As a special addition to our member promotion services, the Chamber is now offering a free Featured Member Profile, which will be printed in the Chamber View and posted on the website for a month, then moved into a prominently-placed online archive for the remainder of the year.  To win this free publicity, just drop your business card into the Featured Member Fishbowl at each monthly Networking Mixer and be present for the drawing.  For more information, call the Chamber, 410-719-9609.

Featured Member

December 2009

A “Phenomenal” Venture –
Anytime Electrical Maintenance, Inc., Wins Success the Old Fashioned Way

Just as the Greatest Generation’s values are winning new recognition in this modern recession/war era, Glenn Miller of Anytime Electrical Maintenance, Inc., has been succeeding with classic Big Band-era business principles.

 His six-year-old company has built its clientele the old-fashioned way: ferocious person-to-person networking, creative signage, strategic hard-copy advertising, and a driving devotion to customer satisfaction.

The result? Anytime’s brand-new computer has been sitting in its box in the basement of Mr. Miller’s home office for over a year, awaiting setup; the company website (www.anytimeelectrical.com)  is a cursory online brochure; the sales literature is a single-sided flyer, and all communication is done by phone or fax, as there’s no email yet.  

All this is a testimony to their success: Mr. Miller and his partner Charles Kerins are just too busy making real-time business connections and taking care of their customers.  “We started with a brochure and two cars,” says Mr. Miller with pride. “Now we have two trucks and two vans, and we keep four people busy every day.”

“They’re phenomenal,” says his fiancée, office manager/secretary Karen McConville. “I’ve been in customer service for 23 years, and these guys really impress me. They kept all their employees busy last year during the Christmas holidays – as bad as last year was – and they’ll be doing it again this year. For a small business in these economic times, that’s phenomenal.”

With commercial construction projects down, the company is living on loyal customers’ referrals, she adds, with jobs that range “from fixing a switch to rewiring a church.” While Mr. Kerins coordinates projects in the field, Mr. Miller does the marketing legwork.

“He’s out there from Dawn:30 to Dark:30, dropping off cards, giving discounts to customers who let us put a sign on their property, putting ads in the local papers, going to Chamber events. The best thing we ever did was join the Chamber,” says Ms. McConville, adding with a grin,”there’s not a whole lot we don’t do in Catonsville!”

That passionate customer focus shows up in the field also, where Mr. Kerins - Mr. Miller’s protégé – runs a tight, disciplined operation. “Our guys are on time,” says Mr. Miller,”or if they can’t avoid being late, they’ll call to tell the customer. If they’re late, they give the customer a discount.” Customers (like this writer) attest to the truth of his statement.

They win referrals for the 24/7 phone access; the speed and thoroughness of the work; the cleanliness of the site after the work is done; the concern for responding to customer issues, and the fairness of the job pricing (“If I give a price for a job, I won’t change it – except to reduce it,” says Mr. Miller). They’ve been known to go out on Sunday after church to handle emergencies or prevent customers from missing a day of work.

Mr. Miller began with Bray Electric in 1979 after graduating from Mount St. Joe, then took a job with the Fire Department. His electrical work continued in side jobs, however, where he took successive positions with a series of companies. When times got tough, he recalls, “I’d say, ‘Lay me off, not the other guy – I have my work with the Fire Department. ‘ And I learned how other companies worked.”

Anytime Electrical Maintenance, Inc., began as a side job with Mr. Kerins, and took off. Mr. Miller finally left the Fire Department after  years of service to devote his time completely to the blossoming family business.  Solidly established after only half a dozen years, he says, “I’ve been blessed. I want to share the blessing.”

Their company’s message to the community is simple, he adds: “No job’s too small. We’re here – call us anytime at 410-905-7354.”

 Past Featured Members