CELEBRATING OUR 50TH ANNIVERSARY
YESTERDAY, TODAY, TOMORROW. A TRADITION OF QUALITY
Back in the old days, parents founded businesses based on passion, integrity and hard work. Children watched, learned and later took over those businesses, leading them to new levels of success by combining fresh perspectives with old-school values. That doesn’t seem to happen much anymore in an era where high-tech jobs that didn’t exist a generation ago are luring young people away from grass-roots family enterprises.
But it happened in Jacksonville, with a company that for 50 years has provided a service that’s all about families: the building and remodeling of homes.
Tom Trout Inc., founded in 1962 by Tom Trout Jr. and today led by his son, Tom Trout III, is a Jacksonville institution and one of the oldest family owned building contractors in the region.
It’s also among the best-known and most respected companies in an industry where dozens if not hundreds of competitors have come and gone.
“I started working for my dad when I was a teenager, in the summers,” recalls Trout III, who officially joined the family business as a project manager in 1980 and earned his contractor’s license three years later. “I became very familiar with a shovel.”
Today he’s not only president of Tom Trout Inc. but also an acknowledged leader in the remodeling industry. This year, he’s serving his second stint as chairman of the Remodelers Council of the Northeast Florida Builders Association.
The council’s goal is to elevate professionalism in the industry through educational programs and to raise public awareness about the importance of hiring credentialed experts.
“If you call yourself a professional, you have an obligation to give back to the industry,” says Trout III, whose company was for years the only remodeler in Northeast Florida that took a truly professional approach to the trade.
Indeed, when Tom Trout Inc. was founded, remodeling was considered a stepchild to new construction. There was little or no code enforcement and many so-called remodelers were unlicensed handymen who performed substandard work.
Through its success, Tom Trout Inc. helped to change that. “My dad instilled in me the importance of your name, your integrity and your reputation,” says Trout III. “That’s what this company is based on.”
So, the guiding principles at Tom Trout Inc. today are the same as they were a half-century ago: a focus on quality, a team approach, attention to detail, hands-on site supervision, use of specialized craftspeople, adherence to budgets and deadlines and, perhaps most important, constant client communication.
A full-service remodeler that has successfully completed literally thousands of projects, Tom Trout Inc. offers whole-house remodels, residential additions, and historic-home renovations. It also builds custom homes and handles selected light commercial projects.
“We’re not simply order takers,” says Trout III. “We constantly look for ways to please our clients and to enhance the quality of their lives. That’s what motivates and inspires us every day.”
Clearly, Tom Trout Inc. takes pride in its award-wining work. But sometimes, to prevent clients from over-investing in their homes, the company has suggested scaling back or even canceling projects.
“We feel that giving honest advice is more important than monetary gain,” says Trout III. “That approach earns respect and friendship. Many long-term relationships were started that way.”
It’s a tested and effective business philosophy. Says Trout III: “We understand that even if we take a small job, it’s just as important as anything else we do.”
Given its multigenerational culture of client satisfaction, it’s no surprise that more than 90 percent of Tom Trout Inc.’s business comes from referrals.
A HOMEGROWN INSTITUTION
As a young man, Tom Trout Jr., 85, worked for his grandfather, George Trout, who owned a three-story hardware store in Jacksonville. “That store had a reputation,” recalls Trout Jr. “If you couldn’t find what you wanted anywhere else, you could find it there.”
Trout Jr. earned $1 a day and enjoyed working the sales floor and interacting with customers. He also learned about the nuts and bolts — literally and figuratively — of the hardware business, and the importance of hard work and long hours.
World War II was raging when Trout Jr. graduated from Landon High School in 1945. He joined the Navy but fell ill with scarlet fever following boot camp and was still being treated when the war ended.
Upon his discharge he enrolled in Stetson University and later Florida Southern College, where he earned a degree in business administration.
Back in Jacksonville, he worked in sales for a bottled gas company before opening his own business, the Duval Appliance Company. The firm, which sold GE appliances, soon grew to encompass five stores and a large warehouse.
