McCall's remains privately held today but has received outside recognition of growth. For instance, within the last two years the company has been recognized by Goodman for 20% sales growth. (McCall's has carried the Goodman line for more than 25 years.)

In both 2007 and 2008, the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce and South Carolina Business magazine, named McCall's one of "Carolina's Top 100" businesses. They were, in fact, in the top 50 both times.

Constance McCall-Baxley, VP of Administration, attributes the company success to "good leadership, past and present." Jim McCall, as well as his son, Jimmy, who also served as president and CEO, passed away in 2005 and 2006 respectively. Since that time, Dairen Jacobs, who has been with McCall's "since day one," has led the company as President and CEO.

For Dairen, unparalleled service has been the key to McCall's achievement. "We may not have the lowest price," he says, "but dealers know that if and when they need something, we can get it to them."

"Others may schedule deliveries once every two weeks, he continues. "We'll deliver twice per day or meet the dealer halfway at 10 PM on a Friday night if that is what it takes to get the job done."


While McCall's has maintained this service reputation for decades, it is a constant mandate in the company culture.

Dairen explains: "When we open a new branch, the only exposure that these dealers have with McCall's is with that branch. They may not know or care about our service reputation elsewhere. So, we train and reinforce this message in virtually all aspects of our business."

Commenting on the current economic situation, Dairen admits that McCall's has seen a slow down over the last several months. "It is a tough market," he says. "Dealers are nervous and irritable. We've also seen a fairly dramatic shift from 'replace' to 'repair.' We have lots of retirees in the areas we serve and they have seen their savings dwindle. As a result, they are much more inclined to repair versus replace."

"We've weathered other storms in the past," Dairen concludes. "And I'm convinced we'll weather this one as well. Yes, we are tightening our belts a bit and trimming excesses. But we've been able to hold onto all our people. And we'll continue to deliver what our customers expect."

McCall's certainly appreciates their customers and that is demonstrated not only in everyday service but in special events. Throughout the month of December, the company held customer appreciation events at each of it's 18 stores. In fact, every business day between December 1st and 23rd was devoted to a branch event which consisted of food, fun, and socializing time.

Up next? A Customer Appreciation Cruise, of course. And it gets underway just as you're stuck in the office reading this newsletter!