Meet Devin Wills: President of A&W Contracting, inc

We had the good fortune of connecting with Devin Wills and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Devin, what is the most important factor behind your success?
I believe the success of my brand going forward will be in aligning all of the organizations I’m involved with, whether they be for-profit or non-profit, to focus on the customer/donor experience and make it one to remember. We have taken this approach more seriously in the Roofing business. After the loss of my father more than 3 years ago our company did not hold up to its standard of excellence it was known for in that department. But what could you expect after losing the man who started it all 25 years prior? It took some grit and determination for our team to “weather the storm” and get through the rough years that followed that dreadful day. We begin to really dig deep and understand the business like never before. We analyzed the past years and specific events as to why were were successful and why we had come up short at times. We took this information and began Slowly incorporating small, but important shifts in our company processes. They were small at first, but these small shifts would lead to bigger plans that we felt would have the largest impact on the company for the long term. We started with more team events like go carts, Paintball, Amusement parks, Gun range days, and company trips to bring us all together. We wanted to build this organization to be close like a family. This would also entail meetings, recruitment, rearranging employee positions, and cross training associates to perform multiple job tasks in the event of illness and unforeseen circumstances. This allowed greater mobility and flexibility that payed dividends to keep our operation running smoothly. This is key to a great customer experience as we have less down time and more productive work here at the company. This is a simple tactic that can take a few months, but will pay off big time down the road if you can build a staff that is competent in multiple job departments and can service your customers in a variety of different positions. Our customers are very successful corporations; several of which happen to be Fortune 500 companies here in America. They want to deal with competent associates who can direct and assist them with their needs without hesitation. This is a must at A&W. Building a culture full of driven, highly skilled associates that see a clear pathway to bigger and greater opportunities, that lead to fulfillment and financial success through the company. This will be the way in which we achieve massive success as a brand and potentially lead the state as the  #1 Roofing Corporation in Georgia.  

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?I am younger in terms of age, but my heart and mind is ripe with an old soul full of experience and hard lessons learned. One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned in my life is not to dwell on the “What’s if”. What do I mean? Well for starters I’ve realized that most of my anxiety and stress in life came through creating scenarios in my head that were entirely outside of my control. I always worried about what could go wrong and how terrible it would be. I constantly fell victim to negative thinking without any strategy behind how I would overcome these fears. I would be overwhelmed with these thoughts to the point that it would paralyze me. The other side of this is dwelling on the “What if’s” of your past. I did this to the extreme after the sudden loss of my father at 47 due to a massive heart attack. I was 20 at the time and was with my dad in his final moments. I woke up to his fiancé telling me dad was not breathing. Without hesitation I sprung up and started performing CPR on him. Me and her worked tirelessly to try and revive my dad. I would count 1..2..3..4…5.. all the way to 30 chest compressions and she would help with the 2 shallow breathes to help my dad receive oxygen. We repeated this process 10 or 11 times until the paramedics arrived. We felt like we did our best and everything would be just fine. Just a heart attack we thought to ourselves… It wasn’t until we reached the hospital that our our optimism was immediately crushed. We received the news that their best efforts were unable to resuscitate my father. He was gone at 10:34 am… I beat myself up over this for years. I blamed myself deep down. I felt guilty for not having the ability to save my dad. This destroyed me internally for many

years. I allowed it to dictate my happiness and prevent me from coping with the loss. When we don’t allow ourselves to move forward and come to terms with the past, or to try and understand that we can not control everything the future brings, we stay in a state full of anxiety, fear, guilt, regret and even depression. When I came to terms with my past and allowed myself to understand that I did my best to save my dad in those final moments, I felt an immense weight lift off my shoulders. When I caught my self paralyzed by fear of future events, I quickly reminded myself that all I can do is prepare and be ready for the unexpected as best as I can. Shifting my mindset in this manner allowed me to become more calm and composed, and I was able to accept the decisions or consequences of my fate each time and every time after major events that took place in my life. It’s okay to remember the past, but not dwell in your own self pity and feel helpless. I study my past as a guide for future events to come. So that I can have the strength to be better than I was before.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would definitely take them to Yebo Beach Haus in Buckhead for dinner. Would have to take them to an Atlanta United Game! There are beautiful golf courses here in Georgia so Bears Best golf course would be a must. Lanier is a Great Lake, so maybe rent a boat out there and go on an adventure. Six flags is always a great time too! 

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to dedicate my shoutout to my beautiful girlfriend. She supported me early throughout my personal struggles of addiction and depression and was especially important in motivating me to find the answers I needed in life to not only help myself get happy and healthy, but to find ways to have huge impacts in the companies and communities I’m involved in today. I love you Danessa. ♥️

Website: Devinwills.com
Instagram: @thedevinwills
Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/devinwills
Facebook: @thedevinwills