Steve Hood grew up working in the glass business. His father, Bob, owned a shower door/glass company in Michigan. Today, Steve is carrying on the tradition as the owner and founder of Shower Doors of Nashville and Shower Doors of Texas.
“My brother actually owns Shower Doors of Charlotte, so it's in our family’s blood,” he says. “Plus, I have an entrepreneurial mindset, and I knew from a very young age that I wanted to own my own company. I'm very involved and have an amazing team here. My office manager, estimator, and general managers have been with me from the start, so about five years.”
His team, says Steve, is one thing that separates his business from other companies and big box stores. “Every one of our employees is a salaried employee. There's no contract labor, and everything is done in-house.”
Either he or his lead installer in Nashville has trained the team. “I learned that I can hire people with character and integrity and then teach them,” he says. “We have seven installers in Nashville, and all of them are experts at what they do.” Also, since he's sending people into clients’ homes, he has to fully trust them, so everyone has to undergo a background check.
Every project is customized to meet a client’s specific needs. “I've always enjoyed the art of what we do and having somebody look at the finished project and say, ‘Wow, I love that.’ This is something in your house that you're going to touch every single day, and since the cost is fairly inexpensive for the product, why would you not want something that actually fits your opening perfectly?”
When creating a custom frameless shower door, there's a lot of craftsmanship and detail that goes into it that most people don't think about. “We have to be extremely precise with our measurements,” he says. When it comes to custom-made, he likes to use the analogy of a suit. “I can go buy a suit off the rack, or I can have one tailored made. Which one looks better? The custom one, absolutely.”
Steve often tells his employees that it’s not only the big things that matter, but also the little things that make them stand out from their competition. “Everything is the very best quality that I can get.”
A lifetime warranty is provided for every project. “Our shower doors are going to outlast everything else in your bathroom,” he says.
Steve and his team also stay on top of trends. They attend glass conferences and work with many designers, which allows them to see what’s coming.
He’s very proud of the company’s 5.0 rating on Google, and believes that the outstanding customer service they provide is a big part of that. Instead of gaining just one client, his goal is to have them rave about the process and the results to their neighbors, friends, and family. A lot of his business is word of mouth, and when someone trusts you enough to recommend you, that says a lot.
In addition to custom shower doors, Steve and his team can also handle any add-on products clients may need while they’re there, such as vanity mirrors or small cabinet glass. “We're doing about 95% shower doors, but we also do quite a bit of wine rooms, since a wine room is basically a shower without water.”
Having family-owned and operated businesses also brings him a lot of satisfaction. His wife, Amber, helps with the accounting, and his two nephews work in the Texas location. The company is also very active in supporting veterans.
“My brother was in the Marine Corps, and we do a lot with Spirit of a Hero and Folds of Honor,” says Steve. “We do charity events and make a lot of donations.”
To have a custom-made shower door or wine room of your own, go to their website for more information.
NashvilleShowers.com