Best Practices: Garmon & Company – June 2026

By Jessica Chevalier

Betty Garmon started Charlotte, North Carolina-based Garmon & Company in 1995—the first women-owned commercial-only contracting firm in the city. Three decades in, the business is thriving under the leadership of Betty’s son Scott and propelled by the reputation the team has built around its CREEDS business philosophy: creativity, reliable, ethical, effective, driven, service-oriented.

A PIONEER

In the late 1970s, Betty, a single mother, was offered the opportunity to sell residential flooring. Through that opportunity, she realized she would prefer the more professional commercial side and began working for another company selling acoustic solutions. From there, she started her first commercial contracting firm with a partner in 1983. When the partnership fell apart, Betty stepped out on her own to launch Garmon & Company in 1995.

BUSINESS STATS
Location: Charlotte and Kernersville, North Carolina, satellite office in Asheville, North Carolina
Years in Business: 31
Number of Locations: 2
Number of Employees: 54
Affiliation: Fuse Alliance

After college, Scott “ran away from the business,” he reports with a laugh, pursuing a career in camera work, but he found his way back, joining Betty at Garmon & Company in 1997. That decision was obviously the right one for Scott. “I’m still very enthusiastic about the business after 30 years and a lifetime around it,” he says.

Carrying on the family tradition, more than five years ago, Scott’s daughter Sophia joined Garmon & Company. Today, she serves as project engineer and marketing leader. 

Betty is semi-retired now but maintains shared ownership. 

EXPANSION MODE

Since Betty launched Garmon & Company, the business’s offering has expanded tenfold, estimates Scott. Today, that includes resilient, carpet, carpet tile, ceramic, hardwood, epoxy and resinous systems, and polished concrete, which it subs out. Recently, the company also began selling Contessa brand architectural wall films, which can provide the look of a wood-paneled accent wall, for example, at a fraction of the cost of the real material.

Over the past few years, Scott notes that Garmon & Company has seen hardwood sales rise. “I think the design community has turned back to natural elements, and hardwood has been used a lot more consistently recently in higher-end design,” he says.

Garmon & Company’s sales team focuses on serving projects across the commercial sectors by forming relationships with general contractors, which lead to relationships with the end-user and design communities. “The sales team creates consistent relationships of depth and dependability,” says Scott. 

In addition, the company employs two service coordinators who are responsible for managing service items that are important to end users but not large projects. It’s a service that pays off. “Caring for finishes leads to being seen as source for new projects,” says Scott. 

Geography-wise, the company started its expansion in the early 2000s, beginning with travel work for national account customers, such as existing banking clients. In 2017, the company set up a second office in Kernersville, North Carolina targeting the Triad (Winston-Salem, High Point and Greensboro). 

At present, it is further expanding its geographic reach with a satellite location in Asheville, with a goal on targeting western North Carolina and upstate South Carolina. 

CULTURE & CREEDS

Creating the Garmon & Company’s CREEDS was a company exercise and serves as the basis of culture. 

“We hire and promote with our CREEDS in mind,” explains Scott. “In all facets, we have found that people are the most important element of the business. We promote and build our team through cultural fit—attitude, spirit, ability to execute.” 

Ultimately, these hiring practices have paid off. “Over many years, we have become a destination for employment. We have high tenure and low turnover,” Scott reports.  

Once hired, new staff generally participate in an onboarding process, starting with tutorials in the company’s JobRunner ERP system and then working with either a mentor or manager, who shepherds them through training in operations. 

THREE DECADES

Over the course of 30+ years, a company establishes a reputation in its community, and Scott reports that Garmon & Company is known for its can-do approach and ethical execution. “We are recognized as at the top of what we do,” says Scott.

Part of the secret sauce in that is keeping installers atop training. If Scott’s team identifies an installer with good-but-not-great skills in a particular area, they will put in the education to increase that installer’s approach. “Customers recognize that we will install it correctly and meet timelines. That dependability is baked in,” says Scott. 

Garmon & Company is also focused on giving back to the community that helped grow it. “In recent years, we have supported Roof Above,” explains Scott, “uniting with the community to end homelessness. In addition, we have held a holiday ornament fundraiser for the past five years, bringing together industry partners to raise money through the event. For the past three years, we have been able to raise and donate $10,000 to 15,000 annually.”

The business also supports The Relatives, a system of resources that helps youth find shelter and support; the Nourish Up food bank; and a reading program that it has been backing “in a small way” for 29 years. “Consistency adds up,” says Scott. 

FUTURE FOCUS

Scott’s greatest concern as president of Garmon & Company is one that many commercial contractors share. “The speed of projects nowadays, and the site readiness is the great challenge we face. It impacts all things—process, staff. In addition, technology is evolving so quickly. We have to be continually investigating new technologies to implement the right ones,” he says.

Looking ahead, Garmon & Company’s goal is “to continue to be a great, stable destination company,” says Scott. “I am proud that we have had people retire from here, to get married, buy homes and have kids. That’s a big part of my ‘why.’ When the time comes, I want to do succession the right way, keeping in mind the employees and team members who have helped us get here.” n