Fiducial | We help your business grow and be profitable.

Click here to download this testimonial as a .pdf document.

In baseball when the manager needs to bring in a relief pitcher to protect the team’s advantage he calls for the bullpen ace known as the closer. Similarly, when Doug and Brenda Dodd of Protech Communications, Inc. need a go-to expert for business advice they call on “Mr. Invaluable,” also known as Fiducial franchisee Joe Gecinger in Burlington, NC.

Back in October 1985 the Dodd’s launched Protech, a start-up telephone repair and refurbishing company. It wasn’t long before the enterprise had outgrown the local CPA who admitted he wasn’t the one to help them get to the next level. The CPA did, however, have a good idea of what kind of professional could help the Dodd’s take their business further and he referred them to Gecinger.

When they first met Gecinger back in 1988, Brenda noted that “we just clicked.” They knew instinctively that he was the expert that would advance their cause.

“Joe made us feel he could do the job that needed to be done,” said Brenda. “He just presents himself with a spirit of authority. We had a new friend, so to speak.”

It soon became clear to the Dodd’s that Gecinger would take on an active role in helping them make sound decisions for their business.

“He doesn’t mind asking those hard questions,” Brenda said. “He’s involved in the business on a day-to-day basis. He knows what we ship everyday and when we get new customers. He’s very involved in the business and he’s also on our board of directors.”

Protech now works for a number of Fortune 500 clients and built a 35,000 square-foot manufacturing facility at a cost of $1.8 million. Brenda has become very active in the business which was voted by Inc. magazine as one of the top 300 small businesses in the U.S. Protech has also been recognized by the Women Business Enterprise National Council as one of the most successful women-owned businesses in the country.

Gecinger was in on the original decision to build the manufacturing facility which now showcases the flow of the company’s products so potential customers can get a bird’s-eye view of the process.

Keeping a tight rein on inventory

Doug admitted that the telecommunications industry is becoming more competitive and as a result, “margins are not what they used to be.” That’s another reason why the Dodd’s rely on Gecinger for his sound advice to help get the most out of their operation which includes keeping a tight rein on inventory management.

“Joe’s involved with anything you can think of that has to do with margins,” Doug said. “None of us can do anything about the marketplace so it’s up to us to make as much as we can.”

Protech’s rise in telecom circles didn’t happen overnight but has been a gradual climb. Still, with Gecinger’s assistance they have taken the business to another level. In 1993 when they applied for certification with the International Organization for Standarization (ISO), they “kicked it up a notch,” according to Doug.

A year later, the business was transferred over to Brenda as a woman-owned business which helped Protech open even more doors. She recalled that was a difficult process to go through.

“We are nationally certified but you have to prove you’re active in the business and not just a figurehead,” she said.

Even very successful ventures experience a setback from time to time and such was the case with Protech. This involved a drop in product from one of their biggest clients. Gecinger was called in and proposed that they could adopt some cost-cutting measures and revise some of their loan situations to maintain the company’s good credit standing.

“And that’s exactly what happened,” Brenda said.

Positioned for future growth

Protech has come a long way from their modest beginnings just in terms of payroll. They had four employees when they started but now operate with a staff of 50.

Not only is the company prospering but it’s located in an area between Raleigh and Greensboro, the Piedmont Region, that’s growing steadily.

“We have a lot of housing developments being built and the schools are bursting at the seams,” she said.

To position itself for continued growth, Protech does not hesitate to call on Gecinger when his expertise is needed.

“Joe has integrity—you don’t have to worry,” Brenda said. “If he says something that’s the way it is. Whatever you tell Joe stays with Joe which is very important.”

With more customers becoming interested in Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), the future appears even brighter for Protech expanding into this technology that allows you to make telephone calls using a broadband Internet connection instead of a regular (or analog) phone line. The average cost for VoIP is about $500 now but Doug thinks it’s “going to catch on more.”

Every business has to manage keeping one eye focused on the future and Protech is no exception. The Dodd’s son, Jonathan Evans, serves as director of asset management accounts and is on the board of directors. Once again, they wanted to get Gecinger involved in the mix.

“We are in the process of developing a succession plan with Joe,” Doug said.