Concrete Entrepreneur And Former NFL Cheerleader Says Standing Out Made Her Company A Leader In the Industry

Mamie Joeveer Contributor
Forbes.com

In the first years of growing her company, Tracey Lackovich, President of Super-Krete International, Inc., a company that specializes in product solutions and support for concrete repair and restoration projects, spent her off-time as an NFL cheerleader for the San Diego Chargers. It was a lifestyle quite opposite from her day job of transforming the home-based business she bought from her father in 1999, into a national and international mainstay in the concrete coating and construction industry. “I didn’t ever think I’d be in the concrete industry,” Lackovich says.

Lackovich still remembers the look on the faces of industry contacts she met in person when they realized she was the face behind Super-Krete. “I hated that many associated me as ‘the cheerleader’ but thrived off the look on their faces when I’d meet them in person and represented that in the topics of concrete and business, I knew my stuff,” says Lackovich.

Her knowledge in concrete evolved after spending many summers working with her father as a young girl. “My earliest job responsibility started when I was 15 years old,” Lackovich recalls. “I would hand-make paint color charts and I would label buckets and ship out product orders by driving them to the post office in my red Mustang convertible.”

Lackovich’s father John Holwitz, a general contractor who originally specialized in tennis court construction, launched the company in 1985. “I’m very blessed that my father is as knowledgeable and passionate about concrete as he is and that he developed something that there will forever be a need for,” she says. Super-Krete’s products include epoxy floor systems, cement overlays, paints, stains and sealants. The products are sold globally in more than 100 countries and supplied to more than 50 countries worldwide.

After Lackovich took over as CEO of the company, she eventually moved the business from her father’s garage to a 20,000 square foot facility in El Cajon, Calif. She opened a second location in Kyle, Texas in 2012.

Lackovich says throughout the years she has remained focused on her goal to build Super-Krete into a strong brand. One of the first things she did after buying the company was change the original business model, which sold products directly to local contractors, and licensed sub-manufacturing to different entities. “This model was great for collecting annual license fees, but I was not a fan of it because ultimately I didn’t have control over the quality of the product,” says Lackovich.

“In my first year I received a call regarding the quality of one of our products and this was unacceptable to me,” she says. Lackovich says that scenario pushed her hard to drop the old model of distribution. “I revoked all licenses and began full in-house manufacturing and we began to distribute only the finished products.” She picked up from there and began expanding through networks of reputable building materials suppliers. The company soon stocked the product in 250 stores throughout the U.S. in a rapid turnaround using pro-contractor and pool builder supply houses.

Lackovich also increased Super-Krete’s market presence by attending trade conventions such as the World of Concrete, and serving on several councils such as the International Concrete Repair Council. She also created a training program for thousands of companies and contractors that became a top revenue-generator.

Super-Krete’s brand made a name for itself and emerged as an industry staple with products used in many sectors from residential to commercial. Super-Krete’s popular Bond-Kote, a concrete resurfacer, branched out to become a top product used in Hollywood sets.

For contractors though, Super-Krete’s customer service remained at the forefront.

Stacy Perlinger, President and CEO of KoolCote, a concrete resurfacing company in Texas, has used Super-Krete products for the past three years. He says the customer service is a gift in the industry. “The sheer knowledge that Tracey and her staff bring to the table about decorative concrete products is something rarely seen in most supply companies,” says Perlinger.

Cesar Hernandez, founder of Cesar’s Exterior Designs, says he participated in one of Super-Krete’s training seminars. “I was actually working one-on-one with Tracey,” says Hernandez. “They do more than just put stuff on the shelf. You can call the representatives, speak to them and they are there for you immediately,” he says.

Online and digital customer support became a huge focus and led to an economic boost after the company’s revenues hit a low in 2009. Since then, the company ‘s growth has been greater than 10% in the years after the recession, according to Lackovich, and the international side has grown to represent a third of the overall business.

The use of social media to constantly interact with contractors and answer questions has also led to new product development, according to Lackovich. The feedback she received from customers helped drive the concept behind Concrete Boost, Super-Krete’s latest product, designed for use in smaller batches of concrete like counter tops.

Lackovich says she has always been very optimistic about the future of the business and the industry as a whole. “I’m looking at expanding our manufacturing facilities and opening additional distribution points,” she says.

While her position as president, and her reputation in the industry, are cemented on firm ground now, Lackovich says the road to get there wasn’t always easy. Lackovich recalls making the tough decision early on in the company to fire one of her top salespersons. “I had to let him go because he had zero respect for me and my position, and me as a woman,” Lackovich says. “It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made not to tolerate insubordination and disrespect for the sake of making money.” Lackovich didn’t let the situation deter her. Now, 15 years later, a wife and mother of four toddlers, including 1-year-old twins, Lackovich looks back at her earlier experiences in building the company as something that helped her grow stronger.

“I’ve always stayed true to who I am,” she says. “Being a woman entrepreneur in a male-dominated industry has been a good thing because it makes you different.” Lackovich says not to be afraid of being different because it makes a person more memorable. “Just be sure to capitalize on that and stand out as a champion.”