger than we’ve ever been. We’re up to 197 locations in North America, including 23 locations in Canada, and we continue to expand in areas where clients need better access to mobility solutions. Our home access division is also growing, and we expect to be in 1,000 Home Depot stores by the end of 2022. Our teams are strong, and we have good alignment in the business, and we’ve learned. We’re taking the best of what the pandemic has taught us to adapt and reinvent the business.”