Since joining the SCE team in October 2020 as the Division Manager, Tim Coleman hit the road running and hasn’t stopped. With the support of Installed Building Products (IBP), which acquired SCE in January of 2020, Tim has taken on several new projects aimed at expanding customer services including hiring new team members; repairing and updating equipment; purchasing new trucks; increasing inventory; and building out IT and other internal infrastructures.
Tim also keeps busy outside the office. Having had a long career in the closet and organization industry, Tim is involved with the Woodworkers Network. He will be a featured speaker at this year’s Association of Woodworking & Furnishings Suppliers in July. Tim’s conversation will focus on Home Organization & Design in a Post-Pandemic World. Tim will discuss how the past year has highlighted the importance of home and created the necessity for innovative designs for home offices, classrooms, craft rooms, wine cellars, and more.
For the Closets Conference & Expo, Tim has served as a judge for their annual Top Shelf awards and reviewed over 80 entries in the span of a week. The entries ranged from closet systems to wine cellars, garage systems, and other specialty designs. Read more about his experience as a judge in this article he wrote for Closets Magazine.
To get to know Tim a little better, we asked him to share a bit about his history, and why he is so excited to be at SCE.
What were you doing before you joined SCE?
In 1988, I started my own part-time business – Coleman Custom Closets – and ran that for two years before going into the closet business full time in 1990. I grew that business quite successfully, at one point working for almost 250 custom builders as well as homeowners. I sold that company in 2017, stayed on as an employee advisor for a few years, and then took the reins at SCE. I am thrilled to have this opportunity to work with IBP on infusing SCE with new life.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
The day-to-day of the job has been very busy since COVID. With people spending more time at home, we’re helping to reimagine the ways that spaces can be optimized for them, and that’s presented some fun challenges to tackle with our designers and installers at SCE. That never gets boring for me.
Regarding the big picture, the most impactful part of my career has been mentorship. I greatly enjoy the opportunity to mentor people and help them develop their best professional selves. I am very thankful to have inherited a great team at SCE who immediately showed me that they are ready to work and ready to learn.
Looking at your career, what are you most proud of?
I enjoy being able to work quickly and creatively and am proud to use those skills to implement and improve processes at SCE. I also look forward to successfully combining the culture and service of a local mom and pop shop with the professionalism and capacity of a larger organization. While not always easy, it is a challenge that I am proud to develop with the team here. Our employees are honest, compassionate, and dedicated to their work and to the success of the company. So far, this year has gone great and we’re looking forward to continuing to build on that success.
What are the values that drive you at work?
Integrity, honesty, compassion, and positivity are values that drive me at work. I learned many years ago that it is an employer’s job to create a professional and fun environment that people want to work in; one that includes and embodies those values. If I can do that, I find that employees are much more likely to adopt those values. It also creates a domino effect that results in improved employee retention which leads to customer happiness.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I love to spend time with my wife, Shela, and our yellow lab puppy, Bella. I also love to read, cook & dine with friends, Zoom with family, and recently I’ve become obsessed with learning to play chess after binging The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix!
