Business Services
The power of transformation
Bill Fink revamped his business, AWP Inc., and lived to tell about it.
By Abby Cymerman
Smart Business Akron/Canton | October 2007
Survival in today’s competitive market can be tough, and business leaders often find it necessary to change their company’s
vision and mission to achieve success. Bill Fink, the CEO of
Akron-based Area Wide Protective Inc., can relay that business
experience firsthand.
Following a successful career in the insurance industry, Fink
bought a small contract security guard company in 1992, which provided service to Akron-area institutions and businesses. Early on in
this new venture, he realized that he had made a mistake. He learned
that competition in the security industry was fierce, margins were
razor thin, reliable employees were hard to find and liability issues
were monumental.
On the verge of filing bankruptcy in 1995, Fink made an executive decision and changed the focus of the entire company. He dedicated his staff and his finances to establish a temporary traffic
control service for the public utility industry.
Since undergoing that dramatic transformation, AWP and its staff
has become known within its industry for its superior safety procedures and on-time performance on a “24 hours a day, seven days a
week, 365 days a year” basis. The company also provides a complete
inventory of traffic equipment.
Now operating its utility-work-area protection and flagging services in 12 states, AWP’s customer list has expanded to include all
of the major utility companies in its territory — First Energy,
American Electric Power, Verizon, Duke Energy, Dominion
Resources, Columbia Gas and Allegheny Power.
To support its growing list of customers, AWP has increased its
payroll 331 percent, from 139 employees in 2002 to 600 in 2006. As
part of the company’s ongoing commitment to quality, every
employee at AWP goes through a pre-employment drug screening,
motor vehicle and criminal background check. New hires receive
intensive training, both on the job and in the classroom.
Hand in hand with that impressive employee growth, Fink says that
his company’s reputation for excellence has helped drive up revenue at AWP. The company’s dedicated team members have grown
sales from $7.4 million in 2002 to $23.3 million in 2006, and revenue
is expected to increase to $27 million this year.
Using some of this money to reinvest in the Northeast Ohio economy, Fink has purchased over 400 company-owned vehicles from
local car dealerships.
HOW TO REACH: Area Wide Protective Inc., (330) 644-0655
