— Interview with Peter Tsanacas —
R&R: Where are you based and how long has the company been in business?
Peter Tsanacas: Colt Facility Maintenance is based out of Dallas but we also have offices in Houston and San Antonio as well as Oklahoma City and Denver. Colt FM has been in business for a year after acquiring another facility maintenance company’s assets. That company had been in business for over 40 years. The new ownership now has over 100 years of facility maintenance and repair experience.
R&R: How long have you been with the company?
Tsanacas: I’ve been with Colt FM for 1 year and was with the previous company for 5 years.
R&R: What services do you offer retailers and restaurants?
Tsanacas: We offer retailers and restaurants professional facility maintenance and repairs in the following categories: general maintenance, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, refrigeration, remodels and refreshes. We have also added roofing services as well as parking lot maintenance and construction services. No matter what type or size of facility problem you might have, Colt FM has the solution.
R&R: In what regions of the country do you conduct most of your business, or are you nationwide? What advantages does your geographic scope offer your clients?
Tsanacas: We are currently self-performing in Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado and Arizona. We have a vetted network of business partners to cover other areas in the country, including our sister company, MaintenX International, which has a nationwide self-performing footprint across the United States.
Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado and Arizona are unique geographic areas that are not covered by many of our competitors and allow us to offer our clients self-performing capabilities at a better rate than our competitors who are forced to subcontract to Colt FM or other self-performing companies in those areas. The reason we self-perform in these tougher geographical areas is to save our customers time and money on facility repairs.
R&R: What makes your company’s “Signature service” stand out in a crowded industry?
Tsanacas: We have over 100 years of experience successfully solving clients’ maintenance and repair issues. We have skilled technicians in all of our service categories, which allows us to self-perform our services in an area that clients would typically have to reach out to multiple vendors to achieve. By self-performing, we are able to offer guaranteed quality service at the most competitive rates in the industry. We are licensed, bonded, insured and trusted business partners to small and large restaurant and retail facilities.
R&R: What kind of feedback do you receive from clients?
Tsanacas: “Wow!” is a common phrase spoken by the facility managers we work with. Our “Yes We Can!” response assures them that the facility repair will get done on time and under budget, on all work orders. Many of our customers have requested additional services in additional geographical areas.
R&R: Why should owner/operators choose your company to be their next service provider?
Tsanacas: If you are looking for a true self-performing vendor who will deliver high-quality service and communication, Colt FM has you covered. Colt is continuously investing in new equipment and talent to exceed the needs of our current and future clients. This, in connection with our proven track record of solving difficult maintenance problems, makes Colt FM a great choice for your next service provider.
R&R: How many retail/restaurant clients do you have, and is that sector growing for you?
Tsanacas: Colt FM currently works with many Fortune 500 companies along with new upstarts to simplify their facility maintenance repairs in the retail and restaurant industries.
R&R: What are some of the latest trends you see in the facilities management industry now?
Tsanacas: Customers want to get away from the broker model and look for true self-performing vendors to help drive down costs and ensure quality repairs and maintenance are being performed at their facilities. They’re also looking for real-time updates and results, which Colt FM provides on a daily basis.
R&R: What predictions do you have — for your company, your industry or both in 2024?
Tsanacas: Looking ahead, Colt FM will continue to grow our footprint along the southern part of the country due to customer demand and continue expanding our services to cover the entire portfolio of maintenance services our clients need and want. Truly partnering with our customers will ensure our services will be a valued asset to their corporate growth.
R&R: What are the top 3 most recent projects you are most proud of?
Tsanacas: We had a corporate customer with an ADA upgrade deadline that was due and we seamlessly were able to complete all store upgrades ahead of time and under budget.
We recently upgraded all service vehicles and equipment along with a new software and internal communication system at our new facility headquarters.
Our fast-acting disaster response teams were able to restore power to a large-footprint retailer with multiple locations down due to recent storms. Our quick emergency service allowed for the client to reopen and help serve the storm-impacted community.
— Peter Tsanacas is vice president of service of Colt Facility Maintenance. This Q&A originally was published in the December 2023/January 2024 issue of Retail & Restaurant Facility Business magazine. For more information in having your company profiled in a future Signature Vendor Spotlight, please contact Scott Royal at [email protected].