When Cogent Analytics first called, we didn’t know what to expect or what they were about. Like most business owners we’ve had our fair share of sales pitches. What followed wasn’t just a pitch, it was a process. From the initial cold call to our meeting with the RVP, to the analyst deep dive on-site, every step felt intentional, grounded, and focused on OUR business, not just generic best practices. By the time we agreed to bring a project director on-site, we knew we needed help, but we didn’t yet realize how transformational that would be.
We were running a successful union plumbing business with 20+ plumbers in the field. Work was steady, but growth had created complexity. Roles were overlapping. Firefighting had become the norm and even though we were busy, we weren’t building a sustainable business. We weren’t aligned within our business and processes lived in people’s heads. Accountability was inconsistent. Metrics were unclear or missing, and we were “winging it” more than we thought. And that showed up in delays, re-work, and stress.
We realized that we needed to clarify our brand, services, and customer promise. We said goodbye to vague selling points and now we know what makes Dries Plumbing unique and how to use it in our favor. We created clear roles, restructured leadership responsibilities, and worked on improving internal communications. And because of the changes, our team now knows who owns what and the why.
Before, we didn’t have real visibility into job costing, labor efficiency, or pipeline health. Now we track the right KPIs weekly and lead with data not guesswork.
Our scheduling, dispatching, and project handoff processes have been re-worked. We’re not perfect but we’re entirely more consistent than we were, systems are replacing stress.
This isn’t just about the work we’ve done. It’s about where we’re heading. We are in the early stages of Cogent’s LifeCycle phase now and getting ready to fully own and operate the systems we’ve built for the first time, we feel like we’re building a company, not just surviving a jobsite. We have clarity, we have alignment, we have the tools to grow without losing control, and we have a team that’s starting to feel empowered and not just employed. Because of all those reasons, we highly recommend Cogent to any other companies that feel the way we did.
Sincerely,
Ryne Wooden – President
Zach Wilson – Vice President
Dries Plumbing is a family owned business that has been serving central Illinois customers for over 80 years.
