Billy Savely, Sr.
Billy Gordon Savely was born on December 26, 1963, in New Orleans, LA. At the age of three, Billy's parents moved the family to Lafayette, LA. Billy was one of six children. Family dynamics changed for the Savelys, and Billy's mother became a single mom raising six children. When Billy was 13, he started working two jobs; one at a local restaurant and the other at the local skating rink to help support the family.
When he was 15, Billy got a job at Lafayette Marble Company. He began doing prep work on marble molds. Soon after, Billy joined the installation team with Lafayette Marble and Tile. Here, Billy learned the importance of attention to
detail and quality of work in the home improvement industry. Billy began working at Oilfield Tuboscope when he was 16. The work preparing well sites and laying board roads was labor-intensive. It was a great learning experience for young Billy, and he quickly learned that doing a job right from the start way was the key to being successful. Billy saw how hard work and a solid work ethic paid off and are at the very core of achieving success in this job.
As a young adult, Billy moved out of the oilfield business to work at Color Tyme TV Rentals. His job in sales and collections was his first professional job and allowed him to interact directly with customers. This job was a fateful experience, which revealed Billy's passion for providing excellent customer service. Billy could relate to people who could not afford to buy what they needed for their families. Billy states, "while I worked at Color Tyme, I learned the value of providing great customer service. It's so much more than doing a good job. It's having empathy for people and understanding the positions they're in and what they truly need. The most important thing when dealing with customers is treating them with respect".
At the age of 18, Billy met Glen Morrow, the Credit Bureau of Lafayette director. Seeing great potential in Billy, Mr. Morrow offered him a job which Billy accepted. This position gave Billy an insight into the working of credit. The company eventually became CBI Credit Bureau, where Billy and his partner Richard Prevost worked together for 13 years, helping families throughout the region. The company was ultimately sold to Equifax. As a young adult, Billy was introduced to several local business people who would become his mentors. These men, particularly Sonny Mouton, Walter Comeaux, and Joe Anzalone, instilled in Billy a drive for excellence and a commitment to integrity. At 33, Billy became a self-employed import/export entrepreneur. He teamed up with Charlie Castille of Don's Gulf Select to learn a different side of business and sales and experienced business operations and management on an international scale. During this time, Billy's brother, Donny Savely, who was also involved in the import business, was instrumental in helping Billy learn the nuances of business. To this day, Billy refers to his brother, Donny, as a marketing genius and remains grateful for his guidance along the way, not only in business but in his personal life as well.
For many years, Billy and his partners traveled the world in pursuit of global marketing opportunities. His natural marketing abilities were enhanced as he learned how to pivot in response to unforeseen circumstances in the business world. Billy grew up with a love for building things and was always curious about how things worked and how they could be made better. His natural abilities for invention and innovation grew into what would be a life-long passion.
In 1999, Billy opened Lafayette Home Improvement. Inc. In this new venture, all he had learned about business and his passion for customer service came together to form a perfect foundation for the new company. Billy built his business on the same principles he considers to be unwavering and non-negotiable to this day: "You have to be responsive in everything that you do and that your employees do. You have to be committed to your clients as well as your employees. Teaching your employees the things you've learned along the way is a responsibility of every business owner and helps them to be the best they can be" says Savely.
In 2002 Hurricane Lilly brought devastation to the Acadiana area. Billy and his team responded quickly and partnered with a local roofing company to respond to the needs of Acadiana families. Trademarking the term, "We're Not Leaving Town", the partnership worked tirelessly to repair hundreds of homes and stepped up after other fly-by-night companies had walked away. During this time, Lafayette Roofing became a division of Lafayette Home Improvement. In this experience, it all came together for Billy- years of learning, business, customer service, his upbringing, and the ingrained character trait of taking responsibility. Then came Hurricane Katrina. Taking immediate action, Billy and his co-workers went to New Orleans and surrounding areas to help. Billy saw the storm's devastation and was compelled to find a solution to some of the horrors brought on by Katrina. In 2005 Billy invented Home Roof Hatch - an escape hatch that would allow homeowners an escape from flooding waters. By adding this structural feature to the roof of a home, families would have access from the attic to exit onto the roof in case of a catastrophic flooding event.
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In 2005, Billy founded Roofing Louisiana to effectively respond to Hurricane Katrina's relief efforts. Forty crews were working full throttle to complete at least 40 roofs in a day. The responsibility was enormous. Billy managed 500 roofers and home improvement specialists to facilitate effecting scheduling and keep customer service levels high for the people in crisis.
In 2015, Billy founded Southside Roofing, LLC. The Savely name had become synonymous with quality roofing and exceptional customer service. His passion for serving his clients with respect and his commitment to providing quality work was well known within the industry. Keeping with his philosophy of taking care of his customers and employees, Billy has built Southside Roofing on integrity and hard work.
Today, with Billy at the helm, Southside Roofing has multiple locations across the state and offers not only roofing services but also a wide range of home improvement services.
