Paige Industrial Services

Devroux Paige established Paige Industrial Services (Paige) in 1996 after running a successful janitorial business for several years. “I decided I needed to broaden my customer base,” he explains of his transition into construction services. “Being in the Washington, D.C., area, I found some of the greatest minds I could afford. Together, we formed the company in the commercial construction sector, catering to the federal government, local governments and municipalities.”

Today, Paige provides construction services to a broad range of agencies and entities. The business offers expertise in construction management, design-build and renovation work. The crew has recently added information technology design and integration for this same market share.

“Our niche is hard to identify,” Devroux notes. “When you first get started, you are hungry and you will do just about anything. I would say our niche is satisfying our customers. We are able to do that because we have a great support system and great employees. We are also LEED-certified. As a general construction firm, we provide a diverse line of services.”

Casting a broad net

The company operates from three locations. Paige has a main office in Washington, D.C., a branch location in Landover, Md., as well as a satellite office in Baltimore, Md. With 70 employees, the company is by no means enormous; however, Devroux notes that his competent team works closely with partners to tackle large-scale projects.

“We were larger, but we have downsized,” he explains. “We didn’t necessarily have layoffs, but there were positions that were eliminated that were not working for our mission. Our ultimate goal is to provide competent work to our customer base. We do not work with people who do not buy into our vision. We know we need to work with people who support the growth of the business. We have been able to maintain a core group of employees who love to work with us and we love to work with them.”

Devroux’s dedicated team has helped the business build a strong reputation over the years. Paige has performed contracts for several agencies in the government sector, including the National Institute of Health, regional housing authorities and public schools. The company also has a growing market share in the private commercial sector.

A growing portfolio

The Paige team has had a busy few years. The crew recently completed an emergency job for the Washington, D.C, Department of Corrections. “We just put in 121 digital IP cameras and we are now switching their system from analog to digital,” says Devroux. “This is a very high profile job.”

Devroux goes on to note that the company received a letter from Bosch letting the industry know the business is a certified Bosch installer. “We have done projects for the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority and wired Bank of America branches from California to Ohio,” he details. It is evident Paige is doing things right.

“Right now we are a subcontractor on one job at the National Institute of Health,” he adds. “One of the most rewarding projects we have been involved with was at Bethesda Naval Hospital. We built a rooftop garden for soldiers returning from Iraq. These are service people who have made a great sacrifice and came back home injured. This building from an aerial view looks like a Mediterranean garden. We worked with a great design from the U.S. government.”

Lasting relationships

In order to perform such a wide range of complex work, Paige calls on a network of diverse, reliable subcontractors. “Our subcontractors are second to none,” Devroux explains. “We have developed relationships over a 20-year period. We also have an in-house electrical division with 12 electricians and three master electricians. We are a growing company and our partnerships allow us to perform phenomenal work.”

Devroux’s employees and strategic partners are committed to excellence on the job. This dedication continues to support the business as Paige works to take on more work and increase profitability in the coming years.

“Our key goal is to perform these jobs with as few punch list items as possible,” Devroux notes. “The last 10 percent of a job is where you lose your profit. We keep open lines of communication with clients and their representatives, so we have a clear understanding of scope and the requirements of a contract. We do not tolerate punch list items, especially if those are because of something we have omitted. We don’t want to upset clients – that is no way to build relationships.”

In the next two years or so, Devroux aims to keep building relationships, managing existing clients and reaching out to new ones. “We are always bidding on work and we have a lot of great projects coming down the pipeline,” he explains. “We are progressing well as a business and not much keeps us awake at night. I am very optimistic and my life is dependent on the constant revisions that God provides. I put my plans on his desk and whatever he says goes. That has been key for me.”

Devroux’s optimism helps him see the big picture. By putting in the work and having faith in his team and the benevolence of the universe, he continues to press Paige Industrial Services onward and upward as the construction market improves.