Trout Jr. sold the business in the late 1950s and decided to start a construction company. He knew relatively little about construction, and with a wife and three young children to support, he was clearly taking a risk.
Still, Trout Jr. invested $5,000 of his own money and hired the best contractor he knew, Wilbur Jarvis, as the fledgling company's construction manager. Trout Jr. handled sales while Jarvis prepared bids and supervised projects.
Trout Jr. learned from the highly skilled Jarvis, whom he considered to be as much a mentor as an employee. A contractor named Eddie Crosby, an old-school craftsman cut from the same cloth as Jarvis, came aboard shortly thereafter.
"Customers totally accepted him and believed in him," Trout Jr. says. "He was a real asset in bringing us referrals from his old customers."
Jarvis would work for Tom Trout Inc. for 25 years while Crosby put in 40 years with the company. The trio set out to revolutionize the local remodeling business by treating it as a profession, and by making customer satisfaction their top priority.
Instead of maximizing their profits by doing jobs quickly and cheaply, Tom Trout Inc. delivered top-notch work and believed that a reputation for quality would be the key to long-term success.
For the time, it was a novel approach.
“Unfortunately, the remodeling business had a very bad reputation in Jacksonville” says Trout Jr., adding that regulations were lax and that most remodelers didn’t bother with building permits. “I figured I would do the opposite. I permitted my jobs and made sure that our clients got quality work for a fair price.”
Tom Trout Inc. started out doing small jobs. But as the company’s profile grew, it began snaring increasingly larger assignments, including major additions on high-end homes.
Trout Jr. then decided to apply the company’s uncompromising approach to custom and spec homes. But, at first, customers gravitated to cheaper homes built to minimum standards.
“Our philosophy of quality was never appreciated until later, when our homes stood the test of time while others built cheaply began to have problems,” says Trout Jr.
In 1976, Trout Jr. was named the Southeast’s Contractor of the Year by the Remodelers Council of the National Association of Home Builders. In 1996, he was featured on the cover of Qualified Remodeler's Big 50 Hall of Fame issue and was a speaker at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Annual Convention and Exposition in Houston.
When his son came aboard, Trout Jr. was able to gradually cut back on day to day involvement, finally retiring in the mid-1990s. He and Joan, his wife of 56 years, began spending more time sailing, which had become their shared passion.
They spent weekends and vacations on their boat, enjoying both short trips and more extensive island-hopping expeditions.
“Sailing really changed our lives in a very positive way,” Trout Jr. says. “We learned the art of communication. While sailing, we had only each other for long periods of time. In many cases we depended on each other for our lives.”
While relaxing on the water, Trout Jr. could look back on a career packed with accomplishments, not the least of which was improving the lives of countless families who relied on the company he founded to make their homes more beautiful, comfortable and efficient.
BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE
Trout III didn’t join the family business right away. He attended the University of North Florida and worked for a local engineering company. “I knew I’d eventually come back,” he says. “In 1980, I knew it was time.”
The younger Trout brought enthusiasm and new ideas to the job. But he also brought memories of working alongside longtime Tom Trout Inc. employees who took such pride in their work. The core values they exemplified couldn’t change, he realized.
“There’s a real human side to this business,” says Trout III. “A remodeling project really disrupts a client’s lifestyle. Our employees are aware at all times that they’re working in someone’s home, and are courteous and sensitive to that fact.”
Trout III led the company through unprecedented growth, quadrupling its volume and taking on increasingly elaborate assignments. And he was equally effective during the downturn.
“We were very conservative and didn’t overextend ourselves,” Trout III says. “That allowed us to poise ourselves for the future.”
Now, as the economy improves, Tom Trout Inc. remains in its accustomed position at or near the top of Northeast Florida’s remodeling industry.
The company is a design-build firm, meaning its services encompass every aspect of the remodeling process, from planning and design through permitting, construction and final inspection. Single-source accountability ensures that each project progresses in a timely fashion and is completed on time and within budget.
Tom Trout Inc. continues to delight clients in Jacksonville’s historic neighborhoods and gated communities as well as along the region’s lakes and waterways. The company has special expertise in coastal construction, including Department of Environmental Protection Permitting.
