No doubt, 2020 was a challenging year. Which is why we wanted to take a moment to say thank you for giving us the opportunity to partner with you on your construction and facilities maintenance needs. We’re honored and felt it important to share some of our major milestones from 2020, demonstrating that through strong relationships and cooperation—our team and yours can persevere.
You may have heard us say once or twice that we focus on People, Process, and Technology. That commitment has never been truer than now, and it resulted in some major benchmarks for Powerhouse in 2020. Last year we expanded our service offerings, grew existing relationships, and onboarded new clients all while touching over 125,000 locations. This occurred even as we welcomed our newly acquired company in the banking and finance sector, Security Vault Works.
With respect to People — despite circumstances, we are proud to reveal that we were able to quickly rebound and even grew teams. From the start of the pandemic through the end of the year, we grew our headcount by 30%. We continued to elevate female leaders in our industry, most recently with the hire of our new CFO Dianna MacDonald.
Regarding Process and Technology — to ensure the effective completion of our customers’ projects, we leveraged best practices to streamline customer project support across all business lines. Smart technology dashboards provided you with what we trust was valuable insight regarding project status, inventory management, ticket status, and more.
Given Powerhouse originally built our company on essential businesses, we continued to strive forward supporting those essential businesses throughout the pandemic. We were able to empower our staff of at the time, over 650 employees to work remotely within 5 days. This orchestrated effort ensured business continuity and uninterrupted customer service. We did not miss a beat, offered unapparelled services, and we were able to exceed expectations through this challenging time.
Taking it even further, advanced solutions such as our 360° survey tool and virtual communication platforms, enabled us to meet critical mission milestones – such as installing 75,000 sneeze guards in just a few weeks – without compromising you and your teams, or COVID-19 guidelines. We expanded our capabilities and knowledge to include specific COVID-19 prevention and remediation services, certifying staff in COVID-19 response strategies through ISSA as well as partnering with Allie BioScience to position Powerhouse as the first national partner to bring SurfaceWise®2 within 2021 – the only EPA approved surface coating that protects against the virus for 90 days with a single application.
There is so much more that we were humbled by throughout 2020. But nothing is as important to our company and our values than giving back, which is why we continued to support our communities. Our employees continued to support our annual Angel Tree program. Through the Powerhouse Foundation we gifted more than 1,320 children with presents this holiday season. In lieu of holiday gifting to clients this year, we donated on your behalf to the following charities: Wounded Warriors Foundation, St. Jude Children’s Hospital Foundation, and Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
None of this would have been possible without you. Looking forward, we are excited for the year to come, where you will again be an integral part of our continued success. We thank you for your continued partnership and wish you a healthy, safe and successful new year!
Your Powerhouse Team