Each month, Majestic Kitchen & Bath Creations will feature a profile on an area leader in the residential building industry. This article highlights Scott Byers, President & CEO of Majestic Kitchen & Bath Creations.

The value of hard work and the importance of developing relationships were lessons Scott Byers learned long before he entered the business world – or the building industry.

Growing up in a small town outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Byers was already helping out in his father’s grocery store and running a cash register at an early age. There, he watched his dad work 12 hours a day, seven days a week, and he saw firsthand the power of positive and proactive customer service.

Though that early entry into the business world also inspired him to move beyond the corner shop, those core lessons have remained throughout his career, continuing to guide his leadership as head of Majestic Kitchen & Bath Creations, which offers a wide selection of products for homebuilders in North and South Carolina.

How did you get started in the building industry?

My first real full focus on the building industry was joining Majestic last fall. Prior to my role at Majestic, I was CEO of a technology services company for 10 years. In prior roles, I had oversight of facilities management and large construction projects, so I was not unfamiliar with the industry. But, really, last fall was when it began for me.

What about the industry made you want to continue to progress?

I think there are a lot of great people in the industry. It’s a very collegial kind of industry, with people I find enjoyable to work with.

And I think the industry is going through a lot of change. So, I find it exciting to be part of that change of how we deliver more affordable housing, how we deliver all the new attributes that need to be in a home today with a high degree of service at a cost-effective price. I think Majestic can be on the forefront of helping builders figure out those challenges.

What is the building industry’s biggest challenge?

The biggest challenge is just all the attributes or issues that come into homebuilding today – the ability to acquire lots, the ability to build an affordable home, to be able to find buyers that can afford a home, being credit-worthy and then be able to deliver a product that you can stand behind.

Majestic plays some part in each of those, so our ability to deliver to a valued product at a competitive price that we can service and stand behind is important. Whether it’s a $250,000 home or a $750,000 home, our name is on it and we take the same pride regardless.

Who has inspired you the most?

I always go back to my father. I learned a lot about responsibility at an early age working in our corner store. I just got a lot early exposure to the business and to working with people. Probably at the age of 12, I was running the register and dealing with the public, so I learned a lot there.

From 1962, when he opened, to 1976, he never took a day off. So, the value of hard work was definitely instilled. But it also kind of pushed me to look beyond that and get an education and see what might lay out there for me beyond running a corner store.

I’ve been fortunate to have a lot of great men - tors along the way who have taught me a variety of different things, but it all goes back to what I learned from my dad.

What important lesson have you learned in your career?

How important relationships are, both with colleagues and clients, as well as the people you’re leading.

Really understanding and valuing those relationships is something you probably don’t place as much importance on early on in your career. But as you spend more time growing and developing as a leader, you find out how important those relationships really are.

How do you define leadership?

For me, it’s about setting the vision and culture of an organization, then helping people achieve that. Within that, you have a whole host of things you have to do, and there are good days and tough days and good conversations and tough conversations.

But all that wraps up, to me, as being genuine – being transparent about where we’re going, how we’re going to get there, then helping people achieve it.

What advice would you give to fellow leaders in the building industry?

I think we have to continue to look for ways to bring more automation to the industry to help bring more value into the equation. In our case, for our builder partners, that means bringing more value into all phases of the equation, from the order process all the way through the warranty process post-implementation.

We really have to look at how we can bring overall value to the benefit of the homeowner with the end product and price.

How many employees do you currently have?

We have 350 employees, company-wide. And about a third of our business is in Wilmington.

How many home projects is Majestic involved in?

Company-wide, for 2018, we expect to install more than 12,500 countertops, 20,000 shower enclosures, 5,000 cultured marble vanities and thousands of feet of shelving and door hardware.

For a quarter century, Majestic has offered a wide selection of products for homebuilders, from counter tops, shower enclosures, shelving, door hardware and accessories for kitchens and bathrooms,
in North and South Carolina. Acquisitions just within the last year of many well-established companies – including Builders Glass & Hardware Inc. in Wilmington and similar businesses in Greensboro and Charlotte  – allow Majestic to be the most professional trade partner. Visit www.gomajestic.com or call (910) 762-2252 for more information.