Custom homes, mostly in the $400,000 to $2 million price range, remain in the company’s portfolio. But the vast majority of its work is remodeling, which Trout III insists is a discipline that requires a particular set of skills.
“We are an ultra-custom builder,” says Trout III. “We don’t use the services of production subcontractors and vendors. We carefully select the products and resources that best represent the Tom Trout Inc. name.”
The company's approach involves detailed planning and ongoing documentation. Unexpected costs are avoided through strict internal procedures and careful preparation before the project begins.
Although running a successful remodeling company consumes virtually every waking hour, Trout III remains an avid outdoorsman and is active in his church, the Christian Family Chapel. The Golden Rule provides the basis for his philosophy of business and life.
Trout III has three adult children: Two daughters, Austin and Holly, are UNF students. Son Tommy is a chief petty officer in the Navy.
Carrying on a cherished family tradition is rewarding, Trout III says, but rewards can come in many forms: “The acknowledgment that clients trust us means more to me than anything else,” he notes. “But trust isn’t a right. You have to earn it.”
MUCH HAS CHANGED IN 50 YEARS, BUT OUR CORE VALUES REMAIN.
Greetings to all of our clients, friends and trade partners. It’s hard to believe that we’re celebrating our 50th year. My dad founded the company in 1962 and I came on board in 1980. Of course we’ve been through some ups and downs. But unlike so many of our competitors, we’re still here — and stronger than ever.
Tom Trout Inc. is more than a business to me. It’s a family legacy, and I’m honored and blessed to be carrying it forward.
A lot has changed in our community, and our country, over the past half-century. When we first opened our doors, Hans Tanzler was Jacksonville’s mayor. Our current mayor, Alvin Brown, is the ninth chief executive since that time. The Hart, Buckman and Dames Point bridges hadn’t yet been built.
Nationally, John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev waited to see who would blink first during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in a single NBA game. And Johnny Carson took over hosting duties for The Tonight Show.
It was a risky time to hire a remodeler. In Jacksonville, building regulations were lax and most remodeling projects weren’t permitted or inspected. Fly-by-nighters were everywhere. However, we decided from the very outset that we were going to take a professional approach, and create a company based on quality and customer satisfaction. I like to think that our philosophy, and our success, helped change the entire industry.
But Tom Trout Inc. isn’t all about nostalgia. What we accomplished 30, 40 or 50 years ago wouldn’t matter today if we hadn’t maintained our leadership position and kept up with changing times and technologies. Although we’re one of the oldest family owned contractors in Northeast Florida, we’re also among the most leading edge. In addition to custom-home building, whole-house remodels and additions, we’re experts on green building, aging in place and universal design.
We’ve mastered processes and procedures that ensure top-quality work, completed on time and on budget. We’ve assembled the best trade partners in the business. And we’ve cultivated a network of hundreds upon hundreds of satisfied customers who recommend us to their friends.
In other ways, though, we're unapologetically old-fashioned. For example, we won't compromise on quality or service. We believe in personal relationships and constant communication with our clients. And we're convinced that honesty and integrity still matter.
At Tom Trout Inc., we're all about "team." We've worked with the best of the best, both trade partners and employees, over the past 50 years. We couldn't have reached this milestone without them.
Finally, I'd like to say what a privilege it is to do business in Northeast Florida. I was born and raised here and wouldn't want to live anywhere else.
I cherish our natural resources and enjoy our rivers, creeks and lakes as well as our proximity to the ocean. It's a great place for hunting, fishing, boating and camping, all of which I enjoy.
Maybe that's one reason I love my work so much. I get to help people who appreciate the area as much as I do put down roots and establish their own family traditions.
So please accept the heartfelt thanks of the entire Trout family for making all this possible. We look forward to another 50 years.
Most sincerely,
Tom Trout III
President
5569 Bowden Rd., Jacksonville, FL 32216
Office: (904) 737-5412
Fax: (904) 737-1044
customhomebuilders@tomtroutinc.com
tomtroutinc.com
