TAM Services Inc. was formed by the late Charles M. "Mike" Millstid in 2008. Originally, the company rented blasting and painting equipment, but within a few years, it began offering industrial painting services to the midstream market. In March 2017, Millstid hired Pedro Garcia, who brought a few key customers with him, doubling the size of TAM Services. Then, in April 2019, Paul Carter joined TAM Services as president and CEO and facilitated the acquisition of Beach Coatings Inc., a more than 40-year-old painting company located in Corpus Christi, Texas.
BIC Magazine recently spoke with Carter to learn more about TAM Services' new facility, its objectives for the rest of 2021, his management style and the meaning of the TAM Services motto.
BIC: How will TAM Services' new facility benefit operations?
CARTER: In January, we purchased 38 acres in East Harris County. This site will become home to our Houston operations, as we have outgrown our current facility in La Porte, Texas. We are currently going through the engineering and design phase and plan to break ground in the third quarter of this year. This facility, once fully functional, will expand our shop coating and fireproofing capabilities and allow greater throughput due to the additional laydown area.
BIC: What services does TAM Services specialize in?
CARTER: We are a lower middle market industrial services company that operates primarily in the midstream and downstream sectors. We specialize in shop and field coatings and linings and have expanded into other soft-craft categories such as scaffolding, insulation and fireproofing.
BIC: What is the TAM Services motto?
CARTER: Our motto is "When Experience Matters." Even though we are a relatively young company, the members of our senior management team each have 30-50 years of industry experience. Our differentiator is our ability to focus on customers' needs and quickly adapt to an ever-changing marketplace. We focus on what we do and how to do that better at a lower price point, thereby rendering the competition irrelevant.
BIC: How does TAM Services make sure the customer is taken care of and services are performed safely?
CARTER: First, our project management style is more of the "matrix" structure. Project managers are engaged in each project from cradle to grave and have ultimate oversight to ensure we deliver the expected outcome. Our team members go through a thorough onboarding process, and safety is in everything we do. We have one of the best execution teams in the business and go the extra mile to ensure customer satisfaction.
BIC: What are TAM Services' objectives for the rest of 2021?
CARTER: Our focus in 2021 is to make sure we have a balance between our pace of growth and the necessary resources to ensure we can meet our commitments. We have grown at a 60-percent compound annual growth rate over the past five years. While growth is the objective, it is only sustainable if our resource capabilities grow at the same pace.
BIC: What management style do you find most effective?
CARTER: I am the "hands-on" type and like to fully engage my team. I have been blessed to have a lot of great mentors throughout my career and have tailored my management style around what I learned from them. The reality is we spend more waking hours at work than we do at home, so the workplace environment must make people feel valued and appreciated. Showing appreciation and making people feel part of something special doesn't cost anything.
For more information, visit www.tamservices.com or call (281) 318-5560.
