Why Conscious Capitalism? From its inception 41 years ago, Perma-Seal was built upon a foundation of strong values, ethical work practices and the simple belief that doing the right thing is the right thing. Our purpose of making the world a better place is alive and flourishing in all that we do for our tribal members, customers, partners and the communities we serve. For many years, Perma-Seal was operating with a benevolent capitalism focus because Roy and Laura Ann Spencer, co-owners of Perma-Seal Basement Systems, believed that responsible businesses are the solution to most issues in our society. Through their conversations and modeling of benevolent capitalism they discovered the local Chicago Chapter of Conscious Capitalism. Immediately recognizing that there was an established organization that was aligned with their values and guiding principles, Perma-Seal became a Conscious Capitalism member. Driven by the philosophy that businesses should exist for reasons beyond profit and should work to elevate humanity, Conscious Capitalism aligns with Perma-Seal’s purpose of making the world a better place.
Driven by the Conscious Capitalism Philosophy:
Perma-Seal’s Long-Term Mindset in the Face of the Pandemic
An industry leader in the Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana market, Perma-Seal Basement Systems is driven by our purpose to make the world a better place, especially in these unprecedented times. As an essential business during Illinois’ quarantine, we remained committed to serving our Tribal Members and homeowners in need of basement and crawlspace waterproofing and foundation repair services.
During the first few months of the pandemic, as many companies made the quick decision to cut hours, staffing, purchases, etc., Perma-Seal maintained a long-term vision that began with an exercise to identify the controllables and uncontrollables. The result, a game plan that put our Tribal Members and their families at the forefront. We reassured our Tribal Members that there would be NO layoffs, as has been our promise for the past 41 years.
Next, we identified the best way to serve our customers during these unprecedented times. Our plan included flexible scheduling for both jobs and appointments along with modified consultations that included exterior inspections, video conferencing while in the home, and of course, the recommended CDC safety measures. Our marketing department remained focused on lead generation, while creating a new campaign of “do it yourself” videos to provide added value for homeowners that were not yet ready for any in-person interaction whatsoever. Consumer behavior and buying behavior shifted quickly to home projects and enhancements, which we deduced was directly related to the shelter-in-place impact with potential customers spending more time in their homes.
We continue to lead with a long-term mindset, and when the inevitable storms blew through our area in May, we were poised to assist thousands of Chicagoland homeowners that needed help with their homes, and provide plenty of work for many months to come for our Tribe.
Through a conscious mindset to actively serve, we continue to create value for employees, customers, and stakeholders. This higher state of company purpose provides direction to “weather” the storm as we pursue our purpose of making the world a better